As the 2024 WNBA enters the playoffs, the league has seen incredible individual performances, record-breaking moments, and heated controversies on and off the court. This season, the standout names are no surprises.
The Rookie of the Year, announced recently, cemented the dominance of a new generation led by Caitlyn Clark, while veteran players continued to compete for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. With over eleven broken records, the 2024 WNBA season is one of the most remarkable the league has ever seen in its 30 years.
With the conclusion of the first round, several teams and players stood out with dominant performances that had fans on the edge of their seats. The defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces crushed the Seattle Storm, advancing to the next round easily with a strong performance from A’ja Wilson, who averaged a phenomenal 22 points and 10 rebounds per game. Girls Varsity Basketball assistant coach, David Atas highlighted Wilson’s impact, noting that she “continues to prove why she’s one of the most unstoppable forces in the league,” especially with her talent in both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Another powerful team, the New York Liberty continued their impressive season, defeating their rival, the Atlanta Dream, in a tightly contested game thanks to clutch performances from New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, with Stewart contributing a double-double to help her team advance into the semifinals. Atas also commented on Ionescu’s role, pointing out that her leadership has been vital to the team, calling her “the engine that drives the Liberty” and suggesting that “with the way she’s playing, this could finally be the year New York brings home the championship.”
Caden Ye ’26, who is part of the LFA’s Boys Varsity Basketball also shared his admiration for Ionescu’s leadership, stating that “it’s inspiring to see someone like Sabrina take control of games in the playoffs,” especially her ability to make plays for her teammates and hit big shots, which Ye noted as something every point guard aspires to do.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Fever’s playoff run came to a close despite high expectations. The Fever struggled to score consistently and faced challenges against defensive sensation Alyssa Thomas of the New York Liberty. Caitlin Clark had standout moments, putting up 25 points in the elimination game, but the team as a whole found it difficult to keep pace. Atas reflected on Clark’s impact as a rookie, stating that her “smooth transition to the WNBA and being able to contribute right from her rookie season, proves her potential to be a future MVP contender.”
As the excitement from the first round began to fade, the stakes rose as the semifinals progressed into the finals. Seeking to win their first WNBA championship, New York advanced to the finals for the second year in a row after defeating the Las Vegas Aces 76-62 on Sunday, October 6th, to win the semifinal series 3-1. Sabrina Ionescu led the way for the Liberty, averaging 20.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game this postseason. New York has now made it to six WNBA Finals, including last season when the Liberty fell to the Aces, but they have yet to win a title. In the opposing semifinal series, the Minnesota Lynx were able to claim victory over the Connecticut Sun in an intense game 5 battle. With Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds, the Lynxes were able to narrowly defeat the Sun resulting in their first Championship appearance in nearly 8 years.
The fight for the Commissioners Cup was an outstanding brawl, with the matchup between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx proving to be one of the most entertaining championships the league has ever seen. Minnesota was able to start strong with a nail-biting overtime victory led by Courtney Williams but the Liberty were quick to retaliate by blowing out Minnesota in game 2 with the final score being 80-66. New York was able to maintain their momentum going into game 3 of 5 narrowly winning by 3 points but in a remarkable turn of events, Minnesota was able to clutch a win with a lucky foul in the last second of the game tying the series up 2-2. Game 5 concluded in incredible fashion with the score tied up at the end of the 4th leading to overtime. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the New York Liberty were able to come out on top thanks to some clutch free throws from Breanna Stewart earning them their first championship title in over 28 years.
