Former NBA All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas has joined the growing chorus of voices demanding the WNBA revamp its playoff structure. In a social media post on Wednesday night, Thomas made his stance clear: the first round of the WNBA playoffs should be a best-of-five series, not the current best-of-three.
“We gotta go 5 game series in the first rd,” Thomas wrote, echoing a sentiment that has been gaining traction among players and fans alike. The current format sees the higher seed host two of the three games in a 1-1-1 setup, with the series shifting to a best-of-five only in the semifinals. The WNBA Finals, meanwhile, remains a best-of-seven affair, mirroring the NBA.
Thomas’s call isn’t an isolated one. Social media has been buzzing with fans expressing frustration over the short first-round series, especially in an era where the league is packed with superstar talent. “WNBA gotta go to best of 5 format in the first round man,” one fan posted on X. Another fan was more blunt: “I just wanna say this and don’t really care who gets offended but the WNBA is ran by some absolute nimrods for still having a Best of 3 playoff series format with all these superstars in the W now.”
The debate comes as the first round resumes Thursday night with a pivotal Game 3 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces. The winner advances to the semifinals to face either the Golden State Valkyries or the Dallas Wings. On the other side of the bracket, the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty open their series on Sunday, with the Dream currently favored to capture the championship.
Critics of the current format argue that a best-of-three series can feel rushed and often fails to reward the regular-season excellence of top seeds. A longer series, they say, would not only provide more drama but also give fans more opportunities to see the league’s biggest stars compete. The WNBA has grown significantly in recent years, and many believe its playoff structure should evolve alongside it.
While the league has yet to respond to Thomas’s suggestion, the conversation is far from over. With the playoffs in full swing and high-stakes matchups like the Fever-Aces clash drawing national attention, the pressure to modernize the format is only likely to intensify. As Thomas’s post shows, even former NBA stars are paying close attention to how the WNBA crowns its champion.
For now, the WNBA playoffs continue under the existing rules, but the demand for change is unmistakable. Whether the league will listen remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the debate over the first-round format isn’t going away anytime soon.
