Michael VoepelCloseMichael VoepelESPN Senior WriterMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Follow on XCharlie CremeCloseCharlie CremeESPN.comCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.Oct 3, 2025, 08:15 AM ET
play0:56Why defense will be the key decider in the WNBA FinalsMonica McNutt breaks down why defense will play the biggest role in the WNBA Finals.
play0:48How the Aces turned it around midseason to reach the WNBA FinalsKendra Andrews breaks down the Aces’ remarkable 17-game win streak that helped them reach the WNBA Finals for the fourth time in Las Vegas history.
Monica McNutt: WNBA Finals is ‘battle of the titans’ (0:54)Monica McNutt explains why this WNBA Finals is Alyssa Thomas’ best shot at winning a title. (0:54)
Why defense will be the key decider in the WNBA FinalsMonica McNutt breaks down why defense will play the biggest role in the WNBA Finals.
How the Aces turned it around midseason to reach the WNBA FinalsKendra Andrews breaks down the Aces’ remarkable 17-game win streak that helped them reach the WNBA Finals for the fourth time in Las Vegas history.
Kendra Andrews breaks down the Aces’ remarkable 17-game win streak that helped them reach the WNBA Finals for the fourth time in Las Vegas history.
ESPN has ranked the top 25 players in the WNBA throughout this season. Now that we’ve reached the WNBA Finals, the list shrinks to the best 15 players on the court as the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury meet in the league’s first seven-game championship series to determine the 2025 champion. Game 1 is Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Las Vegas.
Aces center A’ja Wilson, who won her record fourth regular-season MVP award last month, remains at the top, just as she was in our rankings heading into the playoffs. Wilson is going for her third league championship and second WNBA Finals MVP award.
Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas, who also was an MVP candidate this season, is No. 2 on our list. She hopes to lead the Mercury to the franchise’s fourth title, which would be her first.
Wilson has been on an amazing run since the Aces turned their season around, starting Aug. 3. As good as she was in the later part of the regular season, she has been just as sharp — or better — in the playoffs. Wilson has scored 25 or more points in five of the Aces’ eight playoff games and has been a pillar on defense. She averaged 1.6 steals during the regular season, but that’s up to 2.6 in the postseason. — Voepel
What Wilson means to the Aces’ post play, Young means to their guard play. Her consistency has been a major asset for Las Vegas since she was drafted No. 1 in 2019. But Young also has turned it up for the postseason: She is averaging 4.0 more points in the playoffs, and her rebounding and assists numbers are also up. And she takes the toughest defensive assignment on the perimeter. — Voepel
Why defense will be the key decider in the WNBA Finals
Monica McNutt breaks down why defense will play the biggest role in the WNBA Finals.
Gray will be 33 on Wednesday, the date of Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. In her 11th WNBA season, Gray is still one of the WNBA’s best point guards and clutch shooters. We saw that in the Aces’ semifinal Game 5 victory over Indiana in which Gray had 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and six assists. Late-game management was a problem for Minnesota in its semifinal series loss to Phoenix, but Gray is masterful at that for Las Vegas. — Voepel
Injuries limited Copper to 28 of the Mercury’s 44 regular-season games. But she has been healthy and effective throughout the playoffs. She had 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting in what was probably her best overall performance of the playoffs, which was also the Mercury’s pivotal Game 3 victory of their semifinal series with Minnesota. — Voepel
Smith is Las Vegas’s version of Bonner. A change of scenery rejuvenated her career, and her arrival from Dallas was a key to the Aces’ rebirth in August. Smith’s presence as a rebounder and low-point threat allows Wilson to play more freely. With a confidence that has reached a new level in the playoffs, Smith’s scoring and shooting accuracy are both up from the regular season. — Creme
How the Aces turned it around midseason to reach the WNBA Finals
Loyd hasn’t been the scoring whiz in Las Vegas that she was in her decade with Seattle, but that’s not a fair assessment of what the Aces needed from her. They required a big guard who could fit into the system at both ends of the court, and Loyd has done that. As it turned out, she has been more effective coming off the bench, a role she has embraced. But in the Finals, the Aces might look for a little more offense from her. — Voepel
Mack earns her playing time as a defender and a rebounder. She has attempted just 20 shots in the playoffs but was second in the league in blocks and offensive rebounds per 40 minutes during the regular season. As Phoenix looks for different ways to slow down Wilson, Mack — with her length and mobility — could play an important role in the series. — Creme
She has been a good addition to the Las Vegas bench this season after spending the past four years in Chicago. Evans scored in double figures in four of Las Vegas’ eight playoff games. Her quickness and defensive tenacity could make her one of the X factors among reserve players in this series. — Voepel
A 29-year-old rookie, Westbeld made her WNBA debut on May 17 and went on to play a team-leading 43 games (tied with Whitcomb). She is the quintessential pick-and-pop power forward who also gained minutes because of her defense. Westbeld took 60.9% of her shots from 3-point range in the regular season. Her minutes have been cut in the playoffs (18.4 to 11.9), but she has made 8 of 15 from behind the arc. — Creme
The Mercury will be as physical as they are allowed to be, which is why it’s helpful to Las Vegas to have another center along with Wilson who is not going to back down. Gustafson has appeared in six of the Aces’ eight playoff games, averaging 10.0 minutes. She played nearly 18 minutes, with 5 points and 3 assists, in the semifinal Game 5 win over Indiana. — Voepel
The always aggressive Thomas has looked to attack the basket even more during the Mercury’s postseason run and her scoring has increased by 3.2 PPG in the playoffs, all while her league-leading assists numbers have stayed the same. Nearly everything Phoenix does on offense runs through Thomas, a point guard and power forward rolled into one. Her seven triple-doubles set a single-season WNBA record and the 19 in her career is also tops in league history, including one in the opening-round series clincher against New York. — Creme
Thomas is the Mercury’s best and most consistent player. Sabally is their difference-maker. When Sabally is at her best, she can string together plays that few players can. She can spark a run all by herself with her quick-release, deep shooting talents, coupled with her ability to run the floor and get to the rim. That said, Sabally can also disappear for stretches. She has had a nine-point and 10-point game in these playoffs. Phoenix lost both games. In the Mercury’s five wins, Sabally has averaged 21.2 points. — Creme
The Mercury and Bonner might have saved each other. The 38-year-old’s career looked like it was sputtering to an end after a disappointing start to her first season with Indiana. The Fever released her after nine games, and she joined Phoenix where she immediately had a more defined role. Once a star, Bonner excepted her role-player status, and her big-game experience and length on defense have been assets to the Mercury’s Finals run. She has made just 5 of 20 3-pointers in the playoffs, but four helped fuel the comeback of the series-clincher against Minnesota in the semifinals. — Creme
A five-year veteran of professional basketball in France, Akoa Makani joined the Mercury after signing a training camp contract and has been a major contributor throughout her rookie season. She does most of her damage from 3-point range and was Phoenix’s most accurate deep shooter during the regular season (39.8%). The playoffs haven’t been as kind, where Akoa Makani has made 5 of 18 3-point attempts and her overall production has dropped. Nate Tibbetts has remained confident in her, though, and Akoa Makani has played at least 19 minutes in all seven Mercury playoff games. — Creme
Monica McNutt: WNBA Finals is ‘battle of the titans’ (0:54)Monica McNutt explains why this WNBA Finals is Alyssa Thomas’ best shot at winning a title. (0:54)
CloseMichael VoepelESPN Senior WriterMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Follow on X
Monica McNutt explains why this WNBA Finals is Alyssa Thomas’ best shot at winning a title. (0:54)
CloseCharlie CremeESPN.comCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.
The list is a little shorter. The stakes are a lot higher.
Center | 6-foot-4 Playoff stats: 26.0 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.8 BPG
Forward | 6-foot-2 Playoff stats: 18.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 9.1 APG
Guard | 6-foot Playoff stats: 20.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.3 APG
Forward | 6-foot-4 Playoffs stats: 17.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 34.0% 3FG
Guard | 5-foot-11 Playoff stats: 10.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 7.3 APG
Forward | 6-foot-4 Playoff stats: 7.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.3 APG
Guard | 6-foot-1 Playoff stats: 15.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.0 APG
Guard | 5-foot-11 Playoff stats: 5.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.6 APG
Guard | 5-foot-10 Playoff stats: 8.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.1 APG
Forward | 6-foot-4 Playoff stats: 8.9 PPG, 4.86 RPG, 62.0% FG
Guard | 5-foot-11 Playoff stats: 7.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.0 APG
Forward | 6-foot-4 Playoff stats: 3.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.7 BPG
Guard | 5-foot-6 Playoff stats: 7.4 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 3.0 APG
Forward | 6-foot-3 Playoff stats: 4.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 53.3% 3FG
Center | 6-foot-4 Playoff stats: 3.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.3 APG