Over the last few seasons, many young stars have come into the WNBA with their own brands and huge fan bases, ready to take the league by storm. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese headlined the 2024 draft class and contributed to the WNBA’s rise in popularity. Paige Bueckers followed suit as the number-one pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, and Olivia Miles is the unanimous Rookie of the Year this season.
Those four have dominated headlines, but many other young stars are thriving right alongside them. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen earned consecutive All-Star honors with the Washington Mystics and made Team USA’s roster as injury replacements this summer. Azzi Fudd was playing well before a knee injury ended her season, and Dominique Malonga rose to All-Star status at only 20 years old.
Angel Reese could be the first out of this group of young stars to truly compete for a WNBA championship after already becoming the first new superstar to claim an end-of-season award. The Atlanta Dream are up 1-0 in the semifinals after beating the New York Liberty 92-82. Reese was big in that game, recording 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a made 3-pointer, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.
If Allisha Gray can play the rest of the series, and the Dream continue to deliver on both ends of the floor, Reese may very well go to the finals in her first-ever playoff run.
Reese is the only young star who advanced past the first round
Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen were all eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this year. Clark and the Fever couldn’t make it past the reigning champions for the second year in a row. The Golden State Valkyries eliminated Bueckers and the Dallas Wings in a close Game 3 in front of a sold-out arena. Miles and the Lynx suffered a surprise upset at the hands of Breanna Stewart and the Liberty, and the young Mystics were swept by the Dream.
That leaves Reese as the first young superstar to play in the semifinals—the Fever made it last year but Clark was injured—and the only one left standing amid veteran stars in the race for this year’s championship.
Veteran stars have sent a clear message this postseason: They aren’t going anywhere. A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray are still the best big three in the W—although the Valkyries, led by Gabby Williams, bothered them with their defense in Game 1. The Liberty are relying heavily on a rookie in Pauline Astier, but the team’s success ultimately still comes down to Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu.
Veterans dominating the postseason is no outlier or surprise. The 2025 championship came down to the Aces, led by Wilson, Gray, and Young, and the Phoenix Mercury with a veteran core of Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper, Satou Sabally, and DeWanna Bonner. The year before, the Liberty’s big three edged out a Lynx team led by veterans Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams.
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