Top 25 Players Who Will Define the 2025 WNBA Season: Clark, Bueckers & More
The WNBA season tips off tonight, and it promises to be one of the best in league history given the immense talent across the entire league.
The New York Liberty are favored by the latest WNBA championship odds after winning their first title last year, but they're followed closely by the Aces, Fever, and Lynx - all of whom feature +400 odds or shorter across our best sports betting sites.
With so many stars on the move this summer, we're catching you up on all the action with a look at the 25 players who will define the 2025 WNBA season - starting with the most popular player in the entire sport:
🏆 WNBA MVP favorites
🔥 Caitlin Clark
Heading into her second season, Caitlin Clark has emerged as the face of the WNBA with commissioner Cathy Engelbert calling her "the most popular athlete in America" ahead of her sophomore debut on Saturday.
After a record-setting rookie campaign, Clark has drawn half of all MVP bets to move to the outright favorite to win the award - something no player has ever done in their second season. The Fever will be featured in just about every national TV game this year, so Clark should have every opportunity to continue her ascent to superstardom with the best supporting cast of her career.
♠️ A'ja Wilson
The "underrated" label doesn't exactly apply for the three-time MVP and reigning award winner, but make no mistake: A'ja Wilson remains the best player on the planet and one of the best hoopers in league history.
Wilson set single-season records in total points (1,021) and rebounds (451) last year while posting the highest scoring average (26.9 PPG) in WNBA history. She was rewarded as the first unanimous MVP winner since the league's inaugural season in 1997, but she'll need more from her teammates to lift the Aces back to championship form.
🐆 Napheesa Collier
The days of sleeping on Napheesa Collier are over after she won Defensive Player of the Year, finished second in MVP voting, and carried the Lynx to their first WNBA Finals appearance since 2017 before a heart-breaking overtime loss in Game 5.
Expectations are even higher for Minnesota and especially for Collier, who is dealing no worse than +400 across our best sports betting apps to win MVP after back-to-back top-five finishes. If she can continue to perform like the best two-way player in the league, the Lynx could finish the job this time around.
🗽 Breanna Stewart
A two-time MVP and three-time champion, Breanna Stewart delivered on her promise to bring a title to New York after signing with the Liberty back in 2023. She also finished in the top three in the MVP race for her sixth consecutive season (excluding when she missed 2019 with injury).
Even when she takes a backseat to the other stars on New York's roster, Stewart always makes her impact felt on both ends of the court, and she's still in the prime of her career as she enters her age-30 season. As long as Stewart is healthy, the path to a title clearly runs through the Big Apple.
🗽 Sabrina Ionescu
Before Clark took the league by storm, Sabrina Ionescu was billed as a potential face of the league - a walking triple-double with limitless range and a flashy playing style built for superstardom. It all came together for her last year, when she hit multiple clutch shots to help the Liberty win their first-ever title.
The former No. 1 pick quietly finished sixth in MVP voting, too, falling just shy of career highs in points (18.2 PPG) and assists (6.2 APG) while ranking in the top five in Most Improved Player voting for the second time. If she takes yet another step forward in 2025, it'll be tough for anyone to deny New York a second title.
🚛 Familiar faces in new places
🪐 Alyssa Thomas
Nobody has accomplished more with less fanfare than Alyssa Thomas, who is coming off three consecutive top-five MVP finishes after a mid-career breakout with the Connecticut Sun. Yet the 33-year-old enters a new phase of her career after a sign-and-trade sent her to the Phoenix Mercury this summer.
The Mercury also traded for oft-injured Satou Sabally, whose potential is sky-high if she can stay healthy, to give coach Nate Tibbetts the star power he needs to maximize his pace-and-space vision for Phoenix. Thomas' elite playmaking should unlock a new level for this team and could help her secure that elusive ring in her 12th season.
♠️ Jewell Loyd
Even after setting the WNBA's all-time scoring record two years ago, Jewell Loyd wasn't viewed as a clear-cut star while toiling away for a rebuilding Seattle Storm squad. But she'll be front-and-center this year after a blockbuster deal sent her to the Aces in January.
The "Gold Mamba" finished sixth in scoring last year (19.7 PPG) and should have every opportunity to excel as a secondary scorer alongside Wilson in Las Vegas. Her ability to mesh with the rest of the Aces' star-studded backcourt could be the difference in whether the WNBA's most recent dynasty can add a third trophy to the mantle.
✨ Kelsey Plum
The other major piece of that three-team blockbuster deal, Kelsey Plum will finally get a chance to prove herself as a No. 1 option with the Los Angeles Sparks, who flipped the No. 2 selection in this year's draft to acquire the former No. 1 overall pick.
Plum had a down year in 2023 amid a messy public divorce, but she still finished in the top 15 in points (17.8 PPG) and assists (4.2 APG) as the second or third option for the Aces every night. If the 30-year-old unlocks a new level to her game after three straight All-Star appearances as a high-level role player, Los Angeles could emerge as the biggest dark horse of 2025.
🌙 Brittney Griner
While Brittney Griner isn't the player she once was before missing the entire 2022 season, she still made the All-Star team in back-to-back seasons and posted her best efficiency inside the arc (58.3%) of her decorated career.
After more than a decade in Phoenix, the former No. 1 pick surprised many when she signed with the Atlanta Dream this offseason, but it's a hand-in-glove fit for a team that needed more firepower down low. Griner led the league in postups last year and finds herself in the perfect spot to regain her MVP form.
🔥 DeWanna Bonner
Another player whose best days should be behind her, DeWanna Bonner still ranked 11th in total win shares (4.9) - including fifth in defensive win shares (3.1) - and garnered MVP votes in the 15th season of her record-setting career.
The WNBA's fourth all-time leading scorer will be a strong offensive fit on the wing alongside Clark, but Bonner and former Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard will both play a critical role on the other end for a Fever team that finished second-to-last in defensive rating last year (111.7).
Honorable mention: Brionna Jones, Courtney Vandersloot, Natasha Cloud
❎ Championship X-factors
🗽 Jonquel Jones
As far as former MVPs go, Jonquel Jones might be the most underappreciated in the entire league. She ranked fourth in win shares last year (6.5) and averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds on 56.1% shooting in the WNBA Finals while posting a combined 2.0 blocks and steals per game.
The Liberty feature an embarrassment of riches entering their title defense, but Jones' play down low could be the defining factor for this team. When the five-time All-WNBA star is swatting shots on one end while operating as a secondary scorer and facilitator on the other end? Watch out.
♠️ Jackie Young
Another player whose production exceeds the hype around her, Jackie Young didn't quite reach the same levels last year as she did in 2023, when she finished third in win shares (7.5) and ninth in MVP voting. But she still averaged 15.8 points and 5.3 assists in a crowded backcourt for Las Vegas.
With Loyd coming in from Seattle to replace Plum, it could take some time for Young to re-establish her spot in the pecking order following three straight All-Star appearances. But if the Aces make it back to the postseason, her playmaking and defense could easily swing a series or two this fall.
🔥 Aliyah Boston
We saw a rocky sophomore season from Aliyah Boston, who averaged just 10.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in her first 12 games. Then she found her rhythm with Clark and exploded down the stretch - averaging 15.6 points and 9.9 rebounds with 12 double-doubles in her final 28 games.
Expectations couldn't be higher for the Fever entering 2025 with bettors pouncing on Indiana's title odds. If they make it deep into the postseason, Boston will need to live up to her billing as a former No. 1 pick to contend with the likes of Wilson and Stewart down low.
🐆 Kayla McBride
As one of the most consistent players in the WNBA across her 11-year career for three different teams, Kayla McBride enjoyed one of her best seasons to date (15 PPG, 40.7% on 3-pointers) to help guide the Lynx to the WNBA Finals.
She was even better in the playoffs, averaging 15.3 points and 3.8 assists with 1.1 steals. The four-time All-Star is one of the best 3-point shooters and defenders in the entire league, and her two-way prowess will be critical for Minnesota as it tries to build off that deep postseason run last season.
🔥 Kelsey Mitchell
With all of the hype around her rookie teammate, Kelsey Mitchell flew under the radar last year despite ranking eighth in scoring (19.2 PPG) - scoring just two points fewer than Clark across 40 games - and finishing 10th in MVP voting.
Mitchell surprised some around the league when she opted to re-sign with the Fever, preserving an elite backcourt duo for new coach Stephanie White. Mitchell averaged 23.4 points after the All-Star break, and her play alongside Clark will go a long way toward determining whether the Fever can live up to their lofty expectations.
Honorable mention: Chelsea Gray, Alanna Smith, Courtney Williams
🦸♀️ Unsung heroes
🪐 Kahleah Copper
Even after enjoying the best season of her career, Kahleah Copper still isn't a household name for casual WNBA fans despite ranking third in scoring (21.1 PPG) in her first year with the Mercury.
With Griner and Diana Taurasi gone, Copper should have a chance to establish herself as one of the W's premier players in 2025 - especially with Thomas dishing the rock at an elite level. If Phoenix makes the jump from dark horse to true contender, you can be sure Copper will be at the center of it all.
⛈️ Nneka Ogwumike
Father Time may be undefeated, but Nneka Ogwumike is currently winning that battle after averaging 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in her Storm debut - ranking fifth in win shares (7.4) while finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting for the third consecutive season.
Even with Loyd off to Las Vegas, Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins remain top-15 players in their 30s and should help keep Seattle in playoff contention. Ogwumike is also president of the WNBA players union with the current CBA set to expire on Oct. 31, so she'll have her fingerprints all over the future of this league regardless of what she does on the court this year.
🪽 Arike Ogunbowale
Wilson set the league's all-time scoring mark last season, but Arike Ogunbowale finished second in points (22.2 PPG) and earned MVP votes for the sixth time in her six-year tenure with the Dallas Wings.
Ogunbowale has shot better than 40% just once in those six seasons, which is why she's often overlooked on lists like this, but she remains one of the league's premier scorers. If she can refine her shot selection - and that's a big "if" - the former top-five pick has the tools to establish herself as a true superstar.
🌙 Rhyne Howard
Speaking of burgeoning stars, Rhyne Howard is another player whose elite scoring exploits should slot her comfortably into the league's top tier. Yet her subpar efficiency has limited the ceiling of the former No. 1 overall pick.
Howard and teammate Allisha Gray still form one of the most underappreciated duos in the WNBA, and they could finally parlay that into a deep playoff run with Griner joining the fray this season. Howard has shown flashes of being one of the WNBA's best players - can she prove it across a full season?
✨ Dearica Hamby
In her first full season as the No. 1 option, Dearica Hamby seized the opportunity and ran away with it - averaging career highs in points (17.3 PPG), rebounds (9.2 RPG), assists (3.5 APG), and steals (1.7 SPG) in her Sparks debut.
She'll have some added help this season with Plum coming over from Las Vegas, and Los Angeles' young talent around those two should be healthy and ready to make a potential playoff run in 2025. Hamby surely won't match those elite numbers on lesser usage, but she could have an even bigger impact overall on the league's balance of power this season.
Honorable mention: Ezi Magbegor, Chennedy Carter, DiJonai Carrington
📈 Rookies & rising stars
🪽 Paige Bueckers
While she hasn't generated the same otherworldly hype as the No. 1 pick before her, Paige Bueckers enters her debut season in the WNBA as one of the most heralded prospects in league history after guiding UConn to a title last year.
The Wings rookie will almost certainly face a rocky start to her career - as is the case for every rookie coming off a deep tournament run in March and April - but her unique feel for the game as a scorer and facilitator should shine right away as she becomes comfortable in her role as the face of the franchise.
🌤️ Angel Reese
Expectations weren't all that high for Angel Reese as a rookie despite her stellar career at LSU, as she fell to the No. 7 pick for the Chicago Sky. She responded by setting the rookie record for rebounds (446) - second all-time behind Wilson (451) - and breaking the record for consecutive double-doubles (15).
Reese won't be sneaking up on anyone this year, especially after a strong showing in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league this summer. With former LSU teammate Hailey Van Lith joining the fray, we should see an even better version of Reese in her sophomore campaign for the emerging Sky.
✨ Cameron Brink
Just when she was starting to truly establish herself as a rookie, Cameron Brink tore her ACL and missed the final 25 games of her debut season. She's set to miss the beginning of this season but should return by the All-Star break in June.
When she does, Brink could emerge as one of the league's best defenders right away after swatting 2.3 shots per game as a rookie - which would have ranked second behind only Wilson (2.6) across the entire season. With Brink and fellow sophomore Rickea Jackson, who is the betting favorite to win WNBA Most Improved Player, the future is bright in Los Angeles.
⛈️ Dominique Malonga
The hype surrounding rookie Dominique Malonga is growing exponentially after a recent WNBA GM survey in which 60% of executives said she'd be the best player from her class in five years - even ahead of the No. 1 pick Bueckers.
That's some lofty praise for the 6-foot-6 center dubbed the "Female Wemby" for her freakish length, athleticism, and touch. The French star likely won't play in the WNBA right away, but when she does make her debut, she could establish herself as one of the league's brightest stars right away.
🐆 Diamond Miller
It's been a tough start for Diamond Miller after the former Maryland standout was drafted No. 2 overall by the Lynx in 2023. She started all 32 games as a rookie but shot just 40.3% from the field and 30.7% from deep, and she fell out of the rotation last year as she recovered from a knee injury.
Heading into her third season, Miller is a legitimate X-factor for the reigning Western Conference champions if she can tap into her immense talent and stay healthy in Year 3. Few reserves have the upside and athleticism of Miller, making her one of the league's most intriguing players heading into 2025.
Honorable mention: Kamilla Cardoso, Maddy Siegrist, Julie Vanloo
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