How do the WNBA playoffs work? Dates, format and more

The biggest stars in women's basketball are set to vie for the sport's biggest prize, as A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark and others look to lead their respective teams to the WNBA championship.

Here are facts about the 2024 WNBA postseason and how it works.

When do the WNBA playoffs begin?

The WNBA playoffs begin Sept. 22. The last possible date for the WNBA Finals is Oct. 20. The final regular-season games will be played Sept. 19.

See which teams have clinched a playoff spot here.

What is the format of the WNBA playoffs?

The top eight of the WNBA's 12 teams make the playoffs. Teams are seeded based on their records in the regular season. Best-of-three series decide the first-round matchups, followed by a best-of-five format for the semifinals and finals.

The higher-seeded team (or the team with the better record) in each series gets home-court advantage.

Which team won the 2023 WNBA championship?

Wilson's Las Vegas Aces defeated Stewart and the New York Liberty 3-1 in the 2023 WNBA Finals for their second straight title. Wilson was named Finals MVP.

Has a team ever won three straight WNBA championships?

The Houston Comets are the only franchise to win the WNBA title three seasons in a row. The Comets, who folded in 2008, won the WNBA championship in 1997, 1998, 1999 and again in 2000, the league's first four years in existence.

Has a No. 1 pick ever won the WNBA championship in their first season?

Clark, as a rookie, has led the Indiana Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016. Only two No. 1 picks have won the WNBA championship in their first season --Tina Thompson, the WNBA's inaugural top pick in 1997, started for the Comets in their first of four straight titles, while Maya Moore helped lead the Minnesota Lynx to the championship in 2011, the same year she was drafted first overall.

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