2023 WNBA Betting Online - Basketball Odds

2023 WNBA Betting Online

The 2023 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season tips off on Friday, May 19 with 12 teams playing a record-high 40 games. Every team will play on the opening weekend of the league’s 27th season, which concludes on September 10, followed by the postseason. The WNBA increased the number of regular season games to 36 ahead of the 2022 season, which was the previous high. And for the second straight year the playoffs will feature an all-series format, eliminating single elimination games following the 2021 postseason. Eight teams qualify for the playoffs with the first round a best-of-three format. The semifinals and finals are a best-of-five.

One of three founding members still competing and the only one of the trio without a WNBA championship, the New York Liberty stocked up during the offseason and are among the favorites to end their drought. Joining them at the top of futures board are the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

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WNBA 2023 Season Preview

Original members of the WNBA along with the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury, the Liberty set themselves up to win their first title. New York has been to the WNBA Finals four times, however not since 2002 when they were swept by the Sparks in a best-of-three series.

Looking to change their fortunes the Liberty added last year’s WNBA scoring leader Breanna Stewart, assist leader Courtney Vandersloot and former MVP Jonquel Jones to go alongside superstar Sabrina Ionescu making the Liberty a popular choice to win the league title.

Las Vegas isn’t about to give up the title and will look to become the first repeat WNBA champion since the Sparks went back-to-back in 2001 and 2002. And they are well stocked to do so. Boasting league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year A’ja Wilson, who averaged 19.1 points and a league-best 9.4 rebounds, the Aces finished tied with the best record at 26-10.

Led by Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, the Aces beat Connecticut in four games going 8-2 in their three postseason series. The core of the team returns along with the addition of future WNBA Hall of Famer Candace Parker forming a formidable frontcourt. In her first season on the bench, WNBA legend and former Spurs assistant Becky Hammon earned Coach of the Year.

There doesn’t appear to be much competition to New York in the East. The 2021 champion Chicago Sky gutted their roster with Parker, Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Azura Stevens all departing. The team said goodbye to four of its top five scorers from 2022.

The Connecticut Sun reached the Finals last year bringing back a number of players from a team that went 25-11. The loss of 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones, who averaged 14.6 points and 8.6 rebounds shooting 51.3 percent from the field leaves a huge void.

Much like Chicago, the Seattle Storm in the West lost a good chunk of talent. Stewart’s departure along with the retirement of Sue Bird leaves Seattle in rebuild mold. The threats in the West are likely the Sparks, who boast both Nneka and Chiney Ogumike. They also added Azura Stevens from Chicago. The Phoenix Mercury will also get Brittney Griner back in the lineup during the season along with aging star Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

WNBA Championships

The Houston Comets were the first dynasty in the WNBA winning the first four titles behind the Big 3 of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson. They fell into a decline after Cooper retired following the 2000 season. Swoopes was injured soon after, and the franchise was never the same, eventually folding in 2008.

Grabbing the torch from Houston was the LA Sparks with back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 and reaching a third straight Finals in 2003. Lisa Leslie was named Finals MVP in the championship years and the Sparks were the last team to go back-to-back.

The Lynx were the preeminent team of the 2010s, starting their own dynasty with six Western Conference titles in the span of seven seasons. Minnesota went on to claim the WNBA championship four times, but a one-point loss to the Sparks in Game 5 of the 2016 WNBA Finals kept this team from becoming the most successful franchise in the history of the league.

Seattle became the third team to join the four-title club in 2020. The Storm and Las Vegas Aces were the two best teams in the regular season, so it was only fitting they met in the WNBA Finals. The Storm swept the Aces in convincing fashion, winning all three games by at least 13 points. Las Vegas earned its first title beating Connecticult.

The Western Conference has had a choke hold on the WNBA title, but Chicago finally broke through in 2021 to give the East a champion. Current Eastern Conference teams have a combined record of 3-15 in the WNBA Finals with the New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, and Connecticut Sun combining to lose all 11 of their appearances.

WNBA Teams

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