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Early WNBA takeaways: Clark is back, Wings impress, Reese bolsters DreamMichael VoepelClose
ESPN Senior Writer
Women’s Basketball Reporter
The WNBA tipped off its 30th season over the weekend with a collection of cool moments and hot takes.
The Portland Fire, who briefly existed from 2000 to 2002, opened their “resurrection” season while the expansion Toronto Tempo played their first WNBA game.
On Saturday, the Las Vegas Aces got diamond championship rings — and then got routed by the Phoenix Mercury, who got a small measure of revenge after being swept by the Aces in last year’s WNBA Finals. But on Sunday, the Aces blew out the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark had 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in her first WNBA game since July 2025; she missed most of last season with injuries. As has been the case since she arrived in the WNBA, Clark moved the needle — with everything from armchair diagnoses about how she is feeling physically to overreactions about what their 107-104 loss to the Dallas Wings means to the Fever’s playoff chances.
But that’s what the opening of the season often brings: bold statements, admittedly without a lot of data. Here are 10 such takeaways from opening weekend.
Two hundred and ninety-six days had passed since Caitlin Clark played in a WNBA game when she stepped on the floor Saturday. That might as well be a lifetime for the basketball junkie. Clark wasn’t her best self in 2025 as nagging injuries and opposing defenses knocked her averages down in points, rebounds, field goal and 3-point percentages. She was still named an All-Star, making that first-team all-WNBA selection as a rookie even more impressive.
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Clark wasn’t that 2024 version of herself Saturday, and got off to a slow start, but still finished with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the Indiana Fever’s 107-104 home loss to the Dallas Wings. The 3-point accuracy was off as she was 2-for-9 from behind the arc and shot just 38.9% overall. But she picked it up in the second half and there were glimpses of what we’ve come to expect: A deep pull-up triple. A beautiful behind-the-back bounce pass for a layup. A seeing-eye outlet pass. Defenders struggled to stay in front of her on drives.
Of course, there would be some rust, but the elite offensive talent was visible and it was clear that the franchise cornerstone will soon be completely back to her normal self. — Kareem Copeland
It’s a ridiculously small sample size — just one game — but the Dallas Wings positioned themselves to be the team to make the biggest leap forward in 2026 after winning just 10 games in 2025. Last year’s team had its worst offensive rating (103.3) since 2019 and ranked No. 9 in points per game (81.7), No. 11 in field goal percentage (42.3), No. 11 in 3-pointers made per game (6.6) and No. 12 in 3-point percentage (30.4).
That offensively inept team was nowhere to be found in Saturday’s win at Indiana. Dallas scored 107 points as it shot 59.1% from the field and knocked down 12 3-pointers on 52.5% shooting from behind the arc. Arike Ogunbowale was the offensive juggernaut (22 points, 3-for-7 from 3-point range) that she’d been throughout her time in the WNBA before last season’s career-worst numbers. Newly added Odyssey Sims scored 20. Free agent signee Jessica Shepard flirted with a triple-double. Paige Bueckers looked like the player named second-team all-WNBA in 2025, and the Wings didn’t even need anything from No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd. In just one game, the Wings presented as one of the better offensive units in the league and a legit playoff team. — Copeland
After the ring ceremony Saturday at the Las Vegas Aces’ opener in Las Vegas, things went downhill quickly. Missed shots, lackadaisical defense and a fired-up Phoenix Mercury team turned into a 99-66 loss for the defending champions to start their 2026 title defense.
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Afterward, A’ja Wilson was asked if it helped that the Aces would play again 24 hours later. She referred to the early part of Las Vegas’ schedule as “insane” — after back-to-back games, the Aces hit the road for Connecticut and Atlanta — but thought they would make the most of the opportunity to spoil the Los Angeles Sparks’ opener Sunday. They did, 105-78.
Wilson mentioned the key for the Aces is, “We have to uphold our standard on the defensive end, and that trust factor has to come in every single night.” Coach Becky Hammon also mentioned trust between teammates on defense, and mentioned even as well as several of the Aces players know each other, the trust has to rebuild for the entire group in the opening part of every season.
On Saturday, Hammon — known for her colorful analogies — compared the Aces’ poor defense to household defense. She mentioned the Aces gave up entirely too much court space before they really started defending. “It’s like trying to stop an intruder [from getting] to your refrigerator, and they’re already in your kitchen,” she mentioned. “You’ve got to meet them outside the white picket fence.” On Sunday, the Aces flipped that, shooting 62% from the field while holding the Sparks to 37%. That should be more what the Aces look like defensively most of the time. — Michael Voepel
The New York Liberty are 2-0 but haven’t been at full strength yet. Sabrina Ionescu suffered a foot injury in the preseason and will miss at least two weeks, and new acquisition Satou Sabally has yet to make her Liberty debut due to a cyst. They are also still without Rebecca Allen (leg), Leonie Fiebich (overseas) and Raquel Carrera (overseas). Despite being down to seven players at one point, the Liberty are averaging 102 points, flourishing in first-year coach Chris DeMarco’s new offensive system.
Breanna Stewart is still one of the best players in the world, and Jonquel Jones is a former MVP, but New York’s depth has stood out. Marine Johannes (21 PPG, 11-of-22 on 3-pointers) has had a blistering start, while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s toughness and willingness to do the little things (she was a team-best +12 in plus/minus on Sunday) reminded fans what they missed out on in 2025. In an overtime scare against the gritty Washington Mystics, Pauline Astier came through with a much-needed 18 points and seven assists, while Rebekah Gardner made clutch plays late. The championship-minded Liberty still must make it work with all their pieces back into the fold, but there’s a lot to like to start the DeMarco era. — Alexa Philippou
The Atlanta Dream ranked second in the league in defensive rating last season (100.5) and lost center Brittney Griner, who has been on the WNBA’s all-defensive teams seven times, in free agency. So how could Atlanta improve on defense? Angel Reese at age 24 is a better rebounder than Griner, 35. Plus, Reese is quick and versatile enough to guard a wide range of players.
Obviously, Reese — acquired in April in a trade with Chicago — doesn’t have nearly the experience that Griner does, and at 6-foot-9, Griner has a bigger physical presence. But Reese has led the WNBA in rebounding the past two seasons, and she made the game-ending block Saturday in the Dream’s comeback win at Minnesota. For the game, she had 11 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Reese is eager to show she is a championship-caliber player, and her defense can be a big part of that. — Voepel
Minnesota Lynx point guard Olivia Miles immediately showed that she belongs. Not only does the No. 2 draft pick belong, she made her first case to be named Rookie of the Year. Miles became the fifth player in league history to record 20 points and five assists in their first game, joining Candace Parker, Tonya Edwards, Dawn Staley and Cynthia Cooper. She called it a night with 21 points, eight assists and three rebounds, and nearly helped the Lynx upset Atlanta.
Unsurprisingly, Miles started in the season opener and led the team in points and assists and operated the offense with just three turnovers. The Lynx lost a ton of production in free agency and still don’t have annual MVP candidate Napheesa Collier back from ankle surgeries, but they shot 50% from the field and scored 90 points. The only other rookie to score more than 12 points through Saturday was Jovana Nogic with 19 points for the Phoenix Mercury. And Nogic is 28 years old and has played professionally overseas for years. Miles will have as big of a role as any rookie in the league and she’s already the favorite for that ROY trophy. — Copeland
The Phoenix Mercury pummeled the Aces 99-66 on Saturday, then fell 95-79 at Golden State on Sunday. Despite the different outcomes, it looks as if the Mercury are prepared to contend without Satou Sabally, who led the Mercury in scoring (16.3 PPG) in 2025 (her only season in Phoenix) but is now with New York.
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Phoenix will replace her production in part with players whose profiles might not be as high, but whose talent is impressive. As mentioned above, Nogic is a 28-year-old guard from Serbia playing her first WNBA season. She had 19 points Saturday and 16 on Sunday, making four of five 3-pointers in both games. Nogic played at Providence from 2016 to 2019, averaging 13.8 PPG for her college career.
Noemie Brochant of France didn’t play collegiately in the United States. But the 26-year-old forward has been a pro overseas and, like Nogic, played her first WNBA games this weekend. She had eight points Saturday and nine on Sunday. Forward/center Natasha Mack, selected from Oklahoma State in the second round of a weak draft in 2021, played just four games that season. A second chance in 2024 brought her to Phoenix, and then last season she started 23 games with the Mercury, averaging 4.7 PPG and 5.8 RPG. Saturday, she had 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Sunday, she had 11 points.
The Mercury still have veterans such as Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner to lead the way. But they also should get a boost from players looking to make a name for themselves. — Voepel
The Washington Mystics fully committed to a rebuild last season, and though they weren’t a playoff team, they were a pesky squad to face. This offseason they doubled down on their youth — they have nine rookies and three second-year players on the roster — and it’s clear their plan is heading in the right direction. Their big three of Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin is averaging 54.5 points per game. Citron was spellbinding with 26 points on 12 shots against Toronto on Friday, while Iriafen (20 points, 12 rebounds) and Austin (16, 10) compiled double-doubles on Sunday. And we haven’t even mentioned Georgia Amoore, who is still making her way back from an ACL injury and finished with seven points, seven assists and just one turnover that game.
Yes, the Liberty were short-handed Sunday, but the Mystics — who won three quarters in regulation against the 2024 champs — continue to show a toughness and competitive edge that, combined with their blossoming talent, should make them one of the best cores in the league a few years from now. — Philippou
Sandy Brondello summed up the Toronto Tempo’s first game in franchise history in one word: “ugly.” And the same could be mentioned for the Portland Fire, which were sloppy in Saturday’s 98-83 loss to the Chicago Sky. However, both the Fire and Tempo proved to be highly competitive, pushing their opponents to the last possessions of their games. And that is a great sign for the two organizations.
Marina Mabrey led the Tempo with 27 points, while Brittney Sykes scored the franchise’s first points and finished with 14. The Tempo lost 68-65 to the Washington Mystics on a set of free throws by Shakira Austin. The major issue, according to Brondello, was that Toronto didn’t play well enough offensively or with enough togetherness. “We didn’t share the ball. We didn’t play as a team as much as we would have liked. But that’s an easy fix,” she mentioned. “We just got to get back to being a selfless basketball team and making our defense create our offense.”
The Fire overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to tie the score in the final minutes of regulation, but they ran out of steam. Carla Leite had 18 points and Bridget Carleton, the No. 1 pick in the expansion draft, added 13. With the flowing style of offense coach Alex Sarama is deploying, it’s going to take the Fire time to learn how to play next to each other in this system. — Kendra Andrews
The crowd inside Crypto.com Arena gave a standing ovation when Nneka Ogwumike was shown on the jumbotron. But it wasn’t during player introductions, or even during the game — it was during warmups. Los Angeles is excited to have Ogwumike back in the city, and the Sparks are equally excited to have her back on the roster. The No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft, Ogwumike spent the first 12 years of her WNBA career with the Sparks, including a title and MVP trophy in 2016, before playing for Seattle the past two seasons.
The Sparks believe Ogwumike is the specific vet they need to be competitive again. On the court, she looked comfortable, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. And in the locker room she’s viewed as the ultimate teacher. The vibes are high in L.A.
But the Sparks lost to the Aces by 27, and there are kinks that need to be ironed out. Los Angeles scored fewer than 20 points in three quarters Sunday, and allowed Las Vegas to get 63 points in the second half. — Andrews
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