7 Biggest What Ifs in WNBA History

by Spencer Toth - 10/23/2026

Biggest What Ifs in NBA History Caitlin Clark

Basketball is a game of fine margins, and had one moment gone differently, the league’s history would be dramatically different from what we know today. Whether it was a late shot clanking the iron, a player retiring early, or having a career cut short by injuries, the WNBA would look very different today had these crucial moments gone differently. Here are the seven biggest ‘What Ifs’ in WNBA history.

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#1 What If Maya Moore Never Walked Away From Basketball? (2019)

Maya Moore was one of, if not the, most dominant player of the 2010s before she unexpectedly stepped away from professional basketball in 2019. The 2011 Rookie of the Year made six All-Star Game appearances in eight seasons, won the MVP award once, and finished in the top three for MVP voting three other seasons. In the playoffs, she guided the Minnesota Lynx to six WNBA Finals in her eight seasons with the franchise, claiming four championships for the city. Moore’s best individual season came in 2014 when she won MVP, averaging 23.9 PPG on 48.1% from the floor, while tacking on 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
However, after the 2018 season, Moore announced that she was stepping away from basketball to focus on criminal justice reform. Her biggest footprint was left with her advocacy for Jonathan Irons, who was wrongfully convicted. Irons’ conviction was overturned in 2020 and he was released from prison, but Moore still stayed on the sidelines. Her official retirement came in January 2023, ending her playing career after just eight seasons. Her initial departure came while she was still performing at an elite level, and we will never know what she could have accomplished had she stayed in the WNBA. She may have added further championships, more individual honors, and cemented her case as the greatest player of all time.

#2 What If Caitlin Clark Had Been Drafted by Another Team? (2024)

Caitlin Clark entered the 2024 WNBA Draft as one of the most highly anticipated prospects in basketball history. She had an extraordinary four-year career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, finishing her NCAA career with 3,951 points, setting the Division I scoring record. She led Iowa to back-to-back national championship appearances, the first two in the school’s history, but didn’t quite taste the ultimate glory. Her offensive production and seemingly unlimited range combined with her mainstream popularity made her the clear first overall pick.

The Indiana Fever won the draft lottery and selected Clark first overall, but what if another team had that privilege? The Fever instantly became one of the most popular franchises in the WNBA when Clark arrived, selling out arenas wherever they traveled. On the court, Clark was paired up with 2023 first overall pick Aliyah Boston, establishing a promising young foundation in Indiana. Had a different team won the lottery, Clark would be calling a new city home and the landscape of the WNBA would be very different today.

#3 What if the Houston Comets Never Folded? (2008)

The Houston Comets were one of the WNBA’s original eight franchises and established the first, and arguably greatest, dynasty in the league. They won four consecutive championships from 1997 through 2000, dominating in both the regular season and playoffs. The Comets compiled a 98-24 regular-season record across their final three championship-winning seasons, which had a massive impact on how the league was shaped. However, the franchise struggled to maintain their early success as their core players aged and its ownership situation deteriorated. Original owner Leslie Alexander sold the Comets in 2007, but declining attendance and financial difficulties continued to affect the franchise. Following the 2008 season, the team was unable to secure new ownership and the franchise was folded with the current players made available to other teams through a dispersal draft. The disappearance of the Comets left one of the nation’s biggest cities without a team for nearly two decades. However, in May 2026, the league approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Houston, with the Comets name returning for the 2027 season.

#4 What If Breanna Stewart Never Tore Her Achilles? (2019)

Breanna Stewart looked poised to become one of the most influential players in the league with the Seattle Storm. She won four straight national championships at UConn before winning Rookie of the Year while finishing sixth in MVP voting in her debut WNBA season. In 2018, Stewart won league MVP with 21.8 PPG, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks, all with an effective field goal percentage of 58.9%. She helped the Storm sweep the Washington Mystics in the WNBA Finals, taking home both the MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same season. Everything was looking up for Stewart until she ruptured her right Achilles while playing for the Dynamo Kursk in the EuroLeague championship game in April 2019. The injury forced her to miss the entire WNBA season after just proving she was the best in the league, preventing the Storm from mounting a title defense. Stewart was able to come back in 2020 and guide the Storm back to the championship, but the team was very different without Sue Bird at point guard, and it turned out to be the end of the Storm’s reign at the top of the league. Had she remained healthy in 2019, the Storm very well could have made it three straight championships. Stewart will still go down as one of the best ever with her two MVPs, five straight seasons finishing in the top-three in MVP voting, three WNBA championships, and eight All-Star appearances. She isn’t even done yet, but another season in her prime in 2019 could have dramatically changed her career trajectory.

#5 What If Cynthia Cooper Never Retired in 2000?

Cynthia Cooper established herself as one of the greatest players in WNBA history during the league’s first four seasons. She led the Houston Comets to four consecutive championships, winning Finals MVP in all four years. She also won the first two regular season MVP awards in 1997 and 1998, truly dominating the new league. Cooper entered the WNBA at age 34 after spending most of her career overseas, so she was never going to have a long career in the WNBA. However, when she retired at 37 years old in 2000, it still came as a shock. Cooper was at the pinnacle of women’s basketball when she made the announcement, which effectively ended the Comets’ reign at the top. Sheryl Swoopes, Houston’s other superstar, suffered a season-ending knee injury the same season, but Houston still finished with a respectable 19-13 record. Cooper tried to make a comeback in 2003, but after a few years on the sidelines coaching the Phoenix Mercury, it did not go well with just four appearances before she retired again. Had Cooper kept playing, the Comets may have extended their dynasty and prevented the Los Angeles Sparks from winning back-to-back championships, changing where the WNBA got popular during its infancy.

#6 What If Nneka Ogwumike Missed Her Championship-Winning Shot? (2016)

The 2016 WNBA Finals between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx could not have been closer. The two teams were knotted up at two games apiece heading into a winner-take-all Game 5. Minnesota entered the season as the defending champion, winning two of the last three titles. The final game was very close down to the wire, with Maya Moore putting the Lynx up 76-75 with 15.4 seconds remaining. It was up to Ogwumike and the Sparks to regain a late lead, and it came in dramatic fashion. Ogwumike had her shot blocked by Sylvia Fowles, but recovered her own rebound and converted a short jumper with 3.1 seconds remaining. Minnesota failed to score on their final possession, giving Los Angeles a 77-76 victory. If Ogwumike had failed to convert her second attempt, the Lynx would have added to their already legendary dynasty. Minnesota ended up lifting the trophy the following year, but Ogwumike ended a 14-year championship drought for Los Angeles.

#7 What If Dearica Hamby’s Miracle Shot Never Went In? (2019)

The 2019 WNBA playoffs featured one of the most improbable game-winning shots in league history. The Las Vegas Aces were facing off against the Chicago Sky in a single elimination game with the winner advancing to face Washington in the semifinals. Chicago held a 92-90 advantage in the final seconds and had possession in the backcourt. Courtney Vandersloot was enticing the Aces to foul her, but she ended up throwing up a misguided pass which Hamby intercepted. Hamby immediately threw up a desperation heave from half court, which sent the home crowd into a frenzy when it found twine. Chicago had one final possession to try and regain the lead, but they missed, etching Hamby’s miraculous shot into the WNBA history books. Las Vegas subsequently lost their semifinal matchups against the Mystics, but ended the Sky’s season nevertheless. Had Hamby not taken that shot, or had she missed it, the entire 2019 playoffs could have gone down very differently.

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Start:	October 23, 2026 @ 11:59 PM
Expert:	Arun Shiva (Indian Cowboy)
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7 Biggest What Ifs in WNBA History

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