As the recently concluded WNBA betting season wound down, much of the talk focused on the style of play in the women's pro basketball league.
Becky Hammon, who coached the 
Las Vegas Aces to their third league title in four years, told reporters during the playoffs that "physicality is out of control." She noted that the NFL allows defensive players to bump a receiver for five yards, but the WNBA allows defenders to do that across the back half of the court.
Physical play is often associated with dirty play in basketball, and that led RotoWire.com to wonder which WNBA team is the dirtiest of them all - much like we did with the NBA this fall.
How We Determined The Dirtiest WNBA Team
We developed a formula to rank the WNBA franchises, using league data on fouls over the past five seasons, based on their aggression, recklessness, and poor sportsmanship. Teams received five points for each flagrant foul, three points for each technical and .25 points for a personal foul.
From hard fouls that sent players to the floor to sideline arguments that earned technicals, this multi-year analysis spotlights which teams consistently push the limits of physical and emotional control. The results show who's played the cleanest ball and who's been stirring things up for half a decade.
Phoenix Mercury: Leading the Pack in WNBA Physical Play
| Rank | Team | Flagrant Fouls | Technical Fouls | Personal Fouls | Total Weighted Score |
| 1 | Phoenix Mercury  | 22 | 106 | 3446 | 1290 |
| 2 | Dallas Wings  | 20 | 84 | 3591 | 1250 |
| 3 | Indiana Fever  | 25 | 57 | 3620 | 1201 |
| 4 | Chicago Sky  | 24 | 69 | 3427 | 1184 |
| 5 | Connecticut Sun  | 22 | 65 | 3429 | 1162 |
| 6 | Washington Mystics  | 12 | 64 | 3403 | 1103 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Sparks  | 13 | 57 | 3408 | 1088 |
| 8 | Minnesota Lynx  | 26 | 47 | 3205 | 1072 |
| 9 | Atlanta Dream  | 14 | 47 | 3432 | 1069 |
| 10 | New York Liberty  | 12 | 48 | 3197 | 1003 |
| 11 | Seattle Storm  | 17 | 30 | 3185 | 971 |
| 12 | Las Vegas Aces | 9 | 50 | 3053 | 958 |
| 13 | Golden State Valkyries  | 5 | 7 | 772 | 239 |
NOTE: The Golden State Valkyries began play this past season. If you were to take their score and multiply it by five, their 1195 score would be the fourth highest in the league.
While the Aces have won three titles in five years, there isn't much correlation between "cleaner" play and winning. The Phoenix Mercury have appeared in two Finals over that span, and the Chicago Sky won the 2021 title. This season's semifinals included the Minnesota Lynx, who lost to the Mercury, and the Indiana Fever, who fell to the Aces.
Hammon, whose comment above came during the semifinals with the Fever, was not the only coach to bemoan how much physicality was allowed in the league. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve drew a fine and suspension after she decried the officiating in Game 3 of the semifinal series between the Lynx and Mercury. In that game, Lynx star Napheesa Collier suffered a serious leg injury in a collision with the Mercury's Alyssa Thomas.
Will Dirty Play Continue In WNBA's 2026 Season?
The style of play and the state of officiating will continue to be talking points in the WNBA's offseason. Many believe the officiating needs to improve, but honestly that's the case across the board in women's basketball. Watch an NCAA women's game, and chances are you'll see at least a few calls that will make you scratch your head.
In addition, there are other issues at play in the WNBA, and the biggest is the expiring collective bargaining agreement between the league and the player's union. It's quite possible there will be a work stoppage that may interrupt the 2026 season if the two sides can't reach an agreement over such issues as player pay and their safety.
