On Saturday, the Golden State Valkyries won the 2026 WNBA title in just their second year to put the finishing touches on the league's 30th season. Where do they rank among all of the WNBA champions?
The Valkyries built their reputation on being a complete team that relied on defense. At 67.4 points per game, they had the lowest scoring average in the Finals of any champion since Sacramento (66.8 PPG) in 2005. Golden State is also one of just five WNBA champions that averaged fewer points in the WNBA Finals than the team it defeated for the title.
But the Valkyries lit up the Bay Area Halloween celebrations with their thrilling second-half comeback victory in Game 7 of the WNBA Finals. The league went to a best-of-seven format for the Finals in 2025, but this year was the first to go the distance. The No. 2 seed Valkyries won three times at home at Chase Center in the series and once on the road at State Farm Arena.
Gabby Williams, in her first year with Golden State, was the Valkyries' go-to player who performed offensively at a superstar level in the postseason. She averaged 21.0 points in 13 playoff games, including five of 25 points or more. Her 30 points in Game 7 helped secure the WNBA Finals MVP award. In those seven games, she averaged 19.6 points, which ranks 19th among the 30 Finals MVPs.
The Valkyries did it their way: 100% committed to defense and a process that worked all season. And even though they don't rank in the top 10 all time, being anywhere on this list is great because these teams are all the ultimate winners.
1. 2023 Las Vegas Aces
Regular-season and playoff records: 34-6, 8-1
Defeated the New York Liberty 3-1 in Finals
As good as they were in winning the 2022 championship, the Aces were even better in 2023. They ranked No. 1 in scoring and defense during the Regular-season and stumbled just once in the playoffs, in Game 3 of the Finals. A'ja Wilson got her first WNBA Finals MVP honor for her performance in 2023; she won again for the 2025 Finals.
In Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, the Aces also had trio of guards who were among the best backcourts in league history.
Candace Parker, a free agent signee who was expected to be a big part of the Aces' 2023 title run, was sidelined by foot surgery that July. The Aces also lost starters Gray and Kiah Stokes before Game 4 and still won the title, illustrating how good the chemistry was for the team. The Las Vegas bench -- then led by Alysha Clark, Cayla George, Sydney Colson and Kierstan Bell -- came through when they were needed most.
2. 2000 Houston Comets
Regular-season and playoff records: 27-5, 6-0
Defeated the New York Liberty 2-0 in Finals
This was the last of Houston's four consecutive title teams, the end of the Comets' version of "Camelot." In 2000, the WNBA was at 16 teams and most of the former ABL players were in their second year in the league. Sheryl Swoopes won her first of three MVP awards and two-time MVP Cynthia Cooper played her last full season at age 37.
As was the case with the other Houston championship teams, the stars carried them: Swoopes and Cooper averaged 35 minutes a game, Tina Thompson 34 and Janeth Arcain 30.5. Fifth starter, Tiffani Johnson (22.2), was the only other player who averaged at least 20 minutes a game. With three future Hall of Famers (Cooper, Swoopes, Thompson), Houston didn't need much statistically from its reserves. The Comets' bench players knew their roles, and the team knew how to win. This title ended the dynasty -- the Los Angeles Sparks were ascending -- but what a finish.
3. 2020 Seattle Storm
Regular-season and playoff records: 18-4, 6-0
Defeated the Las Vegas Aces 3-0 in Finals
Point guard Sue Bird, part of all four Storm title teams, has ruminated over which of them was "best." Lauren Jackson was the superstar of the 2004 and 2010 Storm title teams; her counterpart in 2018 and 2020 was Breanna Stewart. Bird said an edge goes to the very similarly constructed 2018 and 2020 teams due to the presence of guard Jewell Loyd. Bird then gives a nod to the overall depth and chemistry to the 2020 Storm, who were first in the league in offensive and defensive rating.
"The way we shot 3's, the way we moved the ball -- if you took something away, we'd just keep it moving," Bird said. "We talked before every game that we were going to wear teams out with the pace that we played."
4. 2013 Minnesota Lynx
Regular-season and playoff records: 26-8, 7-0
Defeated the Atlanta Dream 3-0 in Finals
This was the second of four Lynx titles in a seven-season span. They didn't have the best regular-season record among Lynx champs; both 2011 and 2017 went 27-7 (and the 2016 runners-up were 28-6). But coach Cheryl Reeve said the "core four" of the franchise -- Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen -- were near the peak of their collective powers in 2013. They all averaged double figures in scoring, led by Moore's 18.5 PPG. The fifth starter was Janel McCarville, Whalen's former University of Minnesota teammate, and that pairing again thrilled Gophers fans.
In 2012, Minnesota lost 3-1 in the Finals to Indiana, which irked the Lynx because they were five games better than the Fever in the regular-season standings. The 2013 team didn't allow any openings in the playoffs, sweeping Seattle, Phoenix and Atlanta.
5. 1998 Houston Comets
Regular-season and playoff records: 27-3, 4-1
Defeated the Phoenix Mercury 2-1 in Finals
Cooper said if she had to pick just one Comets championship team as her favorite, it would be this one. The team's .900 winning percentage (27-3) remains the best in WNBA history. Swoopes was second on the team in scoring at 15.6 PPG to Cooper's 22.7. Cooper won her second consecutive MVP award; she was Finals MVP for all four championship teams.
And there's another reason this team is dear to Cooper's heart. Her close friend, Kim Perrot, the Comets' spark plug point guard, averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 assists in what would be her last season in the WNBA. Perrot had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists in the title-clinching win over the Mercury. Five months later, she was diagnosed with cancer and died in August 1999 at age 32.
6. 2014 Phoenix Mercury
Regular-season and playoff records: 29-5, 7-1
Defeated the Chicago Sky 3-0 in Finals
Amid the Lynx dynasty from 2011 to 2017, the Mercury owned this season. Their 29 wins was a WNBA record at that time, and they were first in offensive and defensive rating. All five starters -- Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Candice Dupree, Penny Taylor and DeWanna Bonner -- averaged double digits in scoring.
Their only loss in the playoffs came to Minnesota in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, but they bounced back to win the series with an 18-point Game 3 victory. In the WNBA Finals, Chicago was no match. Taurasi, who averaged 16.2 PPG in the Regular-season and 21.9 PPG in the playoffs, was WNBA Finals MVP for the second time.
7. 2017 Minnesota Lynx
Regular-season and playoff records: 27-7, 6-2
Defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 3-2 in Finals
Minnesota was still smarting over a 3-2 Finals loss to Los Angeles in 2016, and the teams were again archrivals in 2017. Minnesota was first in the league in offensive and defensive rating and Los Angeles was second in both.
Target Center was being renovated, so the Lynx's home games in the 2017 playoffs were at the University of Minnesota' Williams Arena, where Whalen had played in college. The decisive 85-76 Game 5 win came in a packed and cacophonous Williams, and Fowles was Finals MVP for a second time (she also won in 2015).
8. 2019 Washington Mystics
Regular-season and playoff records: 26-8, 6-3
Defeated the Connecticut Sun 3-2 in Finals
Elena Delle Donne said this was the best team she has ever played on: "Not just talent-wise, but the way emotionally and mentally we were so on-point with one another. That's what took us to the next level."
The Mystics were more dominant in the Regular-season than the playoffs, but had to overcome a back injury that hampered Delle Donne during the Finals. She was the MVP in 2019, but teammate Emma Meesseman was the Finals MVP, averaging 17.8 points in the championship series.
9. 2022 Las Vegas Aces
Regular-season and playoff records: 26-10, 8-2
Defeated the Connecticut Sun 3-1 in Finals
The 2022 Aces ran into more challenges in the Regular-season than the 2023 version of Las Vegas. But by the playoffs, they were in control as the league's best team.
In coach Becky Hammon's first season with the franchise, the Aces changed their playing style -- 3-pointers became a far bigger part of the offense -- and Plum and Young matured into even better players. Wilson won her second regular-season MVP award and was Defensive Player of the Year. Then Gray was on fire throughout the playoffs, winning Finals MVP.
It was a big achievement for a franchise that started when the league did in 1997, in Utah, moved to San Antonio, and then found its championship home in Las Vegas under owner Mark Davis. He paid top dollar to bring Hammon from the NBA, where she was a San Antonio Spurs assistant, and it was a great investment.
10. 1999 Houston Comets
Regular-season and playoff records: 26-6, 4-2
Defeated the New York Liberty 2-1 in Finals
In 1999, almost all the former ABL standouts had transitioned into and strengthened the WNBA. That didn't stop the Comets, who added former ABL player Sonja Henning at point guard. Houston's standouts were the same as in 1998: Cooper, Swoopes and Thompson. Bulgarian center Polina Tzekova, then 31, made the most of her only WNBA season, starting every game for Houston in 1999.
Ultimately, there was a melancholy feel to the 1999 championship for the Comets. Their former point guard Perrot died from cancer on Aug. 19. After being stunned by Liberty guard Teresa Weatherspoon's buzzer-beating halfcourt heave in Game 2 of the Finals, Houston won Game 3 and secured its third title in honor of Perrot.
11. 2024 New York Liberty
Regular-season and playoff records: 32-8, 8-3
Defeated the Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in Finals
It took 27 years since the launch of the Liberty as an original WNBA franchise in 1997, but New York finally broke through for its first championship. After finishing with the best record in the league, the Liberty defeated defending champion Las Vegas in the semifinals and then avenged a Commissioner's Cup final loss to Minnesota in the Finals.
The deciding Game 5 vs. the Lynx nearly extended the Liberty's long postseason heartbreak. But a late foul (still disputed by Minnesota) sent Breanna Stewart to the line. She scored the tying points to send the game into overtime, where New York prevailed 67-62.
Jonquel Jones won the Finals MVP honor as she got her first title. Sabrina Ionescu also won the championship for the first time. It was the third title for Stewart, who won two championships in Seattle.
12. 2001 Los Angeles Sparks
Regular-season and playoff records: 28-4, 6-1
Defeated the Charlotte Sting 2-0 in Finals
The Sparks learned a lot going against Houston for four seasons before making their championship breakthrough. Los Angeles star Lisa Leslie has joked, "Thank God that Coop retired," in reference to the Houston's Cooper ending her playing career after the 2000 season (she returned for four games in 2003 at age 40).
Leslie, Mwadi Mabika, Tamecka Dixon and DeLisha Milton-Jones all averaged in double figures during this title run. Leslie was MVP for the season and the Finals.
13. 2011 Minnesota Lynx
Regular-season and playoff records: 27-7, 7-1
Defeated the Atlanta Dream 3-0 in Finals
In 2010, Minnesota got a new coach (Reeve) and also added Whalen (trade) and Brunson (Sacramento dispersal draft). The next year brought the opening championship of the Lynx dynasty as No. 1 pick Moore was Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old Moore started alongside Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who turned 41 two weeks after the Finals ended. This Lynx team really spanned the age/experience gamut.
The season also brought a well-deserved spotlight to Augustus, who became the original building block for the dynasty when she was drafted No. 1 in 2006. She led the 2011 Lynx in scoring in the Regular-season (16.2) and playoffs (22.0) and was the Finals MVP.
14. 2016 Los Angeles Sparks
Regular-season and playoff records: 26-8, 6-3
Defeated the Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in Finals
After winning back-to-back titles in 2001-02, the Sparks endured a lot of frustrating "almost" in the playoffs. They lost in the WNBA Finals in 2003 and the conference finals in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012. The playoff format changed in 2016, seeding the top eight teams regardless of conference, and the Sparks made the Finals again. In an epic five-game series, they beat Minnesota 77-76 on Nneka Ogwumike's putback with 3.1 seconds remaining. Ogwumike was the season MVP and teammate Candace Parker the Finals MVP. It was the last jewel to complete Parker's crown; she already had won two NCAA titles and two Olympic gold medals.
15. 2025 Las Vegas Aces
Regular-season and playoff records: 30-14, 9-3
Defeated the Phoenix Mercury 4-0 in Finals
The 2025 Aces might be the most difficult champion to rank because the first half of their five-month season (counting playoffs) was so different from the second half. But some key factors elevate them to the middle of the pack in the rankings.
The first is the play of Wilson, who won her fourth regular-season MVP and second Finals MVP. During the playoffs, she averaged 26.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.3 assists and 2.5 blocks. Her postseason performance was even greater than in the Regular-season. She also hit the most crucial shot of the Finals: the game winner with less than a second left in Game 3 to give the Aces a 90-88 victory.
The Aces also got a terrific postseason from guards Jackie Young (20.4 PPG, 5.5 APG) and Chelsea Gray (11.2 PPG, 7.3 APG).
The Aces' 17-game winning streak (counting Game 1 of the playoffs) is the second longest in WNBA history. And coach Becky Hammon led the Aces to a third championship in four years despite having to replace a key player (guard Kelsey Plum) from the first two title teams. The Aces are the league's ultimate example that it's not how you start, it's how you finish.
16. 2018 Seattle Storm
Regular-season and playoff records: 26-8, 6-2
Defeated the Washington Mystics 3-0 in Finals
History repeated itself with the Storm. They had back-to-back No. 1 picks in Jackson and Bird in 2001 and 2002, which led to two titles. Seattle again got consecutive No. 1s in 2015 and 2016 with Loyd and Stewart, which also led to two titles. This 2018 championship in a lot of ways was won in the semifinals, when the Storm held off Phoenix in an epic Game 5 in which Bird took over in the fourth quarter. In the finals, Seattle wasn't going to be denied and swept the Mystics. And the Storm looked to be a strong threat to become the first repeat champion since the Sparks in 2001-02. But an Achilles injury kept Stewart out in 2019. When she returned in 2020, the Storm picked up where they had left off in 2018.
17. 2010 Seattle Storm
Regular-season and playoff records: 28-6, 7-0
Defeated the Atlanta Dream 3-0 in Finals
The 2010 Storm were six games better than any team in the WNBA; no other team in the Western Conference even had a winning record. Jackson won her third MVP award, and she and Bird got to celebrate their second WNBA championship together. Bird, Swin Cash and Svetlana Abrosimova, who had won an NCAA title together at UConn in 2000, all played for this Storm team. Seattle didn't lose at home in 2010, which ended up being Jackson's last full season in the WNBA, as injuries forced her out of the league after 2012.
18. 2005 Sacramento Monarchs
Regular-season and playoff records: 25-9, 7-1
Defeated the Connecticut Sun 3-1 in Finals
After losing in the conference finals three of the previous four years, the Monarchs won in 2005.
At age 29, Yolanda Griffith entered the WNBA in 1999 from the ABL and was her new league's MVP that year, a perfect target for point guard Ticha Penicheiro.
Griffith also won Finals MVP, and it was a career-best year for DeMya Walker, who led the Monarchs in scoring in the Regular-season and made an All-Star appearance. This was also the first of Rebekkah Brunson's five WNBA titles; her other four came with Minnesota.
19. 2002 Los Angeles Sparks
Regular-season and playoff records: 25-7, 6-0
Defeated the New York Liberty 2-0 in Finals
The Sparks' repeat championship seemed more predictable than extraordinary at the time, coming after Houston had won four in a row. But it took two decades for another franchise to go back-to-back, with the Aces doing it in 2022-2023. That makes Los Angeles' achievement stand out more now. There isn't much to separate this Sparks team from the 2001 Sparks, who had a little better regular-season record (28-4 in 2001 to 25-7 in 2002). The standout players were the same except for Nikki Teasley, a rookie in 2002 who hit the championship-clinching 3-pointer in Game 2 of the Finals.
20. 2026 Golden State Valkyries
Regular-season and playoff records: 32-12, 9-4
Defeated the Atlanta Dream 4-3 in Finals
Much has been made of the Valkyries being the first champions without any All-WNBA selections in the season they won the title. They also are the first team since the 2013 Minnesota Lynx to not have a current or former season MVP on the roster at the time of their championship.
This largely reflects the Valkyries' focus on defense: The All-WNBA first and second teams are generally tilted toward big offensive stats. So a lot of credit must go to Golden State's team chemistry and an outstanding coaching job by Natalie Nakase and her staff.
In the playoffs, the Valkyries beat teams with some of the top offensive players in the league: Dallas' Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, Las Vegas' A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, and Atlanta's Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.
As mentioned, the Valkyries are one of five WNBA champions who averaged fewer points in the Finals than their opponent (67.4 PPG to Atlanta's 71.4); the others are Las Vegas (2022), Los Angeles (2016), and Detroit twice (2006, 2003). But the Dream's Finals scoring average was still 20 points lower than their regular-season average, plus Golden State held Atlanta under 65 points in all four of its victories.
It was very impressive, and as time passes, the Valkyries' performance might move up even more in historical regard.
21. 2006 Detroit Shock
Regular-season and playoff records: 23-11, 7-3
Defeated the Sacramento Monarchs 3-2 in Finals
A big key for this team was the 2005 midseason trade that brought Katie Smith to the Shock. She fit in well with Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan and Ruth Riley, who were all on Detroit's 2003 championship squad.
Nolan, a native of nearby Flint, Michigan, was Finals MVP as the Shock prevented Sacramento's attempt at a repeat. In the decisive Game 5, won 80-75 by Detroit, Nolan played all 40 minutes and scored 24 points.
22. 2012 Indiana Fever
Regular-season and playoff records: 22-12, 7-3
Defeated the Minnesota Lynx 3-1 in Finals
When Indiana lost its playoff opener 75-66 at home to Atlanta, there was no reason to think anything magical was in the works. Yet the Fever won the next two games and the series. The Fever also lost their opener in the East finals to Connecticut, but won 2-1 again.
Next up: A Lynx team that had the best record in the league that year. The Fever and Lynx split the first two games of the Finals. But in Game 3, the Lynx -- who led the league in offensive rating -- were held to a season-low 59 points.
Indiana had been up 2-1 in the 2009 Finals yet lost the series to Phoenix. But in 2012, franchise legend Tamika Catchings got her long-awaited title as the Fever won Game 4 at home.
23. 2007 Phoenix Mercury
Regular-season and playoff records: 23-11, 7-2
Defeated the Detroit Shock 3-2 in Finals
Three years after winning her third title at UConn, Taurasi won her first WNBA championship. Phoenix's winning formula was coach Paul Westhead's run-and-gun offense, which was first in the league. Defense was not as much a priority; the Mercury were next-to-last in defensive rating. But it worked, with Taurasi, Taylor, Cappie Pondexter and Tangela Smith all averaging double digits in scoring.
The Finals matchup with defending champion Detroit got chippy, with Phoenix surviving a physical Game 4 in a 77-76 win. Then the Mercury became the first WNBA team to win a championship on the road, taking Game 5 108-92 at Detroit behind 30 points from Taylor -- who went 18 of 18 from the free throw line -- and 26 points and 10 assists from Finals MVP Pondexter.
24. 2004 Seattle Storm
Regular-season and playoff records: 20-14, 6-2
Defeated the Connecticut Sun 2-1 in Finals
This was Seattle's first trip to the WNBA Finals. And this was the last year that the Finals was a best-of-three series. The Storm were on the ropes after a 68-64 opening loss at Connecticut. But they pulled out a 67-65 nail-biter in Game 2 at Seattle, led by Betty Lennox's 27 points. In Game 3, with KeyArena packed with Storm fans wielding thunder sticks, Lennox had 23 points and earned Finals MVP honors as Seattle clinched the title 74-60.
25. 2015 Minnesota Lynx
Regular-season and playoff records: 22-12, 7-3
Defeated the Indiana Fever 3-2 in Finals
Of the Lynx's four title teams, this was the only one with double-digit losses, as Augustus and Whalen both dealt with injuries. But big-time help came via two trades in July: first for guard Renee Montgomery and then for center Sylvia Fowles, who had sat out the season to that point to force a trade from Chicago.
Moore, the 2014 MVP, was again brilliant in 2015, leading the Lynx in scoring in the Regular-season (20.6 PPG) and the postseason (23.4). She hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win Game 3 of the Finals vs. Indiana 80-77. The Fever won Game 4, but Fowles cemented her Finals MVP award with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a Game 5 victory.
26. 2009 Phoenix Mercury
Regular-season and playoff records: 23-11, 7-4
Defeated the Indiana Fever 3-2 in Finals
This was a good team led by a great player in Taurasi, who won her only regular-season MVP award in 2009. Like the 2007 champions, the Mercury focused on outscoring foes: Phoenix was first in offensive rating and last in defensive rating. Five players averaged in double figures, led by Taurasi's 20.4 PPG and Pondexter's 19.1.
The first game of the 2009 Finals was amazing: a 120-116 Mercury victory over Indiana. But the Fever took the next two games and had a chance to close out the series at home. Phoenix's defense showed up for Game 4, holding the Fever to a series-low 77 points. In Game 5, Taurasi and Pondexter combined for 50 points to win their last game as Phoenix teammates. Pondexter requested and got a trade to New York the next year.
27. 2021 Chicago Sky
Regular-season and playoff records: 16-16, 8-2
Defeated the Phoenix Mercury 3-1 in Finals
With longtime Sparks star Candace Parker coming to her hometown of Chicago as a free agent, there were big expectations for the 2021 Sky. Chicago went .500 in the Regular-season, the worst record of any championship team. But all the pieces were there -- including point guard Courtney Vandersloot and guard/forward Kahleah Copper -- to win a title.
The No. 6 seed, the Sky beat Dallas in the first round and Minnesota in the second. Then they went against No. 1 seed Connecticut in the semifinals. A double-overtime win in the first game of the series was pivotal, and Chicago won 3-1. In the Finals, the Sky won 3-1 over Phoenix, with Parker celebrating with family as the franchise won its first title.
28. 1997 Houston Comets
Regular-season and playoff records: 18-10, 2-0
Defeated the New York Liberty in championship game
This is where it all started, with the Comets winning the inaugural championship of the WNBA, which launched with eight teams. Cooper at age 34 was the best player in the new league, averaging 22.2 points and being named MVP. They played just single-game semifinals and finals in the first year, and Cooper scored 31 and 25 points in those victories. Thompson, who had been the top pick in the college draft, averaged 13.2 points and Brazil's Arcain 10.9. Swoopes gave birth to a son on June 25, just after the WNBA season had started. She played her first game on Aug. 7, and appeared in nine regular-season and two playoff games.
29. 2008 Detroit Shock
Regular-season and playoff records: 22-12, 7-2
Defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars 3-0 in Finals
By the time the Stars met the Shock in the WNBA Finals, Detroit was the better team. Five Shock players averaged in double figures in the Regular-season, led by Nolan and Smith. A late-season trade brought McWilliams-Franklin to Detroit, and she averaged 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in the playoffs. Smith won Finals MVP honors as the Shock won their third WNBA title in six years.
Unfortunately, the franchise was nearing its end in Detroit. The Shock played just one more season in the Motor City before moving to Tulsa in 2010.
30. 2003 Detroit Shock
Regular-season and playoff records: 25-9, 6-2
Defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 2-1 in Finals
The Shock went from worst in 2002 (9-23) to first in 2003, ending the Sparks' attempt to three-peat. Former Pistons player Bill Laimbeer took over as Shock coach during the 2002 season and totally changed the team's culture. He drafted Cheryl Ford at No. 3 in 2003; she averaged a double-double (10.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG) and was Rookie of the Year. Cash, who had been the No. 2 pick in 2002, led the Shock with 16.6 points in the Regular-season and 16.3 in the playoffs.
Detroit lost the Finals opener to Los Angeles, but survived Game 2, winning 62-61. In front of a huge crowd at The Palace at Auburn Hills, the Shock took the title in Game 3 in an 83-78 win, led by 27 points from Finals MVP Ruth Riley and Cash's near triple-double (13 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists).
"I think our team really embodied the city of Detroit," Cash said.