WNBA season tips May 16 with expansion Golden State Valkyries opening at home

The expanded WNBA, with more games and new franchises, opens on May 16th.

This year, the league added an expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, and expanded its schedule from 40 games to 44 games. The new team, which has more than 20,000 season tickets, will play its first game at home against Los Angeles on opening night.

The WNBA is coming off a record-breaking season with the most-watched regular season in 24 years and the most-watched playoffs in 25 years. Fans flocked to the game, which had the highest attendance in 20 years. Last season’s rookie class, led by Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese, was a big reason.

The two teams are scheduled to play five times, with the first matchup being Saturday’s season opener. The Clarks Fever will host the league’s All-Star Game on July 19th.

“The WNBA will begin its 29th season in May 2025, and the success of last season saw the WNBA deliver the most-watched Draft and All-Star Games, setting records in viewership, attendance, and digital numbers. We look forward to further developing “consumption and merchandise sales,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbart. “The upcoming free agency period and the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm will generate tremendous excitement, and we also look forward to seeing our expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, take the court for the first time. ”

The New York Liberty will celebrate their first title win with a ring and banner ceremony on May 17th when they host Las Vegas. Liberty, which defeated Minnesota in a decisive Game 5 of last season’s championship, will face the Lynx four times, with the first game on July 30th.

All 13 teams will play on opening weekend.

The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup will be held from June 1-17, with each Eastern Conference team playing five games and each Western Conference team playing six games. The top teams from each conference will meet in the cup finals on July 1st.

The regular season ends on September 11th, followed by the expanded playoffs. Starting this year, the league will change its format to a best-of-seven finals, with the opening game played in a 1-1-1 format and the worst-seeded team hosting the second game. Previously, the team with the better seed would win the championship. The first two games will be on home court.

The league will hold its draft on April 14th, and college star Paige Bueckers is expected to be selected No. 1 by the Dallas Wings. Television and streaming broadcast schedules will be announced at a later date.

Associated Press reported.

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