WNBA Wraparound: The season finale we all deserved, the best stories of 2024 and what's next for the WNBA

Wow, what a WNBA season.

It's hard to contextualize it all when we are not even 24 hours removed from the New York Liberty winning their first championship in franchise history. Yet, it's already apparent that no one is going to forget this season anytime soon.

On top of that, a historic season also gave us a thrilling finals series, another aspect of the season that will be remembered for years to come. It took 5 games plus overtime for the Liberty to win their championship, and the sports community was locked in every step of the way.

Instead of our usual Wraparound format, let's look back at three of the best moments from the 2024 season, two predictions for the next WNBA season, and one WNBA storyline we cannot wait to see play out.

3 highlights from the 2024 WNBA season:

Disclaimer: it was one of the hardest tasks to only pick three things.

The rise of the Minnesota Lynx: Coming into the WNBA season, the Minnesota Lynx were ranked No. 6 on the WNBA's preseason power rankings. They were ranked lower on many other league-wide rankings. The reasons *somewhat* made sense: the team did not have the star power of say New York or Las Vegas, there were a few new pieces coming in, and ultimately it was a young team. Those rankings could not have been more wrong though.

The Lynx proved everyone wrong by putting on a masterclass in chemistry, cohesion, and raw basketball skill. Despite not being able to win the title in the end, this team has so much to be proud of. Napheesa Collier had her best season yet, putting herself up in the ranks along with Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson. Players like Courtney Williams and Bridget Carleton rose to league stardom, and Coach Reeve proved why she's the best of the best. Ultimately, this team is dangerously good, and hopefully, they can run it back next season.

How rookies made their mark: One of the biggest storylines of this season was the wildly talented rookie class. From the eventual champions Leonie Fiebich and Jaylyn Sherrod beating the odds and fighting for places in this league to Angel Reese smashing records every night, to Caitlin Clark making the All-WNBA 1st team as a rookie. This class was STACKED. It's been fun to see the next generation of All-Stars and champions begin to find their identities in the league.

It was definitely disappointing to see Cameron Brink end her season early due to injury, and of course, there were still so many talented rookies cut from rosters who deserved a shot. Yet, the league growing in the way it just means there will be more chances for these young players to make it in the WNBA. While this rookie class was historic, there is more to come - the NCAA is bursting with talent ready for their shot in the WNBA.

A'ja Wilson makes history: A'ja Wilson was the best player in the league this season, as her unanimous MVP award proves. Despite the Aces losing in the semi-finals to New York, Wilson had the best season in WNBA history. She averaged 26.8 points per game throughout the season, a new all-time league record. She also broke the single-season rebounds record and was the first player to score 1000+ points in a single WNAB regular season. On top of all that, she went ahead and won a Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics in the middle of the season. She is now a 2x Olympic Champion, 2x WNBA champion, and 3x WNBA MVP. She is playing not just the best basketball of her own career, but the best basketball in the world. She keeps getting better every season and still has a lot of basketball in her future..

2 predictions for the 2025 WNBA season:

We could see a finals rematch between New York and Minnesota

Ramping up to be a big rivalry in the WNBA, especially after the way the 2024 Finals ended, I'm circling Lynx/Liberty games on my calendar next season. Both teams are retaining most of their rosters: Minnesota has Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, and Bridget Carleton under contract for 2025. New York has Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Kayla Thornton, and Leonie Fiebich already locked in. They will also likely core Breanna Stewart, and regardless she was probably re-signing anyway.

While the ends of each roster get a little tricky due to the upcoming expansion draft, each team will have the same core next year. That means they will only have more chemistry, more time to prepare together, and the same thrilling game energy in 2025. I expect every regular season game, and a potential playoff series to be as heated, intense, and enjoyable as this Finals series was.

Could next season's rookies top this season's?

Okay, hear me out. I know this season we got Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Leonie Fiebich, and many other outstanding rookies. You can't disregard the season they've all had, but next season is bringing us some epic rookies as well. Paige Bueckers, Georgia Amoore, Kiki Iriafen, Hailey Van Lith, and Olivia Miles are already guaranteed to be in the mix. Then you have the possibility of Azzi Fudd, Flau'jae Johnson, and more up-and-comers who could decide to declare for the draft. Who knows who will decide to come in from overseas to play next year. These players have the potential to make a huge splash in the league.

1 WNBA storyline we can't wait to see play out: EXPANSION

It's the end of an era. The 2024 WNBA Finals were the last games we will ever watch where the league only has 12 teams. We step into a new era of the WNBA: Expansion Era.

It's starting sooner than you think. The Golden State Valkyries will have their expansion draft on Dec.f 6, 2024, when they will be able to draft players from the other 12 teams in the league. Those teams can protect six players on their roster from being drafted, but everyone else is up for grabs. Golden State is allowed to pick one player from each team, and also "core" one free agent from the league. They will also participate in free agency in the new year. This has huge implications for the current make up of teams, and there will be a ton of movement on rosters in the coming months. The teams you see now are not the teams you will see in 2025.

Golden State just recently announced the hiring of Natalie Nakase as the team's first head coach. Nakase was most recently the associate head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, and this is her first head coaching position in the WNBA. Still to come for the Valkyries is of course building a roster, but also hiring the rest of the coaching staff, and revealing jersey designs and court designs.

Along with that factor, the WNBPA (the players' union) announced Monday that they have opted out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Signed in 2020, the CBA will now expire in October of 2025, giving sides one full year to negotiate a new deal. Due to this, many of the league's veteran free agents will likely only sign one-year deals this offseason, garnering themselves a ton of leverage in negotiations.

On top of Golden State's entry to the league, the WNBA will also welcome Toronto and Portland to the league in 2026. All these steps you are seeing from the Valkyries will soon begin to happen with Toronto and Portland, including hirings of general managers, team name/color reveals, head coach decisions, and more. The way the WNBA looks is never going to be the same as it was in 2024, and it's exciting to see that this current chapter ended in the way that it did, with this incredible season we just finished.

Things are changing all around the WNBA, as we say goodbye to the 2024 season, the excitement is already building for 2025 and beyond.