The Indiana Fever will represent the Eastern Conference in the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup championship, and they owe a huge debt of gratitude to the New York Liberty for helping them reach that point for the first time in franchise history. Caitlin Clark and Co. will face the Minnesota Lynx on July 1.
The Lynx, who will host the game, are the defending Commissioner’s Cup champions. They clinched the top spot in the Western Conference with a big win over the Las Vegas Aces.
Entering Tuesday, the final day of Commissioner’s Cup group stage play, three teams had a chance to earn the top spot in the East — the Atlanta Dream, Fever and Liberty — and the scenarios were clear.
- If the Dream beat the Liberty, they would be in.
- If the Liberty beat the Dream, and the Fever lost to the Sun, the Liberty would be in.
- If the Liberty beat the Dream, and the Fever beat the Sun, the Fever would be in.
The Fever easily took care of business against the lowly Sun. They never trailed, and cruised to an 88-71 win thanks to 20 points and six assists from Caitlin Clark, who continued her strong return from a quad injury that sidelined her for three weeks.
It didn’t seem as though there would be much drama in Brooklyn, either. The Dream jumped in front in the middle of the second quarter, and extended their lead to 17 late in the third. They were controlling the game on both ends of the floor, and seemed to be en route to their first ever Commissioner’s Cup championship.
Sabrina Ionescu refused to quit, however, and scored nine points in a matter of minutes to lead a Liberty run that cut the deficit to single digits heading into the fourth quarter. Ionescu continued to lead the charge in the fourth quarter, and the Liberty turned up their defensive intensity to hold the Dream to just 13 points in the final frame. Breanna Stewart then hit a driving layup to put the Liberty ahead for good with less than two minutes to play, and Ionescu iced the game at the free throw line.
Ionescu finished with 34 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in her best outing of 2025, and the Liberty completed a 17-point comeback, which was tied for the second-biggest turnaround by any team this season.
The ironic aspect of the Liberty’s incredible comeback earning the Fever a spot in the Commissioner’s Cup championship is that New York would have been in the title game for a third consecutive season if they had not blown a double-digit lead to Indiana over the weekend.
The Fever finished 4-1 in their Commissioner’s Cup games, as did the Liberty. Indiana won the tiebreaker between the two teams due to head-to-head record. The Lynx, meanwhile, went 5-1 in Commissioner’s Cup games, which was the outright best record in the West.
What is the Commissioner’s Cup?
The Commissioner’s Cup is the WNBA’s in-season competition, which is now in its fifth season. Under a revamped format, each team played every other team in their conference once during the initial Cup games, which took place from June 1-17. Each Eastern Conference team played five games, while each Western Conference team played six games due to the addition of the expansion Valkyries.
The team in each conference with the best record in the Cup games advanced to the Commissioner’s Cup championship on July 1 which will be hosted by the Lynx because they were the team with the best overall winning percentage in the Cup games. Once again, there will be a $500,000 prize pool on the line in the championship game.
Previous Commissioner’s Cup champions
- 2021: Seattle Storm
- 2022: Las Vegas Aces
- 2023: New York Liberty
- 2024: Minnesota Lynx
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
NFL’s top 10 QBs: There’s the Patrick Mahomes tier, then 3 others
Happy June everyone. The quiet time of the NFL calendar is here before training camps begin in about a month, which is a great time to survey the landscape prior to the upcoming season. With quarterbacks consistently being such a hot topic, let’s both start a fire and throw some gasoline on it by ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in the league — a list surely everyone will agree with and have no complaints over. If you’re so inclined, please send all notes and comments to @CharlesRobinson on Twitter/X.The Patrick Mahomes Tier1. Patrick MahomesThe counting stats might have been down, but no one did more heavy lifting on offense last year than Mahomes. Getting that version of the Chiefs to the Super Bowl was no easy task and even though Mahomes played one of the worst games in his career […]
Palmeiras precisa vencer o Al Ahly no Mundial de Clubes e Ulisses Costa alerta: “Não gostei do Giay, não soube marcar”
O técnico Abel Ferreira, da SE Palmeiras, em jogo contra a equipe do FC Porto, durante partida válida pela fase de grupos, da Copa Mundial de Clubes da FIFA, no Metlife Stadium. (Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon) Comentarista da Band entende que o técnico Abel Ferreira precisa fazer uma correção para o próximo jogo do Verdão; Sgarbi também opina O Palmeiras volta a campo nesta quinta-feira (19), contra o Al Ahly, pela segunda rodada da Copa do Mundo de Clubes. Após ficar apenas no empate na estreia, diante do Porto, o Verdão precisa da vitória para poder encaminhar a classificação ao mata-mata. Um novo tropeço pode complicar a vida do brasileiro, que passaria a depender de uma combinação de resultados na última rodada. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Neste clima de decisão, Abel Ferreira pode corrigir alguns erros da partida anterior e fazer mudanças no […]
AFC North 2025 preview, plus examining Bengals rookie holdout
Inside: Key questions, breakout players and positions to watch in the AFC North, plus a look at the Bengals rookie holdout situation.This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox.AFC North PreviewWould you be surprised to learn that the Browns have never won this division?Over 35 years have passed since Cleveland last won any division, the longest active streak in the NFL. (And the longest streak in league history, I believe. I won’t confirm for the sake of Browns fans). The team’s four quarterbacks are unlikely to change that in 2025.Since the AFC North was realigned in 2002, the Steelers lead the way with nine division titles. Baltimore has eight, including last season’s, while the Bengals have six. Here’s how they finished in 2024:Our latest 2025 division preview covers a group […]
Marina Mabrey’s Foul on Caitlin Clark Upgraded to Flagrant-2, But No Suspensions
<!--> The WNBA has upgraded the technical foul on Connecticut's Marina Mabrey for shoving Caitlin Clark to the floor during Tuesday night's game against Indiana to a Flagrant-2, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.Any flagrant foul comes with an automatic fine. The person also said the league has fined the Fever's Sophie Cunningham for her role in the on-court melee that occurred after she fouled Jacy Sheldon with 46.1 seconds left. Cunningham received a Flagrant-2 Tuesday night.There will be no further penalties for on-court actions during the game, the person said. The WNBA doesn't disclose the amount of money players are fined.The play at the end of the game was the culmination of tensions that had been building throughout.[MORE: Scuffle […]
Zico sinaliza Luiz Araújo como trunfo do Flamengo no Mundial de Clubes: “Filipe Luís confia nele”
Luiz Araújo celebra gol no Mundial de Clubes (Gilvan de Souza/Flamengo) Galinho fez questão de enaltecer capacidade do camisa 7 em atuar pelos lados e também participar de tramas ofensivas no meio-campo Zico, antes da bola rolar em Flamengo x Chelsea, enalteceu um dos trunfos do Rubro-Negro no confronto. Cada vez mais consolidado entre os titulares, Luiz Araújo assumiu o protagonismo contra o Espérance ao fornecer assistência para Arrascaeta e também balançar as redes. Neste cenário, o maior ídolo do clube carioca avalia que a confiança de Filipe Luís vem sendo decisiva para o rendimento do atacante. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Para qualquer jogador é sempre bom a confiança que o treinador dá. Então, o Filipe (Luís) confia muito nele, isso já não é de agora. A partir do momento que ele se recuperou bem, porque no início ele jogava e tinha […]
Kaleb Glenn injury: Michigan State’s top-rated transfer to miss 2025-26 season due to torn patellar tendon
Getty Images Tom Izzo and Michigan State will not have one of their top-rated incoming transfers next season after former Florida Atlantic wing Kaleb Glenn suffered a torn patellar tendon during a shooting drill. The injury is expected to sideline Glenn for the 2025-26 campaign, according to Justin Thind of Spartan Tailgate.One of the three transfers for the Spartans' incoming 2025 class, Glenn is the highest rated among the group. The four-star small forward ranked as the No. 81 overall transfer prospect and No. 15 at this position in the portal class. Glenn committed to Michigan State in April with interest from Indiana, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. Glenn was one of the top players for FAU last season down the stretch, finishing as the leading scorer with 12.6 points per game. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound sophomore added 4.8 rebounds per game […]
Related
NFL’s top 10 QBs: There’s the Patrick Mahomes tier, then 3 others
Happy June everyone. The quiet time of the NFL calendar is here before training camps begin in about a month, which is a great time to survey the landscape prior to the upcoming season. With quarterbacks consistently being such a hot topic, let’s both start a fire and throw some gasoline on it by ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in the league — a list surely everyone will agree with and have no complaints over. If you’re so inclined, please send all notes and comments to @CharlesRobinson on Twitter/X.The Patrick Mahomes Tier1. Patrick MahomesThe counting stats might have been down, but no one did more heavy lifting on offense last year than Mahomes. Getting that version of the Chiefs to the Super Bowl was no easy task and even though Mahomes played one of the worst games in his career […]
Palmeiras precisa vencer o Al Ahly no Mundial de Clubes e Ulisses Costa alerta: “Não gostei do Giay, não soube marcar”
O técnico Abel Ferreira, da SE Palmeiras, em jogo contra a equipe do FC Porto, durante partida válida pela fase de grupos, da Copa Mundial de Clubes da FIFA, no Metlife Stadium. (Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon) Comentarista da Band entende que o técnico Abel Ferreira precisa fazer uma correção para o próximo jogo do Verdão; Sgarbi também opina O Palmeiras volta a campo nesta quinta-feira (19), contra o Al Ahly, pela segunda rodada da Copa do Mundo de Clubes. Após ficar apenas no empate na estreia, diante do Porto, o Verdão precisa da vitória para poder encaminhar a classificação ao mata-mata. Um novo tropeço pode complicar a vida do brasileiro, que passaria a depender de uma combinação de resultados na última rodada. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Neste clima de decisão, Abel Ferreira pode corrigir alguns erros da partida anterior e fazer mudanças no […]
AFC North 2025 preview, plus examining Bengals rookie holdout
Inside: Key questions, breakout players and positions to watch in the AFC North, plus a look at the Bengals rookie holdout situation.This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox.AFC North PreviewWould you be surprised to learn that the Browns have never won this division?Over 35 years have passed since Cleveland last won any division, the longest active streak in the NFL. (And the longest streak in league history, I believe. I won’t confirm for the sake of Browns fans). The team’s four quarterbacks are unlikely to change that in 2025.Since the AFC North was realigned in 2002, the Steelers lead the way with nine division titles. Baltimore has eight, including last season’s, while the Bengals have six. Here’s how they finished in 2024:Our latest 2025 division preview covers a group […]
Marina Mabrey’s Foul on Caitlin Clark Upgraded to Flagrant-2, But No Suspensions
<!--> The WNBA has upgraded the technical foul on Connecticut's Marina Mabrey for shoving Caitlin Clark to the floor during Tuesday night's game against Indiana to a Flagrant-2, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.Any flagrant foul comes with an automatic fine. The person also said the league has fined the Fever's Sophie Cunningham for her role in the on-court melee that occurred after she fouled Jacy Sheldon with 46.1 seconds left. Cunningham received a Flagrant-2 Tuesday night.There will be no further penalties for on-court actions during the game, the person said. The WNBA doesn't disclose the amount of money players are fined.The play at the end of the game was the culmination of tensions that had been building throughout.[MORE: Scuffle […]
Zico sinaliza Luiz Araújo como trunfo do Flamengo no Mundial de Clubes: “Filipe Luís confia nele”
Luiz Araújo celebra gol no Mundial de Clubes (Gilvan de Souza/Flamengo) Galinho fez questão de enaltecer capacidade do camisa 7 em atuar pelos lados e também participar de tramas ofensivas no meio-campo Zico, antes da bola rolar em Flamengo x Chelsea, enalteceu um dos trunfos do Rubro-Negro no confronto. Cada vez mais consolidado entre os titulares, Luiz Araújo assumiu o protagonismo contra o Espérance ao fornecer assistência para Arrascaeta e também balançar as redes. Neste cenário, o maior ídolo do clube carioca avalia que a confiança de Filipe Luís vem sendo decisiva para o rendimento do atacante. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Para qualquer jogador é sempre bom a confiança que o treinador dá. Então, o Filipe (Luís) confia muito nele, isso já não é de agora. A partir do momento que ele se recuperou bem, porque no início ele jogava e tinha […]
Kaleb Glenn injury: Michigan State’s top-rated transfer to miss 2025-26 season due to torn patellar tendon
Getty Images Tom Izzo and Michigan State will not have one of their top-rated incoming transfers next season after former Florida Atlantic wing Kaleb Glenn suffered a torn patellar tendon during a shooting drill. The injury is expected to sideline Glenn for the 2025-26 campaign, according to Justin Thind of Spartan Tailgate.One of the three transfers for the Spartans' incoming 2025 class, Glenn is the highest rated among the group. The four-star small forward ranked as the No. 81 overall transfer prospect and No. 15 at this position in the portal class. Glenn committed to Michigan State in April with interest from Indiana, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. Glenn was one of the top players for FAU last season down the stretch, finishing as the leading scorer with 12.6 points per game. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound sophomore added 4.8 rebounds per game […]
Be the first to leave a comment