Paige Bueckers’ (likely) WNBA debut, Caitlin Clark comes to Boston, and three other must-watch games in the 2025 WNBA season

2025 WNBA schedule has been officially released, with regular season games scheduled to be played from May 16th to September 11th. For the first time in WNBA history, each team will play 44 games, an increase of four games from last year.

There's still six months until Opening Day, but here are five games you should get ahead of and put on your calendar for now.

May 16: Paige Backers' (probably) debut

The Minnesota Lynx will visit the Dallas Wings in the opener at 7:30 p.m. ET. This match could very well be the beginning of Paige Backers' professional career. The Lynx were an unspectacular team for most of last season, falling one possession short of the WNBA Championship. Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and others will begin the season on the road in Dallas. The Wings could choose a player other than the Buccaneers, but there is a strong possibility that she will make her official debut on May 16th.

May 16: Los Angeles Sparks face Golden State Valkyries

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE, Getty Images

The Valkyries will play their first game as a franchise in the season opener, hosting the Sparks on Friday, May 16th at 10pm ET. On the Valkyrie side, we don't yet know which stars will appear in the game. The Valkyrie expansion draft will be released soon on December 7th. Still, Golden State will play its first game at Chase Center, facing several Sparks standouts such as Dearica Hamby, Rikea Jackson and, once he returns from a torn ACL, Cameron Brink.

May 17: Las Vegas Aces at New York Liberty

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While this is no longer a rematch of the Finals, it's still a high-profile matchup featuring some of the league's best players, including A'ja Wilson, who was unanimously named MVP last year. The defending champions will open the regular season against the team they lost in the Finals two seasons ago in front of the Barclays Center crowd that watched them win the championship in October. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 17th, immediately after the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever game.

July 15: Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark visits the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden.

Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire (via Getty Images)

Last season, the Connecticut Sun played their first WNBA game at Boston's historic TD Garden. This season, the Sun will play at the Garden again on Tuesday, July 15 at 8 p.m.

This game will feature one of the biggest names in women's basketball, Caitlin Clark. The featured game between the Sun and the Fever will be a rematch of last year's first round playoff series, but will also include the return of head coach Stephanie White, who left Connecticut for Indiana this offseason. The Fever's Aliyah Boston is the player to watch, but there are also several notable free agents (Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Kelsey Mitchell) who may or may not participate.

July 30: Official WNBA Finals Rematch

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WNBA fans will have to wait several months for an official Finals rematch between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx will host Liberty on Wednesday, July 30th at 8 p.m. The game will feature five 2024 All-Stars: Sabrina Ionescu, Brianna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride.

Jones, the 2024 Finals MVP, will once again face the powerhouse of Minnesota. In addition to these All-Stars, other Finals standouts will also be in attendance, including Minnesota's Courtney Williams and New York's Leonie Fibich.