The WNBA started its in-season tournament, the Commissioner’s Cup, in 2021, before the NBA created a cup of its own. The premise was straightforward: allow teams to earn more money during the season while also supporting local charitable organizations through a friendly competition.
Like most new initiatives, the first year saw a bit of confusion. Each team’s first home and away game against every single team in the league was a Cup game, and then the East and West teams with the best record in those games made it to the Final. While all of the initial games counted as regular-season games, the Final did not.
In recent years, they’ve changed the rules. Now, there is a two-week period in June where every game on the schedule is a Cup game, and then the best East and West teams in that period of the schedule make the final. What has not changed, though, is the fact that all 13 teams in the WNBA choose a charitable organization to support during the tournament.
Every time a team wins during Cup games, money is donated to their organization. Once two teams make the Final game, money is also donated to the winning team and the second-place team. The winning team also wins a $500,000 prize pool to split among players. There is also $120,000 of cryptocurrency provided by Coinbase ($5,000 for each player) for everyone in the Finals game.
With the tournament already started, the league has announced the 13 organizations that teams have chosen to support. The Las Vegas Aces received backlash on social media for their choice to support the Anti-Defamation League in Nevada, an organization that has been criticized for the rhetoric they are using about the war in Palestine.
For this season’s Commissioner’s Cup, we have selected @ADLDesert for its “No Space For Hate” initiative, which reflects the @WNBA‘s values of justice, equity, inclusion, equality, and community empowerment. pic.twitter.com/aqIz5vyu3n
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) June 1, 2025
The Aces have since deleted all their social media posts announcing the move, but it remains to be seen if that was because of a change in their choice or just a desire to avoid discussion of it. The blurb announcing their official selection on the WNBA’s website is still up.
When asked about the team’s choice of organization, head coach Becky Hammon said she didn’t know anything about it and hadn’t asked. Whether that’s true or not, her response proves that the WNBA continues to have trouble both educating their coaches and players about how the tournament works, but also getting them excited and invested in the process.
The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup starts today.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard, I haven’t asked,” Becky Hammon said when asked what she could say about the charity the Aces chose and why.
The team announced this morning that it’s supporting the ADL (Anti-Defamation League).
— Callie Fin (@CallieJLaw) June 1, 2025
Here are the organizations the other 12 teams in the WNBA have chosen to support during the Commissioner’s Cup. All stated charity missions are via the WNBA website.
Atlanta Dream: Center for Black Women’s Wellness
Mission: To improve the health and well-being of underserved Black women and their families.
Serving the Atlanta area for 36 years, the Center for Black Women’s Wellness fights to ensure women have access to healthcare. They focus not only on physical health, but mental, emotional and financial health as well. They want women to not just survive, but thrive in all aspects of life. They provide women with no health insurance care on a sliding scale, including everything from Pap Tests, labs, family planning, examinations, breast exams, mental health therapy and more. They also have both a Maternal and Child Health program as well as an Economic Self-Sufficiency Program.
Chicago Sky: BUILD, Inc.
Mission: To inspire hope and offer opportunities for youth facing systemic obstacles to achieve positive futures.
BUILD, Inc works with Chicago youth to break the cycle of violence and help them plan for a more positive future. They are a “nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization working on Chicago’s West Side.” BUILD holds everything from after-school programs, mentorship, summer camps, and more to create chances for these kids to have fun and be involved with enriching activities. The goal is both to keep kids out of harmful circles and gangs, but also to help them heal after they may have been involved in or exposed to violence.
Connecticut Sun: ACLU Connecticut
Mission: To maintain and promote civil liberties and civil rights throughout the USA and particularly within the state of Connecticut.
ACLU Connecticut is the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, defending, promoting and expanding civil rights in the state. They do everything from litigation to community organizing, civic engagement and education. ACLU is non-partisan and works on its six core values of anti-racism, dignity, diversity, equity, inclusivity, and partners in justice.
Dallas Wings: Unity Unlimited, Inc
Mission: Providing educational activities and resources to people, young and old, to foster unity and harmony within the community, the city, the state, the nation and the world regardless of race, culture or denomination.
Unity Unlimited, Inc creates programming aimed at overcoming racial and cultural division and fostering harmony among people. Examples include a farming initiative that teaches people how to cultivate their own food sources, Juneteenth education and celebration, scholarships, resources for entrepreneurs, and more.
Golden State Valkyries: Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice
Mission: Build community and mobilize young leaders in the movement to end youth criminalization and mass incarceration.
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, or CURYJ (pron. Courage), works to liberate youth from the disempowerment that comes with youth incarceration. Their programming puts youth at the front of transforming communities and helping each other heal from trauma while learning the skills and tools needed to thrive in life. The organization aims to end youth incarceration in California by 2030.
Indiana Fever: Peace Learning Center
Mission: Peace Learning Center facilitates community learning that acts as a catalyst for peace.
Peace Learning Center aims to bring communities together to educate and promote peace. They work on the three pillars of wellness: skill building, belonging, and restorative practices. What started as programming aimed to teach youth about conflict resolution has grown into programming for all ages. They hold seminars, activities, camps, school programs and more for Indiana communities.
Los Angeles Sparks: Social Justice Partners LA
Mission: Invest in, expand, and connect communities advancing racial & social justice.
Social Justice Partners LA works to address root causes of racial, economic and social injustice in the Los Angeles area. Starting with education and growing into action, SJPLA’s programming involves fellowships, homelessness initiatives, online courses for people to learn about social justice issues, and healing practices for those fighting to restore justice to communities.
Minnesota Lynx: ACLU Minnesota
Mission: Protect the civil liberties of all Minnesotans through litigation, public education, and lobbying.
Similar to the Connecticut Branch, ACLU Minnesota fights for the civil liberties of people in the state. Their values include advocacy for freedom of expression, equity/justice understanding, common humanity, inclusive democracy, community engagement, and diversity.
New York Liberty: Girls for Gender Equality
Mission: GGE works intergenerationally, through a Black feminist lens, to center the leadership of Black girls and gender-expansive young people of color in reshaping culture and policy through advocacy, youth-centered programming, and narrative shift to achieve gender and racial justice.
Girls for Gender Equality was initially created to help girls have better access to sports and fitness, and later expanded to include more initiatives under the umbrella of creating equality. They now focus greatly on ending violence against girls and women by educating youth and providing opportunities for Black girls and gender-expansive youth to lead. They work through a combination of policy change, youth-led programming, and culture change work.
Phoenix Mercury: YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix
Mission: Eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix works to empower women of all ages, races and ethnicities to help achieve equality. They do social justice work and anti-racism programming, leadership skill building, programming to create community for seniors, and try to instigate change through advocacy.
Seattle Storm: Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Mission: To empower Black and other historically underserved people to thrive for generations through social and economic justice.
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle uses advocacy, programming, community outreach and coalition building to promote seven pillars: housing, education, workforce development, public health, entrepreneurship, civic engagement and financial empowerment. They create programming to help families cope with challenges, encouraging self-sufficiency in all aspects of life. They also serve as a liaison between the community and local businesses, government, and other organizations that share concern for the welfare of the Black community.
Washington Mystics: ACLU of DC
Mission: The ACLU of D.C. works with District residents and supporters of our vision to protect and advance civil liberties and civil rights by using the tools of public education, political advocacy, organizing, and litigation.
Like the branches in Connecticut and Minnesota, the ACLU of DC works to protect the civil liberties of citizens in the District. Specifically, they aim to create a community where people are free from systemic governmental oppression and can exercise their power to protect and expand civil rights. They work to make sure citizens know their rights, and help with criminal justice reform, disability rights, due process, equal protection, freedom of speech, and the rights of government employees, immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ community and more.
