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- Upset Alert: Fever Are Your 2025 Commissioner’s Cup Champs
Upset Alert: Fever Are Your 2025 Commissioner’s Cup Champs
July 2: Indiana stuns Minnesota in the Commissioner’s Cup final, ESPN reshuffles the Power Rankings, and Reese and Wilson dominate Week 6.
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What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today
1. Fever Shock the Lynx to Win the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup 🏆
The Indiana Fever pulled off a stunning upset last night, beating the Minnesota Lynx 74–59 to win their first Commissioner’s Cup title. Natasha Howard led the way with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists, earning unanimous MVP honors. (ESPN)
WHY IT MATTERS: The Fever entered as 10.5-point underdogs, missing Caitlin Clark, and trailed by 13 early. But a dominant second quarter, including an 18–0 run to end the half, flipped the script. Indiana held the Lynx to their lowest scoring total of the season.
This is the first time the Fever have won the Cup. And fun fact: the Commissioner’s Cup Final has served as a preview of the WNBA Finals in each of the past three seasons.
With the win, Indiana claims $500,000 in cash and $120,000 in crypto, split evenly among the players. Some days it’s good to be the underdog.
2. Shuffling in the WNBA Power Rankings 🔁
The Minnesota Lynx held on to the top spot in ESPN’s latest WNBA Power Rankings, but there were some shakeups further down the list. Notably, the New York Liberty fell to No. 4, the Golden State Valkyries climbed to No. 5, and the Seattle Storm dropped to No. 9.
WHY IT MATTERS: Power Rankings don’t affect standings, but they give us insight into how teams are performing in the moment. Every team has up and down stretches within a season, and these rankings take into account factors beyond win-loss records to give a richer picture of performance.
3. Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson Earn Player of the Week Honors 🙌
Angel Reese (Eastern Conference) and A’ja Wilson (Western Conference) were named Week 6 WNBA Players of the Week. (WNBA)
WHY IT MATTERS: Both players were dominant forces last week. Reese earned her first Player of the Week honor, averaging 19.7 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while leading the Chicago Sky to a 2–1 week.
For Wilson, this is her 24th Player of the Week honor. She averaged 23.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks as the Aces went 2–1.
OVERTIME ⏱️
Sleep With the W: Pottery Barn Teen has launched the first-ever WNBA home collection, featuring team-branded bedding, pillows, and room decor. We know a couple of former teens 😉 who may be picking up some items…
Collier Covers SLAM: Napheesa Collier is featured on the cover of the latest issue of SLAM—read the full feature online.
🗳️ Poll Results from Yesterday: We asked who you thought would win the Commissioner’s Cup… 62% of you picked the Minnesota Lynx. Oops. 😂 Looks like the Fever had other plans.
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