The deepest hole a WNBA winner has climbed out of is 5 games: the Cleveland Rockers sat that far behind in the 1998 East on July 18, 1998, and won it by 2 games. The biggest lead lost: the Charlotte Sting led the 1998 East by 5 games as late as July 18, 1998, and finished behind the Cleveland Rockers. Every charted race since 1997 is ranked below; how the numbers are read is spelled out under the tables.
Companion page: Closest WNBA races.
| Rank | Race | Winner | Deficit (games) | Deepest on | Won by (games) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998 East | Cleveland Rockers | 5 | July 18, 1998 | 2 |
| 2 | 2018 East | Atlanta Dream | 3.5 | July 7, 2018 | 1 |
| 3 | 2021 Playoff Race | Connecticut Sun | 3.5 | June 19, 2021 | 2 |
| 4 | 2025 East | Atlanta Dream | 3.5 | July 22, 2025 | 3 |
| 5 | 2000 East | New York Liberty | 3 | June 13, 2000 | 3 |
| 6 | 2007 West | Phoenix Mercury | 3 | July 20, 2007 | 3 |
| 7 | 2008 West | San Antonio Silver Stars | 3 | June 3, 2008 | 2 |
| 8 | 2013 East | Chicago Sky | 3 | July 2, 2013 | 7 |
| 9 | 2015 East | New York Liberty | 3 | June 26, 2015 | 2 |
| 10 | 2017 East | New York Liberty | 3 | August 4, 2017 | 1 |
| Rank | Race | Team that led | Lead (games) | Held as late as | Eventual winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998 East | Charlotte Sting | 5 | July 18, 1998 | Cleveland Rockers |
| 2 | 2025 East | New York Liberty | 3.5 | July 25, 2025 | Atlanta Dream |
| 3 | 2000 East | Orlando Miracle | 3 | July 9, 2000 | New York Liberty |
| 4 | 2013 East | Atlanta Dream | 3 | July 6, 2013 | Chicago Sky |
| 5 | 2007 West | San Antonio Silver Stars | 2.5 | July 21, 2007 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 6 | 2014 West | Minnesota Lynx | 2.5 | June 2, 2014 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 7 | 2016 East | Atlanta Dream | 2.5 | June 4, 2016 | New York Liberty |
| 8 | 2016 West | Los Angeles Sparks | 2.5 | July 16, 2016 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 9 | 2018 East | Connecticut Sun | 2.5 | June 12, 2018 | Atlanta Dream |
| 10 | 2019 East | Connecticut Sun | 2.5 | June 22, 2019 | Washington Mystics |
| Rank | Race | Winner | First place for good | Charted days left | Days in first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 East | New York Liberty | September 1, 2017 | 2 | 18 of 114 |
| 2 | 2002 West | Los Angeles Sparks | August 9, 2002 | 4 | 80 of 81 |
| 3 | 2019 West | Los Angeles Sparks | September 3, 2019 | 5 | 22 of 108 |
| 4 | 2008 East | Detroit Shock | September 9, 2008 | 6 | 43 of 122 |
| 5 | 1998 East | Cleveland Rockers | August 12, 1998 | 7 | 15 of 70 |
| 6 | 2008 West | San Antonio Silver Stars | September 7, 2008 | 8 | 71 of 122 |
| 7 | 2003 West | Los Angeles Sparks | August 16, 2003 | 9 | 84 of 96 |
| 8 | 2007 West | Phoenix Mercury | August 7, 2007 | 12 | 28 of 93 |
| 9 | 1999 East | New York Liberty | August 8, 1999 | 13 | 67 of 73 |
| 10 | 2000 East | New York Liberty | July 24, 2000 | 16 | 17 of 73 |
Everything on this page comes from the same day-by-day 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. A team's comeback or collapse is counted once per season, at its deepest, whichever of its charted races it came in.
Biggest comebacks: the deepest end-of-day deficit the eventual winner faced, in games behind that day's leader, dated to the first day it reached that depth. These are the same numbers the turning points on each race page state.
Biggest collapses: the largest end-of-day lead over second place held by a team that did not finish first, dated to the last day the team still held that full lead. A comeback and a collapse read the same race from opposite ends, so they can disagree about one summer.
Latest deciding day ranks winners by how few charted days remained when they took first place for good; a day spent tied on top stays with the team already leading. Races whose top two the standings cannot separate appear on none of these lists: the data cannot name a winner. Only finished seasons are ranked; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.