How to Pick a WNBA Team When Your City Doesn’t Have a WNBA Team: A Guide
Are you a new fan of the WNBA? Do you not happen to reside in one of the 12 WNBA cities? This guide is for you.
As Canadians, we have a pretty good idea of what it’s like to not have a sports team in our city. Unless you live in a huge metropolitan centre, or hockey is your sport of choice, our options for teams to support is limited.
When it comes to the WNBA, the selection is even smaller. Not only do we not have a Canadian team (yet) to support, but there are only 12 teams total to choose from.
If you’re a newer fan heading into your first WNBA season as a spectator, but not sure which team’s bandwagon to jump onto, here is a handy guide to get you started.
Option One: Pick a Team with a Canadian Player
If you still want to support Canadian hoops regardless of if there is a Canadian team in the WNBA, this is the next best way. Picking a team with a Canadian player gives you four team options in four very different locations in the United States — lots of vacation options!
Raptors HQ has a more extensive guide of the Canadians set to play in the 2024 WNBA season here.
If you’re going this route, then you’ll be choosing between the Minnesota Lynx (Bridget Carleton), LA Sparks (Kia Nurse), Atlanta Dream (Laeticia Amihere), and Washington Mystics (Aaliyah Edwards).
Toronto girlies, Amihere is from the GTA, so that could be your pick. If you’re a mid-big city girl or a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fan, Kia Nurse comes from Hamilton Ontario. The small town Canadians can resonate with Carleton’s Chatham, Ontario roots. Edwards hails from Kingston, Ontario, repping basically anyone North of Toronto??
These teams also have a lot of other fun perks if you choose to support. The Lynx have Napheesa Collier, one of the league’s best, as well as a few exciting younger players in Diamond Miller and Dorka Juhasz. The LA Sparks looked exciting in their preseason game, and have two lottery picks in Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson to follow.
The Atlanta Dream have been building something special over the past few seasons, and Rhyne Howard has been the centre of it all. The 2022 number one overall draft pick is a great young player to watch. Finally, the Washington Mystics are a team going through a transitional phase (similar to the Raptors!) and it will be exciting to see them build.
Looking to follow these teams? Here are the people to check out:
LA Sparks: @ECreates88
Washington Mystics: @byMattCohen
Minnesota Lynx: @M_Hansen13 @canishoopus
Atlanta Dream: @ItsMeghanLHall
Canadian WNBA follows: @GoldieonSports @Crinamm @SavHamilton11
Option Two: Pick a Team with a Young Superstar
The names that have been on everyone’s mind as we approach the 2024 WNBA season are the rookies. Players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and more have been all over the media, and for good reason. These young stars are shepherding in a new era of women’s basketball.
Clark’s Indiana Fever and Reese and Cardoso’s Chicago Sky are two exciting teams to watch heading into the season. The Fever have been rebuilding for years, and now the duo of Clark and Aliyah Boston, along with several other lottery and first round picks, plus some great vets, will be fun to watch.
The Sky have also been retooling their roster since winning the 2021 WNBA Championship. After losing Kahleah Copper after the 2023 season, the Sky have been trying to figure out what’s next. With Reese, Cardoso, and new head coach Teresa Weatherspoon at the helm, Chicago has a bright future.
While neither of these teams will be in contention for a championship this season, it’s more about investing for the future with them. Get in early, so when they do win down the line, you can say you were there first.
Looking to follow these WNBA teams? Here are the people you need to check out:
Chicago Sky: @AnnieCostabile
Indiana Fever: @takamaikuri
Option Three: Pick a Team with a Seasoned GOAT (or multiple) on their side
Sometimes you just can’t deny excellence and experience. There are teams in the WNBA that have players that are just SO good, even decades into their careers. It’s a gift to get to experience that kind of talent.
For those reasons, the Phoenix Mercury, Connecticut Sun, or Dallas Wings could be your choice.
The Sun have the star power of Alyssa Thomas, whose game defies the laws of physics and biology. She is just SO talented, can get a shot off whenever or wherever, and does it all with no shoulders. Seriously, AT injured her shoulders a while back and opted not to repair them, and just plays through it. You can see it in the way she shoots, but somehow has made it work and adapted her game.
The Sun also have Brionna Jones and Dewanna Bonner on their side, both seasoned veterans and excellent players. The Sun are dark horses in the WNBA standings every year — people count them out, but they end up proving them wrong.
The Phoenix Mercury have a “new yet old” look going into this season. Of course they are still rolling with their duo of Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, but they’ve added some new talent to the fold this year. Before you get all defensive over what Taurasi has said about Clark and rookies in general this year, you can’t deny the talent of the highest scorer in WNBA history. She may be in her 40’s now, but DT can still get a shot off.
Griner is always going to be one of the most dominant players in the league. Her size at 6-foot-9 is undeniable, and she’s a top two-way player for Phoenix. Then you have the additions of players like Bec Allen, Kahleah Copper, and Natasha Cloud, and the Mercury are looking to improve this season.
Dallas is a team that is also hoping to be on the up in 2024. They have the talent of Arike Ogunbowale on their side — and if you watched the Wings’ preseason game against the Fever, you know that Arike is a BUCKET. Still young of course, Ogunbowale is one of the best shooters this league has ever seen.
Aligning yourself with any of these GOATs is good news.
Here a few people that cover these teams closely:
Phoenix Mercury: @ayabdeen
Dallas Wings: @harperxxwrites
Connecticut Sun: @NoaDalzellNBA
Option Four: Pick a Championship Contender
No shade, we all know it’s fun to win! If you’re new to the WNBA and you want to immediately join the best of the best, then you may want to choose to support the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, or Seattle Storm.
Let’s start with the Aces, because it’s simple: the Las Vegas Aces are building a dynasty. They have two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, the point GAWD Chelsea Gray, and a bench full of star power. They are overwhelmingly talented, and their chemistry is on par with that talent. Leading the charge is head coach Becky Hammon, who led the team to a championship in her first season as a head coach.
On top of that, the franchise has invested in the team’s potential. The Aces were one of the first team’s to build a state of the art practice facility for that team alone. You can tell the intention that goes into every team decision.
The Aces are on track to win their third straight championship, and there is not much in their way. They have the talent, power, depth, and coaching ability to go the distance.
The only teams that could potentially stand in their way to that third championship on paper are the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm. The Liberty have another two-time MVP in Breanna Stewart, and a roster full of All-Star and Olympic-gold-medal-winning talent.
New York got as far as making the WNBA Finals last season, but were unable to beat the Aces. They did however beat the Aces in the Commissioner’s Cup Final, and the two teams battled it out all year long.
The Seattle Storm are rising back up to contender status this season after not making the playoffs last season. With team leader Jewell Loyd signing an extension with the franchise, the Storm had to get cracking on attracting some other All-Star talent to Seattle. It worked, and they got both Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike in free agency.
Now, just one season removed from being at the bottom of the WNBA standings, the Storm are back in the top ranks. Their big four of Loyd, Diggins-Smith, Ogwumike, and Ezi Magbegor are going to be making it rain all over the WNBA.
What do all three of these WNBA teams have in common — other than talent? Investment. It’s no surprise that these franchises are the ones attracting the league’s biggest stars in free agency, as they are also the ones pouring money into practice facilities, team culture, and health.
Any of these teams are sure to be on the winning side of the season, making for a fun time following and cheering along.
Here are some follows to get you started:
Las Vegas Aces: @itsBTerrell
New York Liberty: @MylesEhrlich
Seattle Storm: @WNBAStormChaser
General WNBA follows: @SwishAppeal @MG_Schindler @ariivory @ClassicJPow @Khristina @RachGall
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There you have it! An extensive guide on which WNBA team to support as we head into the 2024 season!