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Claire Komarek/CBS Sports

After another long and interesting winter, the 2022 WNBA season has nearly arrived. Opening night is set for Friday, May 6, and will feature the defending champion Chicago Sky hosting the Los Angeles Sparks, and last season's runner-up, the Phoenix Mercury taking on the Las Vegas Aces. 

Prior to the action getting underway, CBS Sports has once agin ranked the 25 best players in the WNBA. 

Despite coming off another Achilles tendon injury, Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart has retained her place as the best player in the league, coming in just ahead of reigning MVP Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun and 2020 MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. 

Overall, the talent on the list is spread out rather evenly across the league. The Aces led the way with four players, while the Mercury, Sky and Sun all had three. Nine of the 12 teams in the league had at least two players on the list, while the Indiana Fever were the only team not represented. 

As expected, the list once again trends older. No rookies or second-year players made the cut, and Arike Ogunbowale is the only third-year player. Meanwhile, three of the top 10 (Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot and Sylvia Fowles) have been in the league for more than a decade. 

Note: Brittney Griner and Napheesa Collier would both be on this list but have been left off due to uncertainty about their status for the upcoming season. Griner is currently detained in Russia on alleged drug charges, while Collier is pregnant and set to give birth later this month. 

1. Breanna Stewart -- F, Seattle Storm

Despite a "minor" Achilles tendon surgery in the offseason, and a strong challenge from reigning MVP Jonquel Jones, Stewart retains her title as the best player in the world. Few in the history of women's basketball have ever been as gifted as Stewart, who is truly elite on both sides of the ball. She scores, she rebounds, she defends and she has a rare combination of size, athleticism and skill, allowing her to play inside or outside to equal success. Stewart is a perennial contender for every major award, and will remain so for years to come. - Jack Maloney

2. Jonquel Jones -- F/C, Connecticut Sun

The 2021 league MVP checks in second on this list, and based on her season-to-season improvement over the years, she could soon grab the top spot. Jones' versatility on both ends of the floor will once again make her a contender for several awards, including Defensive Player of the Year. She'll be leading a Connecticut Sun team that should be considered title contenders entering the season.  - Jasmyn Wimbish

3. A'ja Wilson -- F, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson has been receiving MVP votes since she entered the league, and that won't change this season. A long, athletic, 6-foot-4 forward who excels on both sides of the ball, Wilson finished in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and blocks last season, and also averaged a career high in assists. Still only 25 years old, and stepping into a bigger role in the wake of Liz Cambage's departure and Becky Hammon's arrival as head coach, this could be Wilson's best season yet. - Maloney

4. Candace Parker -- F, Chicago Sky

Parker delivered her hometown franchise its first championship last season, and while she took somewhat of a backseat to Kahleah Copper in terms of scoring, Parker is still operating at an elite level on both ends of the floor. Her veteran leadership and championship pedigree proved to be the missing piece to push the Sky over the edge last season, and Parker's ability to still fill out every aspect of the stat sheet puts her in the company of the league's best. - Wimbish

5. Jewell Loyd -- G, Seattle Storm

Loyd has often taken the backseat to Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird in Seattle, but that says more about those two's greatness and longevity than her own talent. Coming off the best season of her career, and her first All-WNBA First Team appearance, Loyd has established herself as the best shooting guard in the league. Her 17.9 points (seventh in the league) and 3.8 assists per game were both career highs, and she showed a marked improvement on the defensive end. She is one of the best pure scorers in the league, and will be a staple at the top of this list for years to come. - Maloney

6. Courtney Vandersloot -- G, Chicago Sky

Vandersloot started to get the appropriate amount of attention she's long deserved last season as the orchestrator of the Sky's championship offense. For the fifth straight season Vandersloot led the league in assists per game (8.6) and she upped her play in the postseason by averaging a double-double in Chicago's championship run. She's arguably the best point guard in the league, and she'll enter the 2022 season with a championship to her name and a real chance to earn another one. - Wimbish

7. Elena Delle Donne -- F, Washington Mystics

Back in 2019, Delle Donne won MVP, became the first WNBA player to join the vaunted 50-40-90 club and led the Mystics to their first title. Since then, she's played just three games and has undergone multiple back surgeries to address herniated discs and nerve pain. If fully healthy, she would be in the top three at worst, but it's hard to know exactly what we're going to get from Delle Donne this season. - Maloney

8. Skylar Diggins-Smith -- G, Phoenix Mercury

In the debate of the best point guard in the league, Diggins-Smith would have a very strong case. She earned All-WNBA First Team honors last season after averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 assists, an improvement from her first season with the Mercury two years ago. She stepped up while future Hall of Famer Diana Taurasi was in and out of the lineup due to injury, and was one of the main reasons the Mercury managed to make it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season. - Wimbish

9. Sylvia Fowles -- C, Minnesota Lynx

Fowles announced that she plans to retire at the end of the season, which will bring her historic career to a close. One of the greatest players in league history, she will go out on the top of her game, having won Defensive Player of the Year and finished fourth in MVP voting last season. Her size, touch around the basket and defensive instincts make her an interior force on both sides of the ball. Hopefully she will get the send-off she deserves this season. - Maloney

10. Arike Ogunbowale -- G, Dallas Wings

Despite finishing with a 14-18 record last season, the Dallas Wings managed to earn a spot in the playoffs in large part due to the play of Ogunbowale. Since she's entered the league, there arguably hasn't been a player that has meant more to their team's success than Ogunbowale, and while she may get the label of a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer, that's more due to circumstance based on the talent around her. Ogunbowale earned an All-WNBA Second Team spot, and given that the Wings go as far as she can take them, it's rightfully deserved. - Wimbish

11. Nneka Ogwumike -- F, Los Angeles Sparks

Last season did not go to plan for Ogwumike, as she was limited to 18 games due to a knee injury, and also left off the Olympic team. Despite being a bit undersized, she's an efficient scorer in the paint, a strong rebounder and a versatile defender. When healthy, she remains an elite player, and will hope to return to her pre-injury form this season. The Sparks will need her at her best as they look to return to the playoffs after missing out for the first time in a decade. - Maloney

12. Alyssa Thomas -- F, Connecticut Sun

We only saw Thomas in two regular-season games and four playoff games last season after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon in January 2021. She wasn't expected to play at all last season, but she managed to come back at the tail end of the regular season and played in all four of the Sun's semifinal series against the Sky. She showed flashes of the player she was prior to the injury, the one capable of filling up the stat sheet and being a tough defender. Now she's fully healthy and could return to her All-Star ways on a stacked Connecticut team. - Wimbish 

13. Liz Cambage -- C, Los Angeles Sparks

After three years with the Las Vegas Aces, Liz Cambage decided to go elsewhere in free agency and signed with the Los Angeles Sparks -- a team she's been connected to for some time. It's easy to see why the Sparks are excited about her arrival, and believe she can help get them back to the playoffs. At 6-foot-8, Cambage has the size and talent to be truly dominant around the basket. She's only four years removed from finishing second in MVP voting, and if she's at her best will single-handedly improve the Sparks. - Maloney

14. Diana Taurasi -- G, Phoenix Mercury

Taurasi recently said that she plans on playing for a while despite entering her 18th season at 39 years old. She battled a fractured sternum and sprained ankle last season, but when she was healthy Taurasi was still a terror on the court. Though she experienced career lows in field goal percentage (36.6 percent) and points per game (15.2), with a healthy offseason we could see a bounce-back season from the all-time leader in points. - Wimbish

15. DeWanna Bonner -- F, Connecticut Sun

Bonner is now 34 years old, but even late in her career she's still a two-way force and is coming off her fourth All-Star appearance last season. She won't have to do quite so much this season with Alyssa Thomas healthy and Courtney Williams' return in free agency, but she'll remain an integral part of this Sun team that is hoping to finally break through in the postseason. - Maloney

16. Chelsea Gray -- G, Las Vegas Aces

In her first season with the Aces, Gray tied her career high in assists per game (5.9), and while her scoring took a backseat, that's more a testament to the talent that surrounded her in Las Vegas last season. We saw her turn in more dominant scoring performances in the playoffs in 2021, and with a full season under her belt with her new teammates, we could see her building upon her performance in the postseason. - Wimbish

17. Tiffany Hayes -- G, Atlanta Dream

The Dream have been a mess both on and off the court over the past few years, but that has been through no fault of Hayes, who is one of the most underrated players in the league. An athletic guard with a quick first step, Hayes loves to get into the paint to create havoc, but also finished with a career high in 3-point percentage (40.5) and assists (three per game) last season. She will once again be tasked with leading the way as the Dream continue their rebuild. - Maloney

18. Tina Charles -- F/C, Phoenix Mercury

Charles will be suiting up for the Mercury this season after spending the last two seasons with the Mystics. Though that stint with Washington didn't go as planned, Charles turned in a career year. She averaged a career-high 23.4 points a game and 9.6 rebounds, despite many people thinking that her best years were already behind her. But Charles proved them wrong, earning All-WNBA Second Team honors and finishing in the top five of MVP voting. - Wimbish

19. Ariel Atkins -- G, Washington Mystics

Atkins often doesn't get the credit or attention that she deserves, but her inclusion on the Olympic team last summer tells you all you need to know about how she's viewed by those in the league. Her 16.2 points and 2.6 assists per game last season were both career highs, and she also made the All-Defensive Second Team for the fourth consecutive season. She's one of the best young guards in the league, and should only continue to improve. - Maloney

20. Kahleah Copper -- G, Chicago Sky

If you didn't know about Copper at the start of last season, you certainly do now. Copper led the Sky in scoring in the regular season and the playoffs, and earned Finals MVP for her standout performance. She also earned her first All-Star nod in what ended up being a career year. Expect to see Copper build upon her development from a season ago as the focal point of Chicago's offense. - Wimbish

21. Natasha Howard -- F, New York Liberty

Howard's first season with the Liberty was disappointing, as a late arrival from overseas commitments and a knee injury limited her to 13 games. She had some big nights when she was able to get on the court, but never really found a rhythm. Her talent is not in question, though, and if she's able to stay healthy this season it will go a long way toward the Liberty's plans of making it back to the postseason. She's only a few years removed from winning Defensive Player of the Year and making First Team All-WNBA. - Maloney

22. Dearica Hamby -- F, Las Vegas Aces

Hamby has made her name as the best bench player in the league after winning Sixth Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020, and finishing as a runner-up last season to teammate Kelsey Plum. She earned her first All-Star nod despite seeing fewer minutes and a decrease in scoring. Now that there is a vacancy in the frontcourt with Liz Cambage heading to the Sparks, Hamby's production could become even more valuable to the Aces this season. - Wimbish

23. Betnijah Laney -- G/F, New York Liberty

After coming out of nowhere to win Most Improved Player in the bubble in 2020, Laney showed that was no fluke by making her first All-Star appearance last season. She scores, rebounds well from the wing and averaged a career-high 5.2 assists per game last season. If she can improve her decision-making, she will be even better and firmly establish her place among the league's best. - Maloney

24. Kayla McBride -- G/F, Minnesota Lynx

McBride fit in seamlessly in her first season with the Lynx, and she experienced a bounce-back year after down shooting numbers in the bubble back in 2020. With Naphessa Collier out for the time being, McBride's playmaking will become even more important for Minnesota this season. If her MVP performance overseas in 2021 is any indication, McBride is more than capable of stepping into a bigger role offensively. - Wimbish

25. Kelsey Plum -- G, Las Vegas Aces

Plum's career got off to a bit of a disappointing start -- at least as far as No. 1 overall picks are concerned. But after missing all of 2020 with a torn Achilles tendon, she came back healthy and produced the best season of her career in 2021. She put up a career-high 14.8 points and 3.6 assists per game, and won Sixth Player of the Year. Whether she starts or comes off the bench again in new head coach Becky Hammon's system, she's going to remain an important part of the Aces' plans. - Maloney