WNBA Finals

WNBA Finals are the Women's National Basketball Association's championship series and mark the end of the postseason for the league. The first WNBA Finals were held in 1997 and were played between the Houston Comets, under coach Van Chancellor, and the New York Liberty, under coach Nancy Darsch. The Houstons won the first championship.

In 1997, a total of eight teams participated from the Eastern and Western conferences, the Houston Comets, the Cleveland Rockers, the Charlotte Sting, the New York Liberty, and the Houston Comets in the Eastern Conference; the Los Angeles Sparks, the Phoenix Mercury, the Utah Starzz (now known as Las Vegas Aces), and the Sacramento Monarchs in the Western Conference. Until 2002, the WNBA Finals were known as the WNBA Championship. As of October 2024, twelve teams participate in the league, and three more teams will join by 2026, one in 2025 and two in 2026.

WNBA Finals

The WNBA Finals champion has been decided by a 2-2-1 format since 2005. The first, second, and fifth games of the series are hosted at the home court of the team with a higher regular-season record. The final round is contested between the winners of the two semifinals, both of which are also best-of-five series. The higher-seeded team has the advantage of home court and generally faces a weaker team. The winning team is awarded a championship ring, and the best player of the finals is awarded with the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player. In the beginning, only a single match was played to decide the champion. As of October 2, 2024, the semifinals are going on between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces, and the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun. According to the WNBA official website, the final's last possible date is October 20, 2024.

Which teams have won the most WNBA Finals titles?

As of October 2024, the Minnesota Lynx, the Seattle Storm, and the Houston Comets, a former team, have won the most titles in the WNBA Finals, with each team securing four WNBA championships. The Las Vegas Aces are the champions of the 2023 WNBA Finals, with A'Ja Wilson of the Aces named the WNBA Finals MVP.

WNBA Playoffs

As of October 2024, in the WNBA playoffs, the top eight teams from the regular season advance to the knockout stage, regardless of the conference, and this format was adopted in 2016. The teams compete in a three-round series for the championship, with the semifinals and the finals are best-of-five series. This format was implemented in 2022. The WNBA playoffs format has changed frequently over the years. After 1998, two teams were added to the league, and the format of the WNBA Finals was changed to a best-of-three games series. The playoffs, most of the time begin in September or October every year.