The closest WNBA conference and playoff races, 1997 to 2025

Tightest finishes

1. The 2004 East race finished level, the Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty separated by nothing at all, with 14 lead changes.
2. The 2010 East race finished level, the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty separated by nothing at all, with twelve lead changes.
3. The 2011 East race finished level, the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun separated by nothing at all, with eight lead changes.
4. The 2002 East race finished level, the New York Liberty and the Charlotte Sting separated by nothing at all, with seven lead changes.
5. The 2022 Playoff Race finished level, the Las Vegas Aces and the Chicago Sky separated by nothing at all, with three lead changes.
6. The 2020 West race finished level, the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm separated by nothing at all, with no lead changes.
7. The New York Liberty won the 2017 East race by 1 game over the Connecticut Sun, with five lead changes, taking first place for good on September 3, 2017.
8. The Los Angeles Sparks won the 2019 West race by 1 game over the Las Vegas Aces, with 14 lead changes, taking first place for good on September 5, 2019.
9. 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.
10. The Detroit Shock won the 2008 East race by 1 game over the Connecticut Sun, with six lead changes, taking first place for good on September 11, 2008.

Most lead changes

1. The lead in the 2004 East race changed hands 14 times, and the Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty finished level.
2. The lead in the 2019 West race changed hands 14 times, and the Los Angeles Sparks won it by 1 game over the Las Vegas Aces.
3. The lead in the 2010 East race changed hands twelve times, and the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty finished level.
4. 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.
5. The lead in the 2007 West race changed hands ten times, and the Phoenix Mercury won it by 3 games over the San Antonio Silver Stars.
6. The lead in the 2000 East race changed hands nine times, and the New York Liberty won it by 3 games over the Cleveland Rockers.
7. The lead in the 2011 East race changed hands eight times, and the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun finished level.
8. The lead in the 2002 East race changed hands seven times, and the New York Liberty and the Charlotte Sting finished level.
9. The lead in the 2021 Playoff Race changed hands seven times, and the Connecticut Sun won it by 2 games over the Las Vegas Aces.
10. 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.

Most days within one game

1. 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.
2. 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 level.
3. The top two in the 2019 West race ended 62 of its 73 playing days within one game of each other, and the Los Angeles Sparks won it by 1 game over the Las Vegas Aces.
4. 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.
5. The top two in the 2019 East race ended 56 of its 73 playing days within one game of each other, and the Washington Mystics won it by 3 games over the Connecticut Sun.
6. 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 level.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. The top two in the 2007 West race ended 54 of its 66 playing days within one game of each other, and the Phoenix Mercury won it by 3 games over the San Antonio Silver Stars.
10. The top two in the 2002 West race ended 53 of its 67 playing days within one game of each other, and the Los Angeles Sparks won it by 1 game over the Houston Comets.

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 68 charted WNBA races from 29 finished seasons enter: every conference and playoff race from 1997 to 2025. Wild card races are not ranked; their story is the playoff cutoff, not first place. The 2026 season joins these lists when it ends. 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 4 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. Two teams the standings cannot separate are shown as level, 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 a new team passes the leader outright. A day spent tied on top stays with the team already leading, so a tie can never inflate the count.

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.