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The New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx opened the 2024 WNBA Finals on Thursday at the Barclays Center in a best-of-five series. New York hosts Games 1 and 2, while Minnesota does the same for Games 3 and 4. This will be the last use of the format, as Commissioner Cathy Engelbert made a surprising announcement just hours before Game 1 of the Liberty-Lynx showdown commenced.
Engelbert had this to say to reporters in her press conference on Thursday:
“Starting next year with the 2025 WNBA season, the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV will be a best-of-seven format, replacing the current best-of-five format. The finals will take on a 2-2-1-1-1 structure in which the higher seed will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 and its opponents will host Games 3, 4 and 6.”
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The league has used the best-of-five format since 2005 after previously having a best-of-three and single-game structure. Engelbert provided the reason for the change starting the 2025 campaign:
“This will give our fans a championship series format that they are accustomed to seeing in other sports.”
With attendance and viewership spiking in 2024 compared to last year, some basketball insiders saw the change as inevitable. The arrival of Caitlin Clark forced teams to change venues to accommodate fans. Clark’s rival, Angel Reese, has a massive following as well. The rookies have helped bring unprecedented attention to the league.
Fans react to Cathy Engelbert changing the WNBA Finals to a best-of-seven format
With the basketball spotlight trained on the WNBA Finals, it didn’t take long for fans to react to Cathy Engelbert’s announcement.
“LET’S GOOOOOOO”
According to @Liverpotlian, there's another reason the format was changed:
“WNBA is anticipating Caitlin Clark going to compete for that Championship next year... so they need maximum the game potential in playoff... smart…”
One fan commented:
“It’s about time!!! Let’s Go!!”
Another fan gave a three-word response:
“Caitlin Clark effect”
The 2025 WNBA Finals is roughly a year from today. For now, basketball fans can enjoy the New York Liberty versus Minnesota Lynx showdown in the last best-of-five championship before the changes occur next year.
