Another week of WNBA basketball means another edition of Swish Happens Here, powered by Fearless S.C. We’ve reached the midpoint of the 2026 season, and the championship contenders have already separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
Anything can change with half the season left on the calendar, but one of the top-four teams in the standings will most likely be the unit that wins it all in October. With two of them in action tonight on ION, let’s go over all of them and their cases for hoisting the trophy.
In 2025, everyone counted Las Vegas out of contention before igniting a historic 16-game win streak and the first 4-0 sweep in the WNBA’s new seven-game Finals format. If anything, the Aces are seen for what they’ve always been: a true juggernaut. It hasn’t always been pretty, which is a bit insane to say about a team that hasn’t lost more than two games in a row, but the team isn’t top five in scoring, field-goal percentage, rebounds, assists, or steals. Somehow, the stat sheets haven’t mattered in the slightest when you have a superstar like A’ja Wilson, who is well on her way to a third consecutive scoring title. In 2024, Wilson set a WNBA record for points scored in a single season (1,021). She accomplished that feat in 38 games. Through just 20 games in 2026, Wilson already has 521. For the final 20 games of the regular season, all she has to do is average a measly 22.7 points to break her own record. Seems easy, right?
I don’t see how A’ja won’t be the MVP again this year. pic.twitter.com/1B0bJcde1e
— Sha Hartley (@shahartley) July 10, 2026
The faces of the league from the sidelines pic.twitter.com/soukoNQfc1
— christan (no i), ß (@ChristanWNBA) June 14, 2026
I always knew the Lynx would be good this season without All-WNBA forward Napheesa Collier, but no one could have expected this team to be at the top of the league with an identical record as the Aces. Though Collier has yet to see the court, she is back in practice and preparing for her debut. The team hasn’t provided an exact timeline for her return, but EuroLeague MVP Dorka Juhasz is back and making an impact in only a few games. In a season with zero expectations, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has proven time and again why she is the best to ever roam a WNBA sideline. Drafting Olivia Miles has been a grand slam every time she checks in, and the international scouting to support the mainstays on the roster has proven worth every hour spent watching film and traveling overseas.
Golden State returned more than half of its 2025 roster, and many saw it as a mistake. But with half of the 2026 season played to date, Valkyries coach Natalie Naskase is playing chess while most teams are still playing checkers. Bringing Gabby Williams down from Seattle in free agency has been one of the most underrated moves we don’t talk about, because the way this team plays isn’t deemed “fun”. As a true first option, Williams is enjoying a career year in nearly every statistical category. Though the Valkyries are one of the worst-scoring teams in the league at 10th, they make up for it on the defensive end, where they are the best unit in the league. Opposing teams see the purple and black on their schedules and know they’re in for a battle. Golden State allows the fewest points per game and points in the paint. Kiah Stokes’ own DPOY case plays a large part in this.
Preseason rankings are one thing, but executing when the games matter is another. The Dallas Wings have excelled at the latter. Paige Bueckers is looking like every bit of the MVP candidate that she is, Azzi Fudd is one of the best on-ball defenders at her position, and the team has earned every win in games where franchise stalwart Arike Ogunbowale has failed to show up. Jessica Shepard has been a godsend for Dallas’ offense, and has allowed Bueckers to take advantage of defenses with her ability to net shots off the ball. The Wings have one of the best records against the other top four teams and are the only team to beat the Aces twice so far. Wings general manager Curt Miller is on the short list for Executive of the Year, and first-year coach Jose Fernandez will surely receive votes for Coach of the Year. Still, it’s hard to see him winning over Cheryl Reeve, Natalie Nakase, or even Becky Hammon.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Christan Braswell is a women’s sports journalist with a focus on the WNBA and women’s college basketball. He’s an avid fan of elevator screens and stuffed-crust pizza. Outside of sports, he’s an avid cook and lover of the great outdoors.
After what felt like an eternity without a game that matters towards the regular-season tally, the WNBA is back tonight on ION. We’re being treated to a doubleheader, with the […]
