A few months ago, A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray led the Las Vegas Aces to the franchise's first-ever title when they defeated the Connecticut Sun in four games in the 2022 WNBA Finals. Now, it's time to flip the page and prepare for a new campaign next spring.
On Wednesday, the WNBA released the 2023 regular-season schedule. Play for the league's 27th season will begin on May 19 and conclude on Sept.10. Teams will play a record 40 games, which is up four games from last season when they played 36 games in what was then the record high.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 schedule:
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When does the season begin?
The regular season will tip off on May 19 with a four-game slate that includes the 2022 runner-up Connecticut Sun against the Indiana Fever, who have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. The defending champion Las Vegas will not play on opening night, and will instead begin their season on May 20 against the Seattle Storm in a rematch of their thrilling semifinal series.
Why have they moved to a 40-game schedule?
For the majority of the league's history, a 34-game schedule was the standard, but that number has jumped around in recent years due in large part to COVID-19. There was a 22-game season in the bubble in 2020, followed by a 32-game season in 2021. As things got back to normal last summer, the league jumped to a then-record 36-game season for 2022. Now, there will be another jump to 40 games for 2023.
A plan to increase the number of games had been in place for some time, but was derailed due to the pandemic. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the move at the All-Star Game in 2022, and noted that the CBA allos for as many as 44 games -- though it's unclear when or if that will happen.
"We're seeing tremendous interest in the game, evidenced by viewership, and everything from draft on to today," Engelbert said. "Our response to that also is to continue to try to grow, and we want to grow our footprint. Beginning next season, we're going to play 40 games. ... We need to have a more substantial season, so we'll do that next year."
It's also worth noting that the league is able to play 40 games this season in part because there is no major international tournament. During Olympic years the league has to take a mid-season break, and during FIBA World Cup years the league has to condense the season to finish early. It's possible, then, that the league may in the future move back down from 40.
When is the All-Star Game?
The 2023 All-Star Game is set for Sunday, July 15. At this point there is no further information available, however, including the format or which city will host the game.
What about the Commissoner's Cup?
The Commissioner's Cup, which debuted during the 2021 season, is back again for a third time. The in-season competition has failed to really catch on due to the fact that select regular season games double as Commissioner's Cup games, rather than having separate Cup games. As a result, neither the fans nor the players give much thought about the event until the championship.
This season's Commissioner's Cup championship game will be played on Aug. 15, with the two teams involved competing for a $500,000 prize pool. The team in each conference that has the best record in Commissioner's Cup games qualifies for the title game.
