For These 8 Couples, The WNBA Really Is About Love & Basketball

Over the past few seasons, the WNBA has become a true juggernaut, with fans flocking to games and joining watch parties at local bars. The league is even bringing people together romantically, from dating app users adding their interest in the W to their profiles to women’s sports bars like A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis hosting speed-dating events to help fans meet each other. Last season, meanwhile, the New York Liberty partnered with Bumble to hold a singles mixer. Here, eight couples tell us how the WNBA has been important to their relationship.

“I’m opening a women’s sports bar, and she became an investor.”

Nora, 35, Chicago, Illinois

My girlfriend Morgan and I were introduced by my realtor at the preseason game for the Chicago Sky. I’m opening a women’s sports bar called Babe’s, and she became an investor. We go to every home game together. For her birthday, I wrote her a novella called Courtside Connection about our relationship because she loves those sappy sapphic romance books. I have been threatening to throw a self-published book party for it at Babe’s.

“WNBA games are like lesbian Disneyland.”

Nicole, 38, Las Vegas, Nevada

Last fall, I dusted off the apps for my biannual attempt at dating and updated my Hinge with “Aces playoffs tickets, who wants to go?”

I had season tickets and always joked it was unfair we had to buy them in pairs because that was like a single-lady tax. So I decided to try and use the tickets to eventually fill my seat. WNBA games are like lesbian Disneyland, so it seemed fitting.

My first date with Myra was at an Aces game last year on Oct. 4, and this year we are watching as a newly engaged couple. Needless to say, the tickets worked!

“Switching my ticket subscription to sit with him instead of with my mother was as significant as moving in with him.”

Rebecca, 41, Woodhaven, New York

During the August 2003 blackout in the Northeast, I took up chatting with Glenn, who was next to me outside Madison Square Garden while we waited to find out if there would be a Liberty game that night. Our paths crossed again the next season when the Liberty had to temporarily vacate the Garden to accommodate the Republican National Convention. We left together in a summer storm with only a Styrofoam caricature of George W. Bush to protect us from the pouring rain.

Our first date was after the Liberty’s final regular season home game of 2004 — in different sections. Switching my subscription to sit with him instead of with my mother was as significant as moving in with him. A placard from Teresa Weatherspoon Night stands guard over our front door.

We got married in 2011. The wedding was in Liberty colors. We talked the judge into quoting Pat Summitt instead of Ecclesiastes. He wrote me Liberty-themed love poetry. What else was I supposed to do but keep him?

“I was delightfully surprised to see my now-fiancée on one knee in our favorite arena.”

Maggie, 31, Mesa, Arizona

Michelle wasn’t a fan of basketball, but became one through my love of the sport. She even proposed to me last month at a game! She told me we had been chosen for an “in-game entertainment” situation, and I said, “I’m not really feeling it this evening after a long day of work.” All I would have to do is hold a ball for the PHX Extreme Team to grab and dunk. I saw how important this was to her, so I agreed.

They blindfolded me, I held the ball up, I felt Scorch’s furry little hands touching my face, and before I knew it, I was delightfully surprised to see my now-fiancée on one knee in our favorite arena. I said yes, of course, and got so many congratulations from fans as we walked back to our seats.

“We’ve met a lot of friends through it. One is in her 80s, and the whole section texts her to make sure she gets home safe.”

Nicolette, 39, Brooklyn, New York

I grew up playing basketball. In 2023, I went to a Liberty game with a few friends and had the best time ever. I basically went to every single home game after that. I was asking my wife, Nina, who is historically not a big sports person, “Would you please come with me?” At first, she wasn’t super interested, but then she came and immediately fell in love with the energy. It’s become a huge source of entertainment and something we really love sharing with each other.

Now, we’re season ticket holders, and we’ve met a lot of friends through it. One is in her 80s, and the whole section texts her to make sure she gets home safe. There are not a lot of opportunities to feel patriotic right now, but we were really stoked to do a watch party for the Olympic team. It was a Sunday morning, and we invited a bunch of people over for brunch. We all need a lot more intentional joyfulness and community-building, and for us, basketball has become an extension of that.

“Traveling to watch games has been a really fun experience for us.”

Lyndsay, 32, Calgary, Alberta

The W was really integral in my coming-out experience, and so having a partner who loves the league as much as I do is really wonderful. Nevine and I don’t live close to any WNBA cities, so traveling to watch games has been a really fun experience for us until recently. We live in Canada, and even though she’s a citizen, we’ve been a little hesitant to cross the border due to the fact that she was born in Sudan (a country whose citizens are currently banned from entering the United States). We are excited to have a Canadian team to root for next season when the Toronto Tempo joins the league!

“The very first picture [we] took together was a selfie at a Lynx game in 2014.”

Laura, 35, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The very first picture my spouse Julia and I took together was a selfie at a Lynx game on one of our early dates in 2014. It’s the most awkward and endearing photo we’ve ever taken, and I love it so much — you can just feel that new relationship awkwardness in it. We were so young and cute.

“We had one of our first kisses while watching a playoff game.”

Carolyn, 36, Chicago, Illinois

Andi and I began dating after I invited them to go to a Sky game during the 2021-22 season. We had one of our first kisses while watching a playoff game — I think the Sky were away at the Aces.

We did our engagement photos in our Sky gear. The team printed and signed them, and the mascot, Skye the Lioness, presented us with the picture at the Pride game. We even had a Love and Basketball-themed wedding shower, and got married on a basketball court at our local community center!

“We make a whole date night out of it.”

Meredith, 29, Brooklyn, New York

My boyfriend Matt and I are big Liberty fans! We go to as many games as we can, we have to wear merch, and we make a whole date night out of it. We even saw them win the WNBA Championship last year. After the game, everyone spilled into the streets and bars, cheering and celebrating as the bartenders and other people kept asking, “Did we win?” I used to live right next to the Barclays Center and would pass the players on the street frequently, so it felt like watching neighbors win.

“The moral of this story is, I should’ve just listened to my wife.”

Andrea, 41, San Francisco, California

Kalei has been a WNBA fan since 1996, but I’d never paid much attention to the WNBA. So all this time, my poor wife has mostly had to watch the games on her laptop in the kitchen while the kids and I took over the TV.

But then, the Golden State Valkyries came to town. Did I watch the draft? No. Did I watch all the pre-season hype? Also no. Did I even pay attention to the first one to two months of the season? Negative. But then she said, “Hey, let’s go to a game.”

What have I been doing sleeping on this incredible league all these years? Chase Center was giving me 2000s San Francisco queer culture flashbacks in the best way. My wife probably wanted to say “I told you so!” about 5,000 more times than she did, but she refrained. We went to so many home games, we watched so much League Pass, I learned to rage at WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert over scheduling, I yelled “PAY THE PLAYERS,” and I cried when Kayla Thornton hurt her knee.

The moral of this story is, I should’ve just listened to my wife when she said the WNBA is unmatched. I’m going to keep doing my best to make up for lost time — and going forward, of course, listen better to my wife.

These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.