The 2025 WNBA season is fully underway as the Commissioner's Cup has already begun. Nearly a quarter of the way through the season, several serious title contenders have emerged and storylines have been abundant.
Fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for either the Minnesota Lynx or the New York Liberty to lose their first game, and injuries to players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have derailed their teams in the early going.
There are plenty of new faces on some of the league's premier teams, so it has been exciting to watch these players blend together in the early going. While there is a lot of parity in the WNBA this season, a few players like Kelsey Plum and Rhyne Howard have stuck out in one key category.
Which players are leading the WNBA in minutes player per game?
While Howard is still playing with the team that drafted her first overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft, Plum had a change of scenery this offseason after a trade from the Las Vegas Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks. Despite these two players' varying circumstances, they are the league's leaders in minutes played per contest.
Player (Team) | Minutes per game |
|---|---|
Rhyne Howard (ATL) | 36.1 |
Keley Plum (LAS) | 35.7 |
Allisha Gray (ATL) | 35.6 |
Napheesa Collier (MIN) | 34.9 |
Gabby Williams (SEA) | 34.0 |
Paige Bueckers (DAL) | 34.0 |
Brittney Sykes (WAS) | 33.5 |
Dearica Hamby (LAS) | 32.9 |
A'ja Wilson (LVA) | 32.6 |
Skylar Diggins-Smith (SEA) | 32.3 |
These minutes are clearly warranted, as both Howard and Plum are in the top 10 for scoring in the WNBA, with Howard's 17.6 points landing her at No. 10 and Plum's 21.6 ranking her No. 3. Plum is also sixth in assists and both rank in the top 10 for steals per contest as well.
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Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko has clearly been leaning on his superstars in the early going, as Eastern Conference Player of the Month Allisha Gray is third in the league in minutes played per game. The Sparks' Lynne Roberts and the Storm's Noelle Quinn have clearly both adopted this mindset as well, considering they each have two players ranking in the top 10.
Not every team in the WNBA has played the same number of games, however, so Plum sits atop the list of total minutes played. Satou Sabally and Arike Ogunbowale enter the fold as well when total minutes are considered, and Bueckers drops way down, considering she has missed three games with a concussion.
The Sparks have struggled in the early going, as they own just a 3-6 record despite Plum's prowess on the court. The Dream, however, have been the biggest surprise, as they sit at 5-3 almost one whole month into the season.