A year after experiencing the heartbreak of losing the 2024 WNBA Finals in a controversial winner-take-all Game 5, the Minnesota Lynx entered their 2025 campaign with a revenge tour on their minds and the hopes of crossing the finish line this time around. 

Right out of the gate this season, Minnesota became the team many expected it to be and the Lynx lived up to expectations, putting together one of the best regular season campaigns we’ve seen in WNBA history. 

However, like in 2024, the season came to a close earlier than Minnesota planned, dropping a semifinals series to the Phoenix Mercury, who went on to face the Las Vegas Aces for the league title. And also like in 2024, it ended with drama and with Minnesota ultimately having its season come to a close without a championship. 

“I’m proud of us. No, we didn’t reach our goal,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “But I’m immensely proud of our team.”

 

The Year

It didn’t take long for the Lynx to rise to the top of the WNBA standings during the 44-game regular season, opening the year up with a 9-0 record and a 17-3 mark through the first 20 games.By the end of the regular season, the Lynx finished 34-10 overall, setting a franchise record for wins in a season while tying the 2023 Las Vegas Aces for most wins in a regular season in WNBA history. 

Along with the impressive record, Minnesota led the league in multiple statistical categories, displaying a well-rounded campaign with a plethora of depth. The Lynx led the WNBA in scoring (86.1 points per game), field goal percentage (47.2 percent), three-point percentage (37.8 percent), offensive rating (109.5), defensive rating (97.5), net rating (12.1), assists (23.3), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8), while ranking second in steals (8.2) and true shooting percentage (57.2 percent).

 

 

Individually, the Lynx saw individual success as well. Napheesa Collier—who was once the frontrunner to win WNBA MVP, finishing second to Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson—concluded the year by joining the exclusive 50/40/90 club (shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 90 percent from the free throw line), joining Elena Delle Donne as the second player in WNBA history to do so. Alanna Smith had a career year defensively, earning Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors alongside Wilson. Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard were two Sixth Player of the Year candidates, providing Minnesota with consistent play off the bench. 

Oh, and did we even mention StudBudz?

“I don’t look at the season and say ‘this is hard because we have a target on our back,’” Courtney Williams said after the season. “That’s what we wanted. We got in the gym and we stacked our days. Making it to the Finals (last year), making it to the final four teams (this year). Says a lot about this group. … We play for one another. I’m happy I’ve been a part of it.” 

Minnesota was the best regular season team of the 2025 campaign. But all of that gets thrown out when the playoffs arrive, and the Lynx didn’t perform like the team we saw throughout the summer. As a result, the season came to an end earlier than anticipated. But not without plenty of headlines. 

 

The Aftermath

When the final buzzer sounded at the end of Game 4 of the semifinals against Phoenix, Minnesota’s season drew to a close. But talks around the Lynx didn’t stop when the clock hit zero.

For starters, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was the conversation across the WNBA after letting loose on officials in Game 3 and sounding off on the WNBA’s officiating after the game, which earned her a $15,000 fine and a suspension for Game 4.

 

“Cheryl always has our backs,” Bridget Carleton said at the end of the season. “She’s ride-or-die for us, ride-or-die for the Lynx. She’s willing to do whatever for the team to be successful. That’s our coach, she has our back. …She will do anything to support us and help us be successful. That’s why she’s one of the best in this game. We appreciate her so much.”

When you thought the drama ended there, Collier turned it up a notch two days later during Minnesota’s exit interviews with the media. Collier—who suffered a Grade 2 tear of three ligaments in her ankle and a muscle in her shin in that same Game 3 that kept her sidelined for Game 4—prepared a direct and calculated shot at the WNBA and commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Collier called out the league for its “lack of accountability” and referred to Engelbert and league leadership as “the worst leadership in the world.”

 

 

Collier’s comments almost make you forget about Reeve’s outburst or the end to the season for the Lynx. That statement has taken over the league and the sports world while unifying players across the WNBA in a very important time with ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations.

The stance Collier is taking is a bold one, but could end up being something we look back on as being one of those moments that helped change the WNBA as we know it. 

 

The Future

Like most teams, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Minnesota entering the offseason. With a new CBA to begin in 2026—assuming an agreement is reached—nearly every player on the Lynx roster is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

Minnesota’s starting lineup of Collier, Kayla McBride, Williams, Carleton, and Smith, as well as key bench players DiJonai Carrington, Hiedeman, and Shepard are all entering free agency. The only two players under contract in 2026 are Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, entering her second WNBA season, and Dorka Juhasz, who didn’t play in the WNBA in 2025 but is still on the final year of her protected rookie scale contract. 

Seeing a majority of the roster as free agents this offseason isn’t an uncommon thing throughout the league, so Minnesota is not in rare territory here. And it’s likely we see most, if not all, of the starting lineup back with the Lynx in 2026. 

“Right now I’m still gathering my emotions and thoughts. …I’m still going to process all those things,” McBride said in her exit interview. “Walking off the court [in Game 4], I can’t imagine feeling like that for another team. …What we’ve built here, this is my fifth year [in Minnesota], it has really changed my career here in Minnesota and under Cheryl.”

It will be interesting to see how teams will go after Minnesota’s three main contributors off the bench—Carrington, Hiedeman, and Shepard—because their play in a Lynx uniform will likely result in teams throwing large chunks of money their way. However, if Minnesota isn’t able to retain those players, expect the Lynx to be aggressive to try and sign a solid contributor in free agency.

Another thing to remember about this Lynx team moving forward is they will have a top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, owning the Chicago Sky’s top-four pick while having a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick. So Minnesota will get a solid young talent that could be thrown into the mix right away as a rookie. 

The 2025 season for Minnesota was dominant and impressive, yet disappointing and filled with plenty of storylines when it was all said and done. But with a big offseason ahead and a bright outlook for the year ahead, it’s likely we see the Minnesota Lynx back in the conversation as one of the top teams in the WNBA in 2026.