2022 WNBA season: Preview, schedule, and stars to watch
Can reigning champs Chicago Sky become the first team to go back-to-back for since 2001-2002? Will this year be Sue Bird's swan song? All that and more in your one-stop guide to the upcoming WNBA season.
Basketball
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is back for its 26th season and promises to deliver the same thrills, spills and skills that brought in record-high audiences last year.
The expanded regular season, which now features 36 games per team, will tip off on Friday, 6 May with a weekend of action showcasing all 12 franchises.
It will then run until its conclusion on Sunday 14 August, whereafter the playoffs will begin.
There are two schedule features to watch out for heading into this year's action. The first pivots around how the playoffs look.
After last season’s scintillating first-round single elimination games the top two teams will no longer receive automatic byes for the semi-finals. Instead, to stoke the flames of competition further, there will be a best-of-three first round series with all subsequent rounds going best-of-five.
The second feature of note is the return of the Commissioner’s Cup.
The in-season tournament, won last year by Seattle Storm, is back for its second season and will effectively take place during the first half of the regular season (6 May – 7 July). The 10 designated “Cup games” per team will be the first home game and first road game each team plays against its conference rivals.
The two franchises with the best records will meet in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Games on Tuesday, 26 July.
WNBA 2022: Storylines to watch out for
Who are the contenders to take the 2022 crown?
With last year’s championship in their back pocket, it’s hard to look past the Chicago Sky when it comes to the question of just who will win this year's title.
The ever-electric Candace Parker returns backed by Finals MVP Kahleah Copper, power pair Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley and, perhaps most importantly, championship-winning momentum.
While some fear the Illinois-based outfit might stumble when it comes their title defence, as champions often do, their off-season recruiting suggests that is far from their intentions. Chicago welcome Belgian international superstar and former WNBA Champion Emma Meesseman to the fold to bolster their ranks, and the center is renowned game-changer.
Hot on the heels of the defending champs are a collection of franchises with rosters all capable of upsetting the Sky.
Forever favourites Seattle Storm have both the means and the motive to do well in 2022.
Not only have they retained same core that have seen them soar in recent years in the likes of Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd, otherwise known as ‘The Big Three’, but they also have something special to play for.
Basketball G.O.A.T Bird looks set to retire at the end of this year’s season giving her teammates that extra incentive to make sure this is a season the five-time Olympic gold medallist won't ever forget.
Looking to make the final leap after to coming up just short last year will be the Connecticut Sun.
The Sun were the best team of the regular season, and, with league MVP Jonquel Jones alongside All-Stars Alyssa Thomas and Dewanna Bonner, expectations are this franchise will go far.
The always-dangerous Las Vegas Aces will also be hoping they can go all-in on a championship title win this season as they welcome new coach Becky Hammon.
A team that has often been the bridesmaid but never the bride, Las Vegas will be hoping their dynamic star A’ja Wilson will pick up where she left off last season, averaging 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 32 minutes per game.
The 25-year-old will be serviced by a returning group of guards including Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. But, noticeably absent, is Australian Liz Cambage who upped sticks from the Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks.
The final team in the title-challenging pack is last year’s finals runners-up the Phoenix Mercury.
The Arizona-based franchise will begin their 2022 campaign with a roster rammed with talent including the likes of Skylar Diggins-Smith, Diana Taurasi, in addition to new signings Tina Charles and Diamond DeShields.
The Mercury will begin their season without star centre Brittney Griner who has been detained in Russia since 17 February.
MORE: Diana Taurasi: Top things to know about the US basketball star
Last orders for legends Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird
Another iconic name alongside Bird due to retire at the conclusion of this season is Minnesota Lynx’s Sylvia Fowles.
Fowles, like Bird, is deemed to be one of the WNBA’s greatest ever announced the news her 15th season would be her last after signing a one-year contract with the Lynx.
To date the 36-year-old is a two-time WNBA champion, a two-time WNBA Finals MVP and boasts four defensive player-of-the-year awards across her career.
In the Olympic arena Fowles has helped the titanic Team USA women’s basketball team to four Olympic golds dating from Beijing 2008 to most recently in Tokyo 2020.
Fowles will be to Lynx what Bird will be to Storm, a reason to dig deep. After all, what better way is there to honour a league legends on their last dance than with a championship win?
Indiana Fever’s rookie roster raising eyebrows
After finishing up last seaon dead last with just six wins the Indiana Fever finished 2021 leaving a lot to be desired.
Determined to simply just improve after having gone 40-116 since 2017, the Fever have turned to the future, figuratively and literally.
Setting a new WNBA record with four selections in the first round of the WNBA Draft Indiana are betting on the youth to turn their fortunes around.
Leading the five rookies set to play this season is No.2 overall pick NaLyssa Smith, a six-foot-four, two-time All-American. She will be joined by other league newcomers Lexie Hull, Queen Egbo, Destanni Henderson and Emily Engstler.
Can these young guns prove the difference and get Fever off the bottom of the table and running again?
WNBA 2022: How to watch the 26th edition
The WNBA 2022 season will be broadcast and streamed across various outlets for audiences including CBS Television, CBS Sports Network, Prime Video and Facebook Watch.
For full details on where you can watch each game click here.
Fans can also purchase the WNBA League Pass which includes access to live regular season games, playoff games and a library of every recorded WNBA game since 2015 available to watch on-demand.
Some restrictions may apply. Click here for more details.
MORE: USA Olympic head coach Dawn Staley: Changing the face of women's basketball