The WNBA is set to embark on its 28th season on May 14, 2024, featuring a notable monthlong break for the Summer Olympics and a new format for the Commissioner’s Cup. Reigning champions, the Las Vegas Aces, and last season’s runners-up, the New York Liberty, are scheduled to kick off the season against the Phoenix Mercury and Washington Mystics, respectively.
The league announced a compact 40-game schedule for 2024, which includes a streamlined approach to the Commissioner’s Cup, now set to take place in a condensed two-week period before the All-Star Game.
“We would have made the changes to the Commissioner’s Cup even if we didn’t have the Olympic break this year,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, as reported by Michael Voepel of ESPN. “But it helped making [the Cup] earlier in regard to the Rubik’s Cube that is our schedule.”
Engelbert highlighted the league’s responsiveness to feedback, noting the decision to hold an All-Star Game even in an Olympic year, a departure from some past practices. The 20th WNBA All-Star Game is scheduled for July 20 at Phoenix’s Footprint Center.
“We always want to have an All-Star Game now, even in an Olympic year. The condensed two-week period for the Commissioner’s Cup will be before All-Star. We’ve been listening to players and fans,” Engelbert said.
Aces, Liberty will not play each other until June
The Aces, with back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, will start their season at home against the Mercury. The Liberty, victorious in the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup, will open their season against Washington. Fans will have to wait until June 15 for a head-to-head clash between last year’s Finals participants in Las Vegas.
After the Olympic hiatus from July 18 to Aug. 14, the final regular-season games will wrap up on Sept. 19. This season marks the last with 12 teams before the introduction of a new team from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2025. The league has prepared for the possibility of an uneven number of teams, something it has managed in the past, although Engelbert hinted at the potential for a 14th team by 2025.
“The nice thing about the position we’re in, having announced the Bay Area, we have a lot of interest from potential investor and ownership groups,” Engelbert said. “You probably need 18 months to two years to get a team going. I’m not ruling out a second team for 2025. So it may be 13 for 2025, but I think pretty quickly in 2026 and 2027, we have some really good options.”
WNBA changes Commissioner’s Cup format
The Commissioner’s Cup is also undergoing significant changes. The competition will now feature a five-game format, reduced from ten, with each team playing against others in its conference once. All Cup games, barring the final on June 25, will be part of the teams’ regular 40-game schedule. This revamped format aims to increase fan and player engagement, with Cathy Engelbert noting, “The cadence of the season will make a lot more sense to fans.”
The Cup final, scheduled for June 25, will host the top two teams in standings, with the leading team in Cup play serving as the host. This competition carries a substantial $500,000 prize pool and serves as a platform for charitable contributions aligned with the players’ social justice efforts. The Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty have been past winners of the Cup.
The WNBA gears up for an exciting season, with free agency signings kicking off in February and the much-anticipated draft scheduled for April 15, while fans eagerly await the announcement of the television schedule.
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