The closest WNBA conference and playoff races, 1997 to 2026
The top two have finished with nothing at all between them in six WNBA races, most recently the 2022 Playoff Race. Below, every conference and playoff race charted since 1997, ranked three ways: by final margin, by lead changes, and by days spent within one game. How each list is computed is spelled out under the lists.
The 2004 East race finished tied, the Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty separated by nothing at all, with twelve lead changes.
The 2010 East race finished tied, the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty separated by nothing at all, with eleven lead changes.
The 2011 East race finished tied, the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun separated by nothing at all, with eight lead changes.
The 2002 East race finished tied, the New York Liberty and the Charlotte Sting separated by nothing at all, with five lead changes.
The 2022 Playoff Race finished tied, the Las Vegas Aces and the Chicago Sky separated by nothing at all, with three lead changes.
The 2020 West race finished tied, the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm separated by nothing at all, with one lead change.
The Atlanta Dream won the 2018 East race by 1 game over the Washington Mystics, with four lead changes, taking first place for good on August 19, 2018.
The New York Liberty won the 2017 East race by 1 game over the Connecticut Sun, with three lead changes, taking first place for good on September 3, 2017.
The Los Angeles Sparks won the 2019 West race by 1 game over the Las Vegas Aces, with twelve lead changes, taking first place for good on September 5, 2019.
The Los Angeles Sparks won the 2002 West race by 1 game over the Houston Comets, with two lead changes, taking first place for good on August 10, 2002.
Most lead changes
The lead in the 2026 East race changed hands 16 times, and the Atlanta Dream won it by 2 games.
The lead in the 2004 East race changed hands twelve times, and the Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty finished tied.
The lead in the 2019 West race changed hands twelve times, and the Los Angeles Sparks won it by 1 game over the Las Vegas Aces.
The lead in the 2010 East race changed hands eleven times, and the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty finished tied.
The lead in the 2008 West race changed hands ten times, and the San Antonio Silver Stars won it by 2 games over the Seattle Storm.
The lead in the 2007 West race changed hands nine times, and the Phoenix Mercury won it by 3 games over the San Antonio Silver Stars.
The lead in the 2011 East race changed hands eight times, and the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun finished tied.
The lead in the 2000 East race changed hands eight times, and the New York Liberty won it by 3 games over the Cleveland Rockers.
The lead in the 2024 West race changed hands seven times, and the Minnesota Lynx won it by 3 games over the Las Vegas Aces.
The lead in the 2018 West race changed hands seven times, and the Seattle Storm won it by 6 games over the Phoenix Mercury.
Most days within one game
The top two in the 2026 East race ended 99 of its 107 playing days within one game of each other, and the Atlanta Dream won it by 2 games.
The top two in the 2017 East race ended 69 of its 79 playing days within one game of each other, and the New York Liberty won it by 1 game over the Connecticut Sun.
The top two in the 2004 East race ended 66 of its 75 playing days within one game of each other, and the Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty finished tied.
The top two in the 2026 West race ended 63 of its 108 playing days within one game of each other, and the Minnesota Lynx won it by 1 game over the Golden State Valkyries.
The top two in the 2019 East race ended 57 of its 74 playing days within one game of each other, and the Washington Mystics won it by 3 games over the Connecticut Sun.
The top two in the 2019 West race ended 56 of its 74 playing days within one game of each other, and the Los Angeles Sparks won it by 1 game over the Las Vegas Aces.
The top two in the 2021 Playoff Race ended 56 of its 80 playing days within one game of each other, and the Connecticut Sun won it by 2 games over the Las Vegas Aces.
The top two in the 2022 Playoff Race ended 55 of its 81 playing days within one game of each other, and the Las Vegas Aces and the Chicago Sky finished tied.
The top two in the 2008 East race ended 55 of its 69 playing days within one game of each other, and the Detroit Shock won it by 1 game over the Connecticut Sun.
The top two in the 2008 West race ended 54 of its 67 playing days within one game of each other, and the San Antonio Silver Stars won it by 2 games over the Seattle Storm.
How these lists are ranked
Everything on this page comes from the same season files the charts draw, with standings read as each day ended. All 71 charted WNBA races from 30 finished seasons enter: every conference and playoff race from 1997 to 2026. When the same two teams finished first and second in more than one charted race in the same season (a division and its conference, or a conference and a league-wide race), the narrower race keeps the row; that folds away 5 repeats here.
Tightest finishes ranks races by the final gap between first and second place, in games. Ties are broken by how late the winner took first place for good, then by lead changes, then oldest first; a race that finished tied counts as decided on its last day, so races that finished tied are ordered by lead changes and then oldest first. Two teams the standings cannot separate are shown as tied, with no winner named; where the league settled such a race another way, the linked race page tells that story.
Most lead changes counts a change only when the lead passes to new hands. A team that only catches the leader shares first place but does not take the lead: the lead stays with the team or teams that already held it for as long as any of them is still on top, and passes on the day none of them is, so a tie can never inflate the count. On a finished season's last day, a tie the league broke counts for the team it named, so a team that ends the last day tied with the leader and wins on the league's tiebreak has taken the lead. The count starts on the first day somebody held first place, a day on which every team at the top had played at least once: before that, a team can sit on top, alone or tied with others, without having played a game.
Most days within one game counts the days on which this race's teams played and the top two ended the day within one game of each other. Days a league stood idle (a strike, a pause) are not counted: a frozen gap says nothing about a race.
Only finished seasons are ranked. Seasons shortened by strikes or other stoppages count as played; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.