The final week of the WNBA regular season is nearing its end, and the excitement is brewing as the playoff berths are up for grabs. And who would have thought for it to be a Dwyane Wade vs. Magic Johnson battle for the playoff spot?

While the regular season will end on Sunday, September 10th, the playoff battles will kick-off two days later. But what do Magic and Wade have to do with the WNBA playoff contention?

Dwyane Wade, only the second former NBA player with WNBA franchise ownership

NBA legend Dwyane Wade, a native of Chicago, just became a member of the Chicago Sky’s ownership group last month. At the time of his investment, the franchise was valued at $85 million, the same amount at which a group of fresh minority investors had just joined.

After Magic Johnson, who joined the Los Angeles Sparks’ ownership group in 2014, Wade is now only the second former NBA player to invest in a WNBA team.

The WNBA is witnessing fierce competition as the regular season comes to an end on Sunday and the playoffs are set to start two days later, in addition to Wade’s debut into the WNBA ownership landscape.

The top two seeds in the playoffs

Although the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces now hold the top two spots in the league standings, things could change as the regular season comes to an end. Only the Connecticut Sun has guaranteed their status among the five teams who have already qualified for the playoffs, earning the third seed.

The Aces lead the Liberty by one game, but there are still two games to be played, so the race for the top seed is still intense.

Wade vs. Magic Johnson – a playoff battle beyond the court

As the WNBA regular season comes to an end and with playoffs getting closer, it’s not just the battle between teams, it’s a faceoff between two legends of the beautiful game. The recently inducted Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade, and Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson will watch their WNBA teams fight for playoff contention.

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This has added a new level of competition and excitement to the playoffs as fans are eager to see how their involvement will impact their teams and the outcome of the playoffs. While the Sparks and the Sky can go as high as 6th in the table, their record stands at 16-22 ahead of their next game on Friday against the Liberty and the Lynx respectively.

WNBA playoff format and eliminations

Unlike the NBA, WNBA playoffs follow an intriguing format, with the top eight teams, regardless of conference, earning playoff berths based on their regular season records. The first round features the best-of-three series, including matchups such as 1st vs. 8th, 2nd vs. 7th, 3rd vs. 6th, and 4th vs. 5th seeds. The higher-seeded teams enjoy the advantage of hosting games one and two, while game three is held at the away team’s venue if required.

In the current season, the Indiana Fever, the Seattle Storm and the Phoenix Mercury have been eliminated from playoff contention, marking the end of the Mercury’s 10-year postseason streak, the longest active run in the league.

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