Updated May 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM PDT
The WNBA season tips off this weekend with high-profile matchups, a top rookie class and growing fan interest.
Ben Pickman, a staff writer at The Athletic who covers the WNBA and women's college basketball, told Morning Edition that expectations are high for No.1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers, a guard for the University of Connecticut.
Bueckers enters the league after a national championship-winning season at UConn, ending her final year of college basketball with an average of 19.9 points and 3.52 assists per game.
"She's a great passer and playmaker," Pickman said, adding that the Dallas Wings franchise "is looking to have a lot of sustained success" with Bueckers and her teammate Arike Ogunbowale, who was drafted to the team in 2019.
Pickman describes Ogunbowale as a star and classifies her as one of the league's best scorers. During the Wings' 2024 season, Ogunbowale averaged 22.2 points, which was the second highest in the league, according to USA Today.
Along with Bueckers and Ogunbowale, there is interest around rookie Dominique Malonga, a 6-foot-6 forward playing for the Seattle Storm.
"She's someone who some executives around the league think could be the best player in the draft when we look back on it five, 10 years from now," Pickman said.
This weekend also brings one of the league's most anticipated early matchups — Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever versus Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. The game is set to be played on May 17 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Clark and Reese are now in their second WNBA season — and their rivalry, which dates back to college, continues to draw national attention.
"Angel Reese was an All-Star last year as a rookie, which is super, super impressive. And she is set to have another big year. Caitlin Clark, though, is currently in the MVP conversation." Pickman said.
However, Pickman says their teams are in different phases.
"The Fever are eyeing a championship this year. They're trying to put themselves in the championship conversation. Whereas the Sky are much more just trying to get back into the postseason and reestablish themselves really as a franchise in the league," Pickman said.
Amid the excitement of WNBA teams and fan-favorite players returning to the court, there is a looming battle over players' earnings that could complicate the league's future.
The league faces labor tensions that could halt its recent surge in popularity. The players' union has opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, and the WNBA recently signed a lucrative new TV deal.
Pickman says owners — some worth billions — may resist raising salaries despite the league's growth. He notes the current max salary sits around $250,000, while players are seeking something closer to $1 million.
Pickman spoke with NPR's A Martinez to discuss the anticipation of this new upcoming season and the compensation disputes within the WNBA.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
A Martinez: So Ben, let's start off with the number one overall pick in the draft, Paige 'Bucket' Bueckers, because she scores a lot. So what are the expectations for her highly anticipated rookie season?
Ben Pickman: I think there are pretty high expectations for Paige Bueckers — coming off a national championship winning season at UConn [University of Connecticut]. She is a great passer and a great playmaker. And she goes to the Dallas Wings — a franchise that is looking to have a lot of sustained success. They have a new coach, a new general manager, and obviously Paige as one of the stars. The thing that will help her, though, is she's playing alongside Arike Ogunbowale, a former Notre Dame star in her own right. Ogunbowale is one of the best scorers in the WNBA. So Bueckers and Ogunbowale are already a backcourt to watch.
Martinez: Any other rookies that you're going to really watch this year?
Pickman: [Paige Bueckers] is the big one. But out in Seattle there is someone named Dominique Malonga and she is a French phenom. She's [6 feet,-6 inches tall], super, super athletic, already playing for France on the Olympic team. She's someone who some executives around the league think could be the best player in the draft when we look back on it five, ten years from now.
Martinez: For me, the biggest matchup this weekend is the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark taking on Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, both now in their second season. What makes games between them so compelling?
Pickman: They are two players who played in high leverage games in college. So they have a lot of history just playing in big games against each other. And then they obviously have big fan bases behind them. As a result, they have kind of become two of the biggest stars in the WNBA. I will actually be at that game in Indianapolis this week. So I am very excited to see them kick off the season against each other.
Martinez: So it's kind of like the track that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird went on, a rivalry in college and now a rivalry in the pros?
Pickman: I steer away from making it that simple. Because I think there are a lot of factors that go into that comparison. I think right now, frankly, the players are at different tiers from each other. Angel Reese was an All-Star last year as a rookie, which is super, super impressive. And she is set to have another big year. Caitlin Clark, though, is currently in the MVP conversation. She was All-WNBA First Team last year as a rookie and is well positioned to be in that kind of top five conversation again this year. So two very, very great players – but also two teams at different life cycles. The Fever are eyeing a championship this year. They're trying to put themselves in the championship conversation. Whereas the Sky are much more just trying to get back into the postseason and reestablish themselves really as a franchise in the league.
Martinez: [There] may be some dark skies ahead. Because there might be a labor issue with the WNBA and the players upcoming. The union opted out of the last contract early. And the league just recently signed a lucrative TV deal. Fair or unfair, fans do not side with players in labor disputes. Is the WNBA risking losing all of its positive momentum if there's a labor dispute that causes the league to somehow miss games, shut down, or something like that?
Pickman: I would say it is particularly interesting on the side of the owners, where you have some of these owners who are worth billions and billions of dollars here. And one of the big talking points is about salaries. So the question is, hypothetically, say the current maximum salary is around $250,000. If players want around a million, is an owner who's worth $10 [billion] , $11 billion, like the Tsai family, who own the [New York Liberty], are they really going to haggle over $100,000 potentially being the sticking point?
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