The end of the 2025 WNBA regular season is here. Next up: electric playoff basketball. Then, another season of Unrivaled and EVEN MORE league expansion. Who’s ready? 😎 

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Ziaire Williams, Ish Wainright, Vernon Maxwell, and Yao Ming! 🎉

Around the Association

Phee joins 50-40-90 club, Lynx beat Valkyries 72-53 in regular season finale

Napheesa Collier stamped her MVP case in the best way possible last night, finishing off a historic season by joining the exclusive 50-40-90 club. She’s the first player in WNBA history to do it while averaging 20+ points per game, and the only one not named Elena Delle Donne. Elite.

But in terms of last night’s game, the Lynx handled business and then some against Golden State, who just couldn’t get shots to consistently fall against Minnesota’s tight defense. The Valkyries still made their way into the playoff picture, which is always impressive in a franchise’s first year, but shoutout to Phee and the Lynx. A 34-10 record, the No. 1 seed, and a likely MVP on the roster? This one was for the books.

Aces win 16th straight game, blow out Sparks 103-75

On a night where playoff seeding was still up in the air, the Aces stayed locked in until the very end.

Las Vegas closed the regular season on a 16-game winning streak by running past the Sparks in a huge blowout win last night. A’ja Wilson (23 PTS, 19 REB) put up yet another monster line, while Chelsea Gray kept Vegas’ offense humming with a 15-point, 10-assist double-double—not to mention SEVEN steals. The victory clinched the No. 2 seed for the Aces, who’ll have home-court advantage to open the playoffs.

For the Sparks, it’s the end of a tough year. But Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink showed some real flashes, and while L.A. missed the postseason, the building blocks are in place for what’s next.

Film Friday: Silver Edition

The NBA’s Board of Governors held their annual meeting this Wednesday to discuss league rules, team operations, and other priorities for the year ahead.

For this week’s edition of Film Friday, let’s take a look at the “film” from Commissioner Adam Silver’s press conference after the meeting and go over the key takeaways ahead of next season.

1. Silver addresses Clippers investigation

You know we Enjoy Basketball, but the business side of the NBA can sometimes come with an unsavory side. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently under investigation after Pablo Torre reported the franchise allegedly attempted to skirt the salary cap while signing Kawhi Leonard via a third-party endorsement arrangement. After the organization and owner Steve Ballmer denied any wrongdoing, Torre released additional information yesterday about Clippers co-owner Dennis Wong’s involvement in the potential violation.

At the press conference, Silver stressed that the NBA’s investigation is being conducted by an independent firm and framed it as a way to ensure that the playing field is fair for all 30 teams, not just a one-off punishment for a team getting creative in the front office. We’re hoping the situation is dealt with as quickly and fairly as possible—the faster we can get back to Enjoying the sport without worrying about the rulebook, the better.

2. Silver teases “heave rule” and U.S. vs. World All-Star format

Starting this season, end-of-quarter “heaves” will no longer ding a player’s individual shooting percentage. Instead, the NBA is enacting a rule change that will record those shots as “team” attempts to give players more freedom to throw up last-second prayers without worrying about their stat line. It’s especially nice for guys like Steven Adams who aren’t shooting many threes to begin with.

Silver also teased that a new All-Star Game format may be officially locked in before the 2025-26 season tips. It’s been reported that All-Star 2026 (hosted in Los Angeles) will include a revamped U.S. vs. World setup, but we’re still yet to see exactly how the new format will play out.

3. Price of NBA fandom sparks debate at presser + on social media

Being an NBA fan isn’t cheap if you want to watch games across the league and even attend a few per season. Silver addressed the chaotic market of subscription services and broadcast partners that basketball fans (and sports fans at large) face when trying to find their favorite teams on TV, and the below quote prompted a debate among hoops fans across social media platforms:

Some were offended by Silver seemingly diminishing the importance of watching games live, and fans took his words about the state of sports media in a wide variety of ways. We highly suggest you take a peek at the full press conference to contextualize everything, but the price of being an NBA fan is an inevitable conversation regardless.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

As the WNBA races towards its finish and the NBA season creeps up, the pages of the basketball calendar are turning fast. Enjoy it! There’s plenty of basketball around for everyone. 💙

Austin Zeglis