On July 25, the WNBA will tip off with back to back days of national triple header telecasts across ABC, ESPN, and CBS Sports Network.
The spotlight will be focused on the league’s brightest stars as they bring women’s basketball back with an opening weekend dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.
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During the opening weekend, when all 12 teams will be in action, all aspects of the game and player outfitting will be designed to affirm Black Lives Matter and honor victims of police brutality and racial violence.
“As we build on the momentum for women’s sports and the WNBA from last season, we’re incredibly grateful to our broadcast partners who have shown a continued commitment to bringing the WNBA to fans across the country on their biggest platforms,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, according to a league press release.
The league’s season will take place in Bradenton, Florida at IMG Academy in what some players call the ‘Wubble’.
WNBA season gets underway on July 25 with 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm meeting 2020 No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN.
That game will be followed by a matchup of All-Star-laden teams when the Los Angeles Sparks, led by Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike, tip off against Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury at 3 p.m. EST on ABC.
A matchup of the Indiana Fever vs. the defending champion Washington Mystics rounds out the first day of action at 5 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network.
Triple-header coverage on July 26, tips off at 12 p.m. EST on ESPN when the Connecticut Sun, which returns to the court after reaching the WNBA Finals in 2019, faces the Minnesota Lynx. The Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces will follow up at 3 p.m. EST on ABC.
A clash between the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream will then cap the day at 5 p.m. EST on CBS Sports Network.
The weekend also will highlight the league’s new social justice platform, The WNBA Justice Movement, with a special focus on the Black Lives Matter movement.
During the national triple header telecasts, team uniforms will display Breonna Taylor’s name as WNBA players raise awareness and seek justice for the women and girls who have been the forgotten victims of police brutality and racial violence.
Players will individually have the option to continue to wear the placard with Breonna Taylor’s name for subsequent games.
Additionally, throughout the season, players will wear warm-up shirts that display “Black Lives Matter” on the front and “Say Her Name” on the back. “Black Lives Matter” will also be prominently displayed on courts during games.