From elephants to purple aliens, ranking the WNBA mascots by how Sapphic they are
| 02/13/25
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From left: WNBA mascots Doppler, Ellie the Elephant, and Prowl.
Steph Chambers/Getty Images; Taylor Hill/Getty Images; Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
The WNBA draft might not start until April, and the regular season won’t begin until May 16, but we’re already OBSESSED with all of the team mascots.
We already know the sport is pretty queer — last year, there were 37 queer women playing in the WNBA, and we had a blast rooting for couples like Minnesota Lynx star Courtney Williams who got engaged to her partner last year — but the mascots that brightened up the arenas and entertained fans are also pretty gay.
From fashion-forward elephants to extraterrestrial visitors to clam-stroking furries, there are so many fantastic mascots, but which ones are the most Sapphic?
12. Freddy Fever (Indiana Fever)
Freddy is too close to being red, white, and blue-themed for our liking. This mascot is probably certified straight.
11. Blaze (Connecticut Sun)
Blaze might not seem very Sapphic right now, but tryouts to don the mascot suit are on March 9, 2025, so now is your opportunity to turn up the lezzie dial!
10. Pax the Panda (Washinton Mystics)
Not only did this panda mascot wave a Pride-themed Mystics flag, but considering female pandas in the wild often reject male pandas, Pax is definitely on team lesbian. Ok, that may be a stretch!
9. Bucket$ (Las Vegas Aces)
Seeing Bucket$ dress up in rainbow gear to celebrate Pride Month is all we needed to know about how Sapphic this bunny is.
8. Sparky the Dog (Los Angeles Sparks)
We don't know what breed of dog Sparky is, but considering how much lesbians love labs and golden retrievers, we're welcoming Sparky into the fam.
7. Skye the Lioness (Chicago Sky)
Skye the Lioness’ name alone screams WLW, as do those long lashes and bedroom eyes!
6. Scorch (Pheonix Mercury)
Scorch is an extraterrestrial from the planet Mercury and if being an alien from outer space isn’t an apt metaphor for what it feels like to be gay in the current climate, we don’t know what does.
5. Lightening (Dallas Wings)
Lightning, the horse mascot for the Dallas Wings, always has the beautiful women on the team's dance crew hanging off of her which makes her Sapphic in our eyes.
4. Prowl (Minnesota Lynx)
Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
Prowl loves to sport cargo pants, tight ripped jeans, and hoodies which, of course, means the Minnesota Lynx is a butch and we’ll hear no argument.
3. Golden State Valkyrie's mystery mascot
Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
The brand new WNBA team, the Golden State Valkyries, have yet to introduce fans to their mascot, but if it’s anything like the hot and angry-looking Val the Valkyrie that the Orlando Valkyries women’s volleyball team use for their mascot then she’s definitely a dyke and we’re totally on board!
2. Doppler (Seattle Storm)
Doppler is seen here caressing a clam. Need we say more?
1. Ellie the Elephant (New York Liberty)
Ellie the Elephant is fashionable, can dance, and knows how to strut her stuff down a runway. In short, she’s the high femme of our dreams.
