Aces to Valkyries: Grading the WNBA Logos

and WNBA The Golden State Valkyries are steadily expanding along with the draft, the Toronto Tempo name and logo have been revealed, and much more. new In the league. The new team will feature a new logo, name, jersey, and city for the women's basketball experience. Current teams are trying to keep up by building new practice facilities, updating designs and being more creative in how they promote their teams.

At this stage of the WNBA's growth, the league's branding has honestly gone a little overboard. Some teams look futuristic, some intentionally use throwback branding, and some just look like they're stuck in the '00s. One thing that can be easily changed and has a big impact is the logo. Sports logos often change in line with cultural and design trends, and just a few tweaks can refresh an entire series.

The WNBA also has rules about what teams must include in these logos. For example, the league requires teams to have three different logo options, and also has a rule that a team's primary logo must include a basketball in some form.

With that in mind, let's grade each of the WNBA's 14 known team logos. The “current” 12 teams plus the Golden State Valkyries, who will enter the league in 2025, and the Toronto Tempo, who will enter the league in 2026. The only missing logo at this time is the Portland logo.

New York Liberty: 9.5/10

New York Liberty starts with a gorgeous seafoam color and nails all the branding to perfection. It's like they were given that color, considering it's the same color as the Statue of Liberty, which the team is named after. However, this is sport-specific and looks great whether worn on a court, jersey, or merchandise.

The logo itself is a simple emblem with a hand holding a torch and the word “NY” in the team's signature font. The flame of the torch has a basketball built into it, and a “flame” comes out from the top. The design is simple, to the point, and unique, with a strong tie to the team's name and identity.

Dallas Wings: 6/10

Part of my confusion about this issue is that it doesn't actually say what “wings” are. Is it Pegasus? horse theme them dallas mavericks of course. The logo has the words “Wings” and “Dallas” under the Pegasus (?). The team colors of navy blue and neon green are also an interesting combination.

A basketball is placed under the horse (?), so there are elements of basketball in it. That's all fine and good, but it just doesn't stand out against some of the league's stronger logos.

Washington Mystics: 7/10

Washington Mystics are washington wizardsAnd in my humble opinion, it should have been named Washington Witch. Witches are just cool if you keep up the alliteration. Anyway, they also share a colorway with the Wizards: navy blue, gray, and red. Very patriotic, of course.

This logo is pretty cool, but it gives me something of a 2003 Limited to Store vibe. Maybe it's a small decoration, a font, maybe a color. It fits the theme and isn't inherently bad, but it's just… very 2003-ish.

Indiana Fever: 7/10

Interestingly, the Indiana Fever is the only team in the league that has never changed its logo. The same logo has been used since the team entered the WNBA in 2000. It's simply a circular emblem with Indiana Fever in the team's font. The colors are red, yellow, and blue. These go together very well, but not to my personal taste. But I wear black 99% of the time, so who am I to judge?

Now, if we were ranking jerseys and Fever's Stranger Things jersey was still in play…it would get a 10/10 from me, that was disgusting.

Seattle Storm: 5/10

A common metaphor for current design in minimalism…isn't that interesting? The Seattle logo is the first of the minimalist WNBA logos we explore. The green and gold colors look classic and fun, but we're nostalgic for the funky Storm logo from the 2000s.

This crest features the Space Needle, a lightning bolt, and the Seattle Storm name in font inside the basketball-style crest. It's not ugly, it's just not your old logo, and it's a lot of fun. See below:

Las Vegas Aces: 6/10

I may be harsh on minimalists…I go on. The Aces logo is very on-brand and fun. Unfortunately, the colors recently changed from red and black to silver and black. Red and black go well with the name Ace and are reminiscent of playing cards.

The diamond-shaped logo is also reminiscent of playing cards. Being named the Aces as a Las Vegas team is pretty smart, and their logo conveys that, but it's also…just that.

Phoenix Mercury: 8/10

The Mercury are another team that is affiliated with an NBA team, in this case. phoenix suns. Therefore, the brand is very consistent, with the colors orange, purple, and black being common. The Mercury logo gives it a 70's diner vibe and is very cool. Their “basketball” is just an orange circle, but it's also very diner-esque.

Of course, it gets more points because it deviates from minimalism. The font doesn't look like any other team and leans heavily towards a vintage vibe.

Los Angeles Sparks: 7/10

This is what I call borderline minimalism. They save themselves with palm trees, but they can save themselves even more by incorporating a third color, teal, further into the mix. Although the Spark family shares no clear affiliation, lakersthey share the iconic purple and gold.

The Sparks' current logo is a circle with a palm tree, a basketball, and the Los Angeles Sparks name inside the outer circle. The palm tree is also cool, and this logo would have gotten a lot more points if it had been a little more blue-green.

Minnesota Lynx: 8.5/10

The lynx on the Minnesota logo is very cute, and the connection to the NBA team Timberwolves is obvious, but different enough. I get high points because some subtle choices make the logo look unique without being overdone. Off-centre name, cute lynx.

Is it cutting edge? Not always, but the message gets across. This doesn't break any new ground, but it does its job well enough.

Connecticut State Day: 8/10

This is interesting because it uses the basketball as the earth and the “C” in Connecticut as the sun. Earn extra points with fun and unique shapes that resemble sunlight.

The whole thing is quirky, on theme, and gets the message across. Is it the most amazing thing that ever existed? No. Are there any fun details? Yes.

Chicago Sky: 9/10

Chicago Sky has a fun colorway of sky blue and yellow, the sky and the sun. She's pretty smart and very cute. Their logo looks like a basketball going into the net, but also features “skyline-like” building details.

The whole thing is very unique, reminiscent of the famous Chicago skyline, and looks like a basketball logo without being too cookie-like. I think Skye did a great job of creating something fresh and unique.

Atlanta Dream: 8.75/10

Okay, maybe I'm being a little too specific…

The Dream logo has a lot of history, which makes sense since the team was named after Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. I really like this logo, the stars, the font, the symbolism. It is impressive and the shape of the crest is sharp and unique.

The only mistake for me was making the logo primarily gray. There is a limit to how slow it becomes. It feels clean, but not flashy. Maybe that was the point. Overall it's still a high score.

Golden State Valkyries: 9.9/10

Perfection is impossible, but Golden State's brand is as close as it gets, which is why this rating is 9.9. First of all, they nailed the color with that stunning lavender. Valkyrie is golden state warriorsValkyrie is a Norse female warrior…again, a really good one.

The logo itself is simple but unique. The V-shape is obvious but also unique, and the “basketball” element is a line within the crest. The team's font is also unique, yet simple. That's just…cool.

Toronto Tempo: 4/10

What have you all been waiting for? This is tough because 1) it's the logo of the newest team in the league, and 2) it's literally my home market. The logo was also leaked six weeks ago, when the team was planning to remove the name and logo.

This is what I like about it. The colors are very nice, icy blue and plum (don't tell me it's supposed to be maroon/red/whatever). Depending on how you look at it, it looks like a piano, which is fun.

Here are the criticisms that have been circulating since the team reviewed the logo: It is said to resemble the Indiana Pacers logo, the New Balance logo, and the Ontario Hockey League logo. It's also a little one-dimensional. Many of the logos above have a three-dimensional feel, are layered, and seem to pop off the page.

But… I missed the point a little.