More is more for the WNBA this season. More regular season games. More playoff games, with this being the first postseason with a best-of-seven Finals. And, of course, more drama.
It’s down to the No. 4 Mercury and No. 2 Aces to see if we’ll get the longest-ever WNBA playoff series. Both went the distance in the first round, with the Mercury taking down the Liberty in three games and the Aces knocking out the Storm in three. But Phoenix will go into this Finals having a bit more rest after defeating the Lynx in four games while Las Vegas needed a Game 5 at home to eliminate the Fever.
So who walks away champions? Our writers and editors make their predictions for the 2025 WNBA Finals.
The most surprising part of the playoffs so far has been…
Emma Baccellieri: Even in a postseason that has included a historic comeback, an all-time crashout, and a just-may-be-league-changing exit interview… I’m still going with the Fever gritting their way to overtime in Game 5 against the Aces with Kelsey Mitchell in the hospital and Aliyah Boston stuck on the bench. There’s no better statement on Indiana’s season than needing to close out a do-or-die playoff game with Shey Peddy, Brianna Turner and Odyssey Sims on the floor—and having it be enough to force OT.
Clare Brennan: Sims’s gutsy performance for the Fever wasn’t shocking given her tenure and skill set, but it was a pleasant surprise to watch the league veteran shine on the biggest stage. A little over a month after signing a hardship contract with Indiana, Sims nearly lifted the team to the Finals. That’s what the playoffs are all about.
Elizabeth Swinton: The Aces being on the brink—twice. It has taken every minute (and then some) for the Aces to reach another WNBA Finals after a three-game series vs. the Storm and a five-game battle vs. the injury-plagued Fever that went to a decisive overtime period. With the Finals now a seven-game series, time will tell if this last test vs. the Mercury also goes the distance.
Dan Falkenheim: Bridget Carleton’s mini-feud with Satou Sabally. Who knew that Carleton had that level of feistiness within her? It didn’t seem like Sabally did.
tears dawg https://t.co/hPTkGsDj0U pic.twitter.com/gnR6s5ujbq
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) September 27, 2025
The player to watch in the Finals is…
EB: Monique Akoa Makani. Yes, much of the attention for Phoenix is (reasonably!) on their Big 3, and much of the conversation about this particular series has focused on what might go down in the paint. But if the Mercury are going to win, they’ll need a big series from their rookie point guard, too. Akoa Makani’s impact does not always show up in the box score. But she does so many little things right, and it can’t be overstated how much she adds to this defense, especially on the perimeter. The question of what Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray are going to be able to contribute offensively for the Aces is likely going to come down to Akoa Makani.
CB: Kahleah Copper. Explosive and athletic, Copper can push the pace and get downhill, making life difficult for the Aces. She’s a versatile scorer and helps diversify Phoenix’s offense alongside Sabally and Alyssa Thomas, averaging 16 points and 2.5 rebounds in the Mercury’s semifinal series against the Lynx. Copper also has vital Finals experience, and is a feisty competitor, winning Finals MVP after Chicago’s championship run in 2021. Not only is she a potential gamechanger, Copper is pure entertainment in big moments.
ES: Satou Sabally. In her sixth WNBA season, Sabally has breakout potential in the WNBA Finals. The forward has found her fit in Phoenix after five years in Dallas, most recently helping the Mercury finish out the Lynx in the semifinals with three straight 20-plus-point performances. Sabally will have a tough matchup against the Aces’ Young, but if she can win that battle, the Mercury will be in good shape to put some scare in Las Vegas.
DF: NaLyssa Smith. Since joining the Aces, Smith has looked like a completely rejuvenated player. She has been going to work in the paint on offense and blocking shots all over the place on defense. Simply, she’s been a difference-maker for the Aces. But … Smith has been foul prone, and Las Vegas’s lineup takes on a different texture without her. She could be in store for tough matchups against either Sabally or Thomas at different points in the series.
A bold prediction for the Finals…
EB: Dana Evans has a breakout game. There’s no one who can effectively counter her speed, and while she’s generally used off the bench to provide a different look and switch up the pace for Las Vegas, she can be pretty deadly from midrange, too.
CB: Sami Whitcomb hits a decisive buzzer beater (again). The 37-year-old drilled a game-tying three to help lift the Mercury to a Game 2 OT win over the Lynx in the semifinals—and she’s going to do it again in the Finals. Sure, her three-point percentage hasn’t been lights out this postseason, but Whitcomb can make a clutch shot when it matters most.
Sami Whitcomb ties the game with 3.4 seconds to go!
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 24, 2025
Get on ESPN NOW! https://t.co/fkF2MvIvqT pic.twitter.com/6pQFXbnJWg
ES: The players make another unified statement. This will be WNBA players’ last chance for a public showing in a game setting before the current CBA expires on Oct. 31. With Napheesa Collier’s comments capturing national attention leading into the Finals, there may be no better time to fuel that momentum, especially following players’ All-Star warm-up shirts worn in July. It would not be surprising to see a similar action taken on the biggest stage of the WNBA season.
DF: A’ja Wilson becomes the first player to score 40 points in a WNBA finals game. She dropped 38 against Seattle in the first round, and 35 and 31 in her last two games against the Fever. Another blow-up performance is coming, and so are more Is A’ja Wilson the WNBA’s GOAT? conversations.
The 2025 WNBA champions will be…
EB: Mercury in six. They may have lost this matchup in the regular season (Aces went 3–1), but if Las Vegas continues with the defensive lapses we saw in the semifinals, Phoenix will take advantage.
CB: Mercury in seven. Phoenix took down the reigning champions (Liberty) and the best team in the league this season (Lynx) on its way to the Finals. This group has come too far and faced too many tests to let this golden opportunity slip through their fingers. Plus, Thomas has the added motivation of never having taken home the hardware, and at 33, this may be her last best chance at a ring.
ES: Aces in six. I have to keep rolling with Las Vegas after choosing them to win it all heading into the postseason. The Mercury come in tough and well-rested, but the Aces’ championship experience will prove valuable in what has been a battle-tested playoff run.
More WNBA Playoffs on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Expert Picks, Bold Predictions for 2025 WNBA Finals.
