The 2023 WNBA playoffs began on September 13, 2023, and culminated with the Las Vegas Aces defeating the New York Liberty three games to one in the finals to successfully defend their title. This victory made the Aces the first team since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002 to win back-to-back championships. The tournament featured a new best-of-3 first-round format (replacing single-elimination games), with all eight teams seeded 1-8 based on overall record regardless of conference. Notably, the Eastern Conference qualified more teams than the Western Conference for the first time since 2016, and the league's top scorer, Jewell Loyd, failed to reach the playoffs. The eight qualifying teams included the Aces, Liberty, Sun, Wings, Lynx, Mystics, Dream, and Sky, while the Sparks, Mercury, Storm, and Fever missed out, with all games airing on ESPN/ABC and TSN networks.