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After a long, but action-packed winter filled with blockbuster trades and stunning free agent moves, the 2025 WNBA season finally arrived on Friday, and the opening night action did not disappoint. We saw an upset win in D.C., an MVP-caliber performance, Paige Bueckers' debut, an inaugural game in the Bay Area and a historic outing from a new Sparks star. 

Here's a look at the results:

Now that the first night of the regular season is in the books, here are some opening night takeaways:

Collier makes a statement

Napheesa Collier is coming off the best season of her career, in which she was the MVP runner-up, the Defensive Player of the Year, made the All-WNBA and All-Defensive First Teams, while helping the Lynx win a franchise-record 30 games and make the Finals. 

If opening night is any indication, Collier is out for revenge this season. 

With both Kayla McBride and Alanna Smith sidelined against the Wings, Collier put the Lynx on her back and made sure they got off to a winning start. Collier finished with 34 points, four rebounds and four assists on 12 of 21 from the field. After an even first half, Collier scored 18 points in the third quarter alone, which put the Lynx ahead for good. 

Rookie debuts: Bueckers has 'room to grow'; Mystics duo shines in upset win

Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, made her debut on Friday for the Dallas Wings in their matchup against her hometown team, the Minnesota Lynx. Her first game was an exciting moment for the league, but it didn't go the way she or the Wings would have hoped. 

While there were some bright moments, Bueckers was just OK overall, and admitted she has "room to grow." She finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists on 3 of 10 from the field. 

Paige Bueckers makes WNBA debut: Wings' No. 1 overall pick says she has 'room to grow'
Jack Maloney
Paige Bueckers makes WNBA debut: Wings' No. 1 overall pick says she has 'room to grow'

Elsewhere, two other lottery picks did get off to winning starts in their professional careers. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the Nos. 3 and 4 picks, respectively, helped the Washington Mystics upset the Atlanta Dream. 

Citron went for 19 points, two rebounds and two assists on an extremely efficient 6 of 7 from the field, while Iriafen added 14 points, four rebounds and two assists before fouling out. Expectations were pretty low for the Mystics this season, but they may have to be raised if their lottery picks are going to perform like this. 

Plum, Sparks spoil Valkyries' inaugural game spoiiled

The Golden State Valkyries were officially announced as the WNBA's 13th franchise back in October of 2023, but the league's first expansion team since 2008 had to wait nearly two years to play their first game. Finally, late on Friday, they were able to suit up at Chase Center in front of a sold-out crowd. 

There were dozens of celebrities in attendance, including Steve Kerr and a number of key Golden State Warriors figures, and Bay Area legend E-40 performed at halftime. The atmosphere was everything the organization could have hoped for in their inaugural game. 

Everything went well for the Valkyries except for the result. While they kept things competitive for much of the night, their offense simply wasn't good enough to keep up with the Sparks for a full 40 minutes. They shot just 36.1% from the field, turned the ball over 20 times and fell apart down the stretch. 

Kelsey Plum, on the other hand, had no problem finding her offense. In her Sparks debut, Plum went off for 37 points, six assists and five steals on 11 of 19 from the field. Plum is the first player in WNBA history with at least 35 points, five assists and five steals in a game. 

There will be three more season-openers on Saturday, including a match-up of the last three champions. The Las Vegas Aces, the 2022 and 2023 title holders, will visit the current champion New York Liberty at 1 p.m. ET. Caitlin Clark's sophomore season gets underway when the Indiana Fever host fellow 2024 draftee Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky at 3 p.m. ET. The nightcap will be a 10 p.m. tip between the Seattle Storm playing at Phoenix in the first game without Diana Taurasi on the Mercury roster since 2003.