10 of the Most Exciting Moments from the WNBA Preseason
After an explosive 2024 season of new interest, investment, and excitement surrounding women’s professional hoops, the WNBA returned with a vengeance in a series of preseason exhibition games beginning May 2nd, 2025. With the debut of a new team, the Golden State Valkyries, and new rookies including superstar Paige Bueckers, former UConn Guard and recent National Champion, all eyes are on the WNBA before the 2025 regular season tips off on May 16th.
Here’s a recap of some of the best moments from the 2025 WNBA preseason run to prepare you for the start of the regular season!
Sonia Citron’s ‘Welcome to the W’ Moment
Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images | USA Today
Perhaps the most viral (and arguably, funniest) moment of the 2025 WNBA pre-season so far has been Washington Mystics Rookie Sonia Citron’s ‘Welcome to the W’ moment. In a preseason game against the Atlanta Dream on May 7th, Citron was met by a brutal screen from 6’9” Dream Center Brittney Griner, which left her star-fished on the court, accepting her fate, and the subject of plenty of memes for a few days afterwards. It’s safe to say that Sonia has felt the welcome of the W and will be on the lookout for screens in the future.
2. Paige Bueckers’ One-Armed Toss to a Smiling Arike Ogunbowale
In a thrilling exhibition game between the Dallas Wings and the Japanese Toyota Antelopes on May 10th, a play between Maddy Siegrist, Paige Bueckers, and Arike Ogunbowale stunned viewers and exploded on social media afterwards. An underhand pass from Maddy to Paige and a one-armed, t-shirt-toss-style throw from Paige to Arike led to a point in the paint for the Wings. Arike’s smile and excitement were perhaps the most heart-warming aspect of it all, after her time in the off-season was spent excited about potentially having rookie Paige Bueckers as another versatile, quick decision maker for the Wings.
With their impressive new roster, the Dallas Wings took the ‘W’ over the Antelopes in a 119-52 final score. See you again soon, Parike!
3. The Inaugural Game of the Golden State Valkyries vs. the Los Angeles Sparks
On Tuesday, May 6th, the WNBA’s first expansion team since 2008 made their debut in a tight game against their Californian neighbors.
The Golden State Valkyries and head coach Natalie Nakase made their fiery debut against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, with key performances from Laeticia Amihere, Kayla Thornton, Monique Billings, Kate Martin, Tiffany Hayes, and more, with all available Valkyries getting their minutes to shine. The Valkyries’ stunning first performance and high-scoring third and fourth quarters left them with a one-point loss to the Sparks, at an 83-82 final score.
The Valkyries play their first regular season game on May 16th, 2025, once again at home, in a rematch against the LA Sparks at 7:00 PM PST.
4. The Connecticut Sun Beat the 2024 Reigning Champions
Let's face it - the Connecticut Sun’s off-season looked a little rough from the outside, from losing their entire starting lineup to free agency moves, to a very publicly denied trade request from Guard Marina Mabrey.
Despite worries about how much the Sun might have to adapt to such drastic roster changes, in a preseason game on May 9th, the Sun beat the 2024 WNBA Champions, the New York Liberty, 90-84, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Top performances from Tina Charles, Jacy Sheldon, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa led the Sun to their first win of 2025, after a tough loss to the Seattle Storm on May 4th.
5. A’ja Wilson Wears UConn Gear through the Tunnel & Releases Pink A’One Colorway
It’s been a BIG few weeks for Las Vegas Aces Center, A’ja Wilson.
The South Carolina Gamecocks alumni made her teammates wear UofSC gear after their 2024 NCAA Championship win last year, and Kiah Stokes remembered that one.
Kiah Stokes, A'ja's teammate on the Las Vegas Aces, had A'ja wear UConn Huskies gear for her first WNBA tunnel fit of the season after UConn won the 2025 NCAA Championship against the University of South Carolina.
Then, only four days after beginning her preseason, she released her custom-designed Nike shoe, the A’One, in a stunning pink colorway called “Pink A’ura” that completely sold out in under five minutes.
Talk about influence! A’ja is that girl, not only off the court but also on the court. A’ja and the Aces went undefeated in preseason play in their games against the Dallas Wings and Phoenix Mercury. Catch A’ja next Saturday, May 17th, for the Aces’ first regular season game against the New York Liberty.
6. Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith’s Warm Welcome Back to LSU
Former LSU teammates Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith, now reunited on the Chicago Sky, returned to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 2nd for a preseason game against the Brazilian National Team. They were honored with flowers and a warm hug from LSU Women’s Basketball Coach Kim Mulkey. The Chicago Sky won the game decisively, with a score of 89-62. Top scorers included Angel Reese with 15 points, Kia Nurse with 11 points, and Hailey Van Lith with 7 points.
Another shining star during the game was Sky Center Kamilla Cardoso, who was drafted in 2024 but is originally from Brazil and has played on the Brazilian National Team before. Cardoso put up 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists against her former teammates.
7. The Significant Others Showed up in Full Force
It’s no secret that many WNBA players have great support systems, and their significant others' attendance at the preseason games was a perfect example.
In attendance were Arike Ogunbowale's fiancée, Lala Ronay; Courtney Vandersloot's wife, Allie Quigley, along with their newborn baby, Jana Christine (congratulations to Sloot and Allie!); Maddy Siegreist's fiancé, Stephen Paretta; and Marta Xargay Casademont, the wife of Breanna Stewart from the New York Liberty.
We love to see it, and can’t wait for more appearances throughout the regular season.
8. Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally’s Oregon Homecoming
The New York Liberty also played the Japanese Toyota Antelopes in the preseason, returning the game to the old stomping grounds of Sab and Nyara - Matthew Knight Arena at the University of Oregon.
The Liberty took the W with an 84-61 final, including 25 points from Sabrina Ionescu, 16 from Breanna Stewart, and 10 from Marine Johannès.
9. Rookie JJ Quinerly Leads Team Scoring in Her First WNBA Game
In the preseason opening game between the Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces on May 3rd, 5’8” rookie JJ Quinerly out of West Virginia University led the Wings in scoring, with 16 points and 7/10 from the field. JJ was picked 27th overall in the 2025 draft, after she led WVU to the Sweet Sixteen and ultimately lost to UNC Chapel Hill. The two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist showed up and showed out for Dallas, using her swiftness and top-tier defensive skills to not only snatch the ball up in sticky situations, but also to get through traffic and put up the most points per player on the Wings in her first ever WNBA game.
10. Caitlin’s 3 From Beyond Floor Logo
As always, Caitlin Clark came ready to perform.
The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year returned to her collegiate court at the University of Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena in a matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Brazilian National Team on May 4th. Carver-Hawkeye’s court bears a commemorative logo on the spot that broke the all-time Division 1 scoring record back in February of 2024, partnered with her newly retired jersey in the rafters as a nod to her outstanding college career. In her game against the Brazilian National Team, she played her usual legendary basketball and shot a three-pointer from beyond the commemorative logo.
All-in-all, the WNBA girlies are balling and we know they won’t stop anytime soon.
The full 2025 WNBA season schedule can be found here.