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The Sparks will open the 2025 WNBA season on Friday, May 16, in San Francisco against the expansion Golden State Valkyries at the Chase Center, the league announced on Monday.
After a historic 2024 season in which the WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 24 years while drawing the most spectators in two decades, the league is expanding its schedule again – this time to 44 games. WNBA teams played 40 games each of the last two seasons and 36 before then.
The Sparks and new head coach Lynne Roberts will play their home opener on Sunday, May 18, against the 2024 WNBA runner-up Minnesota Lynx. The Sparks face the defending champion New York Liberty at home on Aug. 12 and in Brooklyn on July 3 and July 26.
“We look forward to tipping off the WNBA’s 29th season in May of 2025 and continuing to build on the success of last season, when the WNBA delivered its most-watched draft and All-Star Game and set records for viewership, attendance, digital consumption and merchandise sales,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “We look forward to the expansion Golden State Valkyries taking the court for the first time.”
The Valkyries, who join the league as its 13th team and will be coached by former Marina High and UCLA star Natalie Nakase, have their expansion draft on Friday (3:30 p.m. PT). Golden State will pick fifth in the 2025 WNBA Draft in April. The Sparks, who finished last in the league in 2024 and have missed the postseason for four consecutive years, have the No. 2 selection in the April draft.
The New York Liberty will celebrate their first title with a ring and banner ceremony on May 17 when they host the Las Vegas Aces, who they met in the 2023 WNBA Finals. The Liberty, who beat Minnesota in five games in last season’s Finals in October, will face the Lynx four times in 2025: in Minneapolis on July 30 and Aug. 16, and in New York on Aug. 10 and Aug. 19.
The Indiana Fever and 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark visit Los Angeles to take on the Sparks on Aug. 5 and Aug. 29 at Crypto.com Arena.
The All-Star Game will be held in Indianapolis for the first time on July 19.
The games designated for the Commissioner’s Cup standings will be played from June 1-17. Each team plays the others in its conference – five games for the six Eastern Conference teams and six for the seven Western Conference teams. The top teams in each conference meet in the Cup title game on July 1, hosted by team with the best winning percentage in Cup play.
The regular season ends on Sept. 11 with the expanded playoffs to take place after that. The WNBA Finals have been expanded to a best-of-seven series this year and the best-of-three opening round of the playoffs will switch to a 1-1-1 format, guaranteeing each team gets at least one home game. In the past, the team with the better seed would host the first two games. The semifinals remain best-of-five.
The league will hold its draft on April 14 with Connecticut star Paige Bueckers expected to go first to the Dallas Wings.
Free agency precedes that. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on Jan. 21, and can start signing players on Feb. 1.
The television and streaming broadcast schedule will be announced in 2025, likely in March.
SPARKS’ 2025 SCHEDULE (all times are PT)
May 16 – at Golden State, 7 p.m.
May 18 – vs. Minnesota, 3 p.m.
May 21 – at Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
May 23 – vs. Golden State, 7 p.m.
May 25 – vs. Chicago, 3 p.m.
May 27 – vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m.
May 30 – at Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
June 1 – vs. Phoenix, 3 p.m.
June 6 – vs. Dallas, 6:30 p.m.
June 9 – vs. Golden State, 7 p.m.
June 11 – at Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
June 14 – at Minnesota, 10 a.m.
June 17 – vs. Seattle, 7 p.m.
June 21 – at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
June 24 – at Chicago, 5 p.m.
June 26 – at Indiana, 4 p.m.
June 29 – vs. Chicago, 3 p.m.
July 3 – at New York, 4 p.m.
July 5 – at Indiana, 4 p.m.
July 10 – vs. Minnesota, noon
July 13 – vs. Connecticut, 3 p.m.
July 15 – vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
July 22 – at Washington, 4:30 p.m.
July 24 – at Connecticut, 4 p.m.
July 26 – at New York, 4 p.m.
July 29 – vs. Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
Aug. 1 – at Seattle, 7 p.m.
Aug. 5 – vs. Indiana, 7 p.m.
Aug. 7 – vs. Connecticut, 7 p.m.
Aug. 9 – at Golden State, noon
Aug. 10 – vs. Seattle, 3 p.m.
Aug. 12 – vs. New York, 7 p.m.
Aug. 15 – at Dallas, 4:30 p.m.
Aug. 17 – at Washington, Noon
Aug. 20 – vs. Dallas, 7 p.m.
Aug. 26 – Phoenix, 7 p.m.
Aug. 29 – vs. Indiana, 7 p.m.
Aug. 31 – vs. Washington, 5 p.m.
Sept. 1 – at Seattle, 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 – at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 5 – at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 7 – vs. Dallas, 3 p.m.
Sept. 9 – at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 – vs. Las Vegas, 7 p.m.
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