5 teams with most WNBA Championships ever

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was established in 1996 under then-NBA commissioner David Stern. It was in 1997 that the WNBA held its first season, and the 2023 season is their 27th season. There are 12 teams that compete in the league every season, and there have been 11 teams that have been champions in the league.

Three teams -- the Minnesota Lynx, the Seattle Storm and the Houston Comets -- have won the most championships in WNBA history. Each of these three teams has won four championships.

Since then, the L.A. Sparks (3) Phoenix Mercury (3) and Dallas Wings previously known as Detroit Shock (3) have also established themselves among the most successful franchises in the league. While the 2023 WNBA Finals are being held between the defending champions Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty, here is the list of teams with most WNBA Finals win.

5 WNBA teams with most championships

#1 - Houston Comets (Four) 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

The Houston Comets were the first dynasty in the WNBA, winning its first four titles in a row since the league started organizing games in 1997. Behind their Big Three (Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson), the Comets was the most dominant team in the league. They have a 98-24 winning record in regular season and 16-2 in postseason.

However, the Houston Comets no longer exist as a team in the WNBA since they folded in 2008 following the Great Recession.

#2 - Minnesota Lynx (Four) 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017

The Comets set the benchmark for greatness in terms of team as they dominated the first four seasons of the WNBA, winning four titles in a row. However, it was the Minnesota Lynx that set forth the benchmark for team dynasty.

Between 2011 and 2017, with Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore on the roster, the Lynx won four championships and made it to the Finals six times. The team added Sylvia Fowles in 2015, making a leap in their dominance.

#3 - Seattle Storm (Four) 2004, 2010, 2018, 2020

The Seattle Storm rose to prominence after they acquired back-to-back No. 1 draft picks in 2001 and 2002. They acquired Lauren Jackson in 2001 and Sue Bird in 2002, two of the all-time greats in the WNBA history. In 2004, they won their first NBA title behind these two stars.

They won their first two titles in 2004 and 2010 with their dynamic duo on the roster.

After Jackson retired Bird took young players like Breanna Stewart under her wings and guided them to the third and fourth championships in 2020 and 2022. Bird spent her entire career from 2002 to 2022 playing for the Storm and established herself as one of the WNBA GOATs. She is only the 10th player in WNBA to have four titles.

#4 - Los Angeles Sparks (Three), 2001, 2002, 2016

It was the Los Angeles Sparks that took over the glory of the Houston Comets, when they won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2002. Previously, they were defeated by the Comets in two consecutive playoffs. During their first two championships, Lisa Leslie was their MVP.

However, their third title came in 2016, when they defeated heavyweight Lynx in the five-game series behind Candace Parker & Nneka Ogwumike. Parker was declared the WNBA Finals MVP in 2016 Finals.

#5 - Phoenix Mercury (Three) 2007, 2009, 2014

Phoenix Mercury won their first WNBA title in 2007, when they defeated the Detroit Shock (now known as Dallas Wings) in the five game series. Cappie Pondexter was named the Finlas MVP in the series.

They came back again in 2009 and won their second title in three seasons. Diana Taurasi was declared the MVP of the Finals as well as the regular season. They won their third tile in 2014 behind Taurasi and Britney Griner, with the former winning her second Finals MVP.

* #6 - Dallas Wings (Three) 2003, 2006, 2008

Before they became the Dallas Wings, they were known by two other names. When the franchise was set up in 1998, it was in Detroit, and the team was known as the Detroit Shock, which stayed till 2009. However, the team shifted to Tulsa in 2010, and they were renamed the Tulsa Shock. Finally, in 2016, when they moved to Dallas, they became the Wings.

After the Spark won their back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002, their dream of a three peat was thwarted by the Detroit Shock. In 2002, the Shock had the worst record in the league. The next season, they came back to win their first title. The Detroit Shock won their next two tiltes in 2006 and 2008. Since being renamed, they haven’t won a title.

* Dallas Wings have never won any title with their current name