The WNBA Playoffs get underway this week, with the eight qualifying teams beginning first-round play on Wednesday or Friday. Five squads with LVFL connections are among those making the postseason cut.
On Wednesday, the No. 1 seed Las Vegas Aces (34-6) host the No. 8 seed Chicago Sky (18-22) at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Las Vegas employs LVFL Nikki (Caldwell) Fargas as its team president, while forward Candace Parker is in her first season with the Aces but remains sidelined with a fracture in her left foot. Chicago features LVFL assistant coach Tonya Edwards on staff and center Isabelle Harrison on its roster, though Harrison remains sidelined while recovering from knee surgery.
The other Wednesday matchup includes the No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun (27-13) facing off against the No. 6 Minnesota Lynx (19-21) at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
On Friday, the No. 2 seed New York Liberty (32-8) take on the No. 7 Washington Mystics (19-21) at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2, followed by the No. 5 Atlanta Dream (19-21) vs. the No. 4 Dallas Wings (22-18) at 9:30 p.m. on the same network. LVFL guard Diamond DeShields, who has missed the season due to injury, is a member of the Wings.
With their teams eliminated, three other LVFLs saw their seasons end. Rae Burrell and the Los Angeles Sparks were one spot out of contention, finishing ninth at 17-23, while Jordan Horston and Mercedes Russell finished in 11th place with the Seattle Storm at 11-29.
PLAYER UPDATES
Rae Burrell
6-1 / G-F / Los Angeles Sparks / 2nd Season
Burrell (2018-22) was waived on May 16 prior to the start of the 2023 regular season by Los Angeles, signed on May 27, released on May 29 and signed again on June 17. She remained with the Sparks for the remainder of the season, logging duty in 29 contests this season after playing only three a year ago. She averaged 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds and shot 38.7 percent from the field, including 39.0 percent on threes, and 81.0 percent from the charity stripe. Burrell scored in double figures three times in her last five contests of the year, including a season-high 18 vs. New York after knocking down four of six three-point field goal attempts. The Sparks placed fourth in the Western Conference with a 17-23 record and just missed the playoffs by finishing ninth overall in the league.
Next Game: Season complete.
Diamond DeShields
6-1 / G / Dallas Wings / 6th Season
After moving over from Phoenix in the offseason, DeShields (2014-17) played in one preseason game for the Wings before an apparent knee injury short-circuited her 2023 campaign. She scored five points and tallied two rebounds, two assists and two steals in that exhibition contest and hasn’t played since. Dallas stands at 22-18, earning a No. 4 seed in the playoffs after placing second in the Western Conference.
Next Game: Sept. 15 vs. Atlanta (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Isabelle Harrison
6-3 / F / Chicago Sky / 7th Season
Joining the Sky from Dallas in the offseason, Harrison (2011-15) played in two preseason games and averaged 13.0 ppg. and 3.0 rpg. before suffering an injury. Per M.A. Voepel of ESPN, Harrison had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her knee. She continues to rehab, and it appears her return to the court will occur next season. Fellow UT alum Tonya Edwards (1986-90) continues to serve as an assistant coach for the team, logging her third season in the Windy City. Chicago posted an 18-22 regular season record and enters the playoffs as the No. 8 seed after finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Next Game: Sept. 13 vs. Las Vegas (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Jordan Horston
6-2 / G / Seattle Storm / 1st Season
Horston (2019-23) played in 36 games and started 17 as a rookie, finishing as the fifth-leading scorer for Seattle after the Storm made the Lady Vol standout the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 draft. She averaged 22.4 minutes, 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the free-throw line. Horston scored in double figures on nine occasions, firing in a career-high 23 and pulling down 10 boards at Atlanta on July 12 with her former Lady Vol teammates and coaches in attendance. Seattle finished 11-29, winding up fifth in the Western Conference and 11th among all league teams.
Next Game: Season complete.
Candace Parker
6-4 / F-C / Las Vegas Aces / 16th Season
Parker (2004-08) started and played in 18 games during her first season in Las Vegas, averaging 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 23.6 minutes per contest before a foot injury sidelined her for the rest of the regular season. She shot 46.5 percent from the field and 89.3 percent from the free-throw line. Parker scored in double figures in three of her last five games, including 10 vs. Dallas on July 7, and 15 vs. New York and Connecticut on June 29 and July 1, respectively. Fellow LVFL Nikki (Caldwell) Fargas (1990-94) is team president for Las Vegas. The Aces won the Western Conference and earned the No. 1 seed for the playoffs with a league-best 34-6 record.
Next Game: Sept. 13 vs. Chicago (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Mercedes Russell
6-6 / C / Seattle Storm / 6th Season
Russell (2013-18) played in a career-high 37 games and started 13 for Seattle in 2023 after missing all but five games a year ago. She averaged 19.1 minutes, 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 60.5 percent from the charity stripe during her sixth season of action with the Storm. Seattle finished 11-29, winding up fifth in the Western Conference and 11th among all league teams.
Next Game: Season complete.