Sparks to open 2025 season on May 16 against Valkyries
The Los Angeles Sparks will open the 2025 season in San Francisco on May 16 against the expansion Golden State Valkyries in the first WNBA game to be played at Chase Center.
After a historic 2024 season in which the WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 24 years and playoffs in 25 years while drawing the most spectators in two decades, the league will expand the schedule to 44 games. WNBA teams played 40 games each of the last two seasons and 36 before then.
The Sparks with first-year coach Lynne Roberts will play their home opener on May 18 against the WNBA runner-up Minnesota Lynx. They 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,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “The upcoming free agency period and the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm will create a tremendous level of excitement, and we are also looking forward to the expansion Golden State Valkyries taking the court for the first time.”
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. The Liberty, who beat Minnesota in a decisive fifth game in last season’s championship, will face the Lynx four times with the first meeting on July 30.
The Indiana Fever and Caitlyn Clark, last season’s rookie of the year, come to Los Angeles on Aug. 5 and Aug. 29.
New Sparks coach Lynne Roberts knows turning around the franchise won’t be easy, but she’s determined to transform the Sparks into winners once again.
The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup will be played from June 1-17 with each team in the Eastern Conference having five games and Western Conference teams playing six. The top team from each conference will play on July 1 in the Cup Final.
The regular season ends on Sept. 11 with the expanded playoffs to take place after that. The league switched its format to a best-of-seven finals this year and the opening round will go to a 1-1-1 format with the worse seeded team hosting Game 2. In the past, the better seeded team would get the first two games on their home court.
The league will hold its draft on April 14 with Connecticut star Paige Bueckers expected to go first to the Dallas Wings. The Sparks have the second pick in the draft.
The television and streaming broadcast schedule will be announced in 2025, likely in March, the league said.
A game-by-game list of the Los Angeles Sparks’ 2025 schedule:
MAY
16; at Golden State; 7 p.m.
18; vs. Minnesota; 3 p.m.
21; at Las Vegas; 7 p.m.
23; vs. Golden State; 7 p.m.
25; vs. Chicago; 3 p.m.
27; vs. Atlanta; 7 p.m.
30; at Las Vegas; 7 p.m.
JUNE
1; vs. Phoenix; 3 p.m.
6; vs. Dallas; 6:30 p.m.
9; vs. Golden State; 7 p.m.
11; at Las Vegas; 7 p.m.
14; at Minnesota; 10 a.m.
17; vs. Seattle; 7 p.m.
21; at Minnesota; 5 p.m.
24; at Chicago; 5 p.m.
26; at Indianas; 4 p.m.
29; vs. Chicago; 3 p.m.
JULY
3; at New York; 4 p.m.
5; at Indiana; 4 p.m.
10; vs. Minnesota; Noon
13; vs. Connecticut; 3 p.m.
15; vs. Washington; 7 p.m.
22; at Washington; 4:30 p.m.
24; at Connecticut; 4 p.m.
26; at New York; 4 p.m.
29; vs. Las Vegas; 7 p.m.
AUGUST
1; at Seattle; 7 p.m.
5; vs. Indiana; 7 p.m.
7; vs. Connecticut; 7 p.m.
9; at Golden State; Noon
10; vs. Seattle; 3 p.m.
12; vs. New York; 7 p.m.
15; at Dallas; 4:30 p.m.
17; at Washington; Noon
20; vs. Dallas; 7 p.m.
26; Phoenix; 7 p.m.
29; vs. Indiana; 7 p.m.
31; vs. Washington; 5 p.m.
SEPTEMBER
1; at Seattle; 7 p.m.
3; at Atlanta; 4:30 p.m.
5; at Atlanta; 4:30 p.m.
7; vs. Dallas; 3 p.m.
9; at Atlanta; 7 p.m.
11; vs. Las Vegas; 7 p.m.
