WNBA Power Rankings: Liberty, Valkyries come out of opening weekend strong as league kicks off 30th season
Officials, meanwhile, are on the clock as the WNBA tries to find a balance to the on-court physicality
Just before the 2026 WNBA season started, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who is out until at least June after undergoing double ankle surgery in the winter, criticized the league's level of physicality.
"The game is too physical right now. I think that's been a complaint of players and coaches alike for the past several years," Collier, who tore three ligaments in her left ankle and a muscle in her left shin during a controversial collision with Alyssa Thomas in the playoffs last season, told NPR. "We've been compared to the NBA of the '80s, in just our physicality. And I do think that hinders the players, obviously. You come to watch players play offense and to score. When it's so physical, the game is not fun to watch and it's not fun to play."
Collier is not the only high-profile figure who thinks that way and, during the offseason, the league made an effort to "clean up the game, make it a more fluid game," Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon said last week. "I think across the board, everybody from league executives to coaches felt like it was too physical," Hammon continued, adding that "freedom of movement" was one of the points of emphasis for officials.
The first weekend of the season showed that it's going to take some time to find the right balance in how the game is being called. In 11 games, there were 491 fouls called and 508 free throws taken.
The Aces, in their blowout loss to the Phoenix Mercury, were the only team that didn't shoot at least 15 free throws in a game, and there were five instances of a team taking at least 30 free throws. For comparison, there were only 25 instances of a team taking at least 30 free throws all of last season.
"This game was 2 hours and 41 minutes long, like that's insane," Breanna Stewart said after the New York Liberty's overtime win over the Washington Mystics, which featured 58 fouls and 57 free throws. "I know it's gonna take time of what's the standard and what's gonna be called, but there's calls that are being called that are unnecessary on both sides. Then there's no flow, so I don't know."
Here are CBS Sports' latest WNBA Power Rankings:
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | New York didn't have the toughest schedule this weekend, but 2-0 against anyone without Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally or Leonie Fiebich is a positive start. Breanna Stewart is back to her all-around best, but French guards Marine Johannès and Pauline Astier have stolen the show thus far. Johannès had a career-high 25 points on Sunday and is 11 of 22 from 3-point range to start the season. | NR | |
| 2 |  | Perhaps the Valkyries have enough shooting after all. In their debut season, they set a WNBA record by taking 29.9 3s per game, but made just 32.5% of them, which ranked 11th in the league. They didn't do anything to specifically address their outside attack this offseason, but are 28 of 69 (40.6%) from 3-point range during their perfect 2-0 start. Janelle Salaün is 9 of 15 (60%) on her own. | NR | |
| 3 |  | Te-Hina Paopao played hero in the Dream's opener with a last-second jumper to beat the Lynx in a game that was more competitive than may have been expected. The Dream didn't shoot the ball well, but they rebounded 51.1% of their missed shots and got to the free-throw line 30 times. Angel Reese had a lot to do with that: in her debut with Atlanta, she became the fastest player in league history to 50 double-doubles (65 games). | NR | |
| 4 |  | In a fitting tribute to their roller coaster 2025, the Aces began 2026 with a 33-point loss to the Mercury and a 27-point win over the Sparks. As great as A'ja Wilson is, this team will go as its guards go. Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd and Chennedy Carter combined for 32 points on 15 of 36 (41.7%) shooting against the Mercury and 60 points on 24 of 40 (60%) shooting against the Sparks. | NR | |
| 5 |  | Azzi Fudd became the first No. 1 overall pick to come off the bench in her debut since Kelsey Plum in 2017, and only managed three points in 18 minutes, but you can't argue with Jose Fernandez's strategy. The new-look Wings offense looked incredible in their win over the Fever. They played extremely fast, shot 59.1% from the field and had three 20-point scorers: Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers and Odyssey Sims. | NR | |
| 6 |  | The Mercury earned some measure of revenge over the Aces when they spoiled ring night with a 33-point win in their 2025 Finals rematch -- the biggest season-opening win in franchise history. Even though the Mercury fell to the Valkyries the next night, it's clear that everyone underestimated the team's offseason work. Serbian guard Jovana Nogić, in particular, has been excellent: 35 points on 71.4/80/100 shooting splits so far. | NR | |
| 7 |  | Kelsey Mitchell (30 points), Aliyah Boston (23) and Caitlin Clark (20) combined for 73 points in their first game together since July, and the Fever put up 104 points on 51.9% shooting. The problem was that they gave up 107 to the Wings on 59.1% shooting. As fun as it was to watch Indiana's Big Three again, the Fever aren't going to contend for a title if they defend like they did on Saturday all season. | NR | |
| 8 |  | Skylar Diggins showed why the Sky were so eager to add her this offseason with a brilliant debut: 21 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals on 8 of 12 shooting in their 15-point win over the Fire. Kamilla Cardoso's huge double-double (22 points and 14 rebounds) was also encouraging. One win over an expansion team doesn't make a season, but the new-look Sky will be pleased with this start. | NR | |
| 9 |  | Minnesota nearly pulled off an upset in the season opener, but there was a lot to be happy about despite the loss. In particular, No. 2 pick Olivia Miles and Czech rookie Emma Cechova both had very strong debuts. Miles, who put up 21 points and eight assists, became just the fifth player in WNBA history to have at least 20 points and five assists in their first game. Afterward, Courtney Williams said Miles is "like a baby Chelsea Gray." | NR | |
| 10 |  | The Mystics had to settle for a 1-1 start after their upset attempt against the Liberty fell short in overtime. Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin have looked awesome, and it's clear this team is going to be tough and competitive, but there are already questions emerging about their guard play and 3-point shooting (10 of 50). Additionally, No. 4 pick Lauren Betts is clearly going to need some time to acclimate to the pro level. | NR | |
| 11 |  | You can talk about growing pains for a new-look team, and getting the reigning champs 24 hours after an embarrassing loss on ring night, but there's no sugarcoating the Sparks' opener. They went all in this offseason to not only snap the longest active playoff drought in the league, but to compete, and got smoked at home. Cameron Brink going scoreless in eight minutes with three turnovers and three fouls was particularly discouraging. | NR | |
| 12 |  | No. 3 pick Awa Fam is still overseas, but the Storm have gotten a lot of positive early production from some of the other members of their young core during their 1-1 start. No. 8 pick Flau'jae Johnson has shot the ball well from 3-point range and is getting to the line frequently, Dominique Malonga already has seven stocks (steals plus blocks) and Jade Melbourne is leading the team in assists despite losing her front tooth. | NR | |
| 13 |  | The Tempo shot 27% from the field and had nearly as many turnovers (16) as made baskets (17) in their debut game, and they still nearly beat the Mystics. As ugly as Friday's opener was, it was still fun to see the WNBA's first Canadian franchise become a reality. The crowd inside Coca-Cola Coliseum, which came from all corners of the country, was terrific. Regardless of their results, the Tempo are going to have great support all season. | NR | |
| 14 |  | The expansion Fire are going to lose a lot of games this season, so it wasn't a surprise when they dropped their opener to the Sky by 15. But despite the result, there were a lot of positives from the team's first game. The Fire Pit -- that's what they're calling the Moda Center -- was rocking, Alex Sarama's style of play was clear, and there were exciting flashes from young players such as Carla Leite, Sarah Ashlee Barker and Nyadiew Puoch. | NR | |
| 15 |  | Two games, two defeats for the rebuilding Sun, who look absolutely hopeless on the defensive end without French guard Leila Lacan. Coach Rachid Meziane even told reporters after their loss to the Storm on Sunday that he texted Lacan, who is still overseas, and told her, "We need you." For now, the biggest thing the Sun can do is to stop fouling. They've given up 64 free throws in two games. | NR |
