WNBA 2021 season: Top things to know

The WNBA's 2021 season marks the 25th anniversary of the top professional women's basketball league in the world. Ahead of the regular season debut on May 14, here are the top things to know about the upcoming WNBA campaign.

WNBA stars to watch

The WNBA is full of exceptional talent, and there is no bigger star than four-time Olympic champion Sue Bird.

Here are some facts about the WNBA legend that you may not know.

Bird is the face of the Seattle Storm franchise, and alongside fellow veterans and Olympic gold medalists Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Candace Parker (Chicago Sky), a custodian of the league itself.

The Storm, led by Bird and 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart, are the defending WNBA champions and favourites to repeat in 2021. Stewart came second in MVP voting last year in what was her first season back since suffering a torn Achilles in 2019, and put on a clinic in the Finals, averaging 28.3 points while hitting 65 percent of her threes as the Storm swept the Las Vegas Aces in three games.

With a supporting cast of Jewell Loyd, Natasha Howard, and Alysha Clark, the Storm will be tough to beat again this year.

Among the teams that should challenge the Storm for the title are the Las Vegas Aces, led by reigning MVP A'Ja Wilson and Elizabeth Cambage.

Cambage, a two-time Olympian and London 2012 bronze medallist with the Australian national team, received a medical exemption for the 2020 season. She had a slightly disappointing 2019 campaign - by her standards anyway - averaging 15.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game after finishing second in MVP voting in 2018 (on the strength of 23 points and 9.7 rebounds per game).

If the Aces want to return to the Finals and win their first championship in franchise history, they will need both Cambage and Wilson (who averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and two blocks per game in 2020) to be on top form.

Two-time league MVP and 2019 champion Elena Delle Donne sat out the 2020 season due to health concerns related to COVID-19, but the Washington Mystics forward and Rio 2016 gold medallist - who holds career averages of 20.3 points and seven rebounds per game - will be back to terrorise defences in 2021.

Brittney Griner is another big name who missed a part of the 2020 season (due to personal reasons), but is expected to return to Phoenix Mercury for 2021. The Rio 2016 gold medalist posted a line of 17.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, three assists and 1.8 blocks in her 12 games in 2020, proving that when she plays her best, the 206cm (6'9) centre can fill up the stat sheet.

There is plenty of intrigue surrounding Sabrina Ionescu as she enters her second season in the league. The New York Liberty guard was highly touted as a rookie last year, but the 23-year-old was forced to miss most of the season due to an ankle injury.

Still, in the three games she did play, Ionescu averaged 18.3 points and 4 assists per game on 45.2 percent shooting from the field - offering a glimpse of what the former first round pick is capable of. Hopefully, we will get a full season to watch her play in 2021.

Top WNBA teams for 2021

The Storm are on a quest for their fifth WNBA title, and considering the firepower they have on the roster, are firm favourites to repeat in 2021 - though no team has won consecutive titles since the LA Sparks in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. But if Seattle does manage it, they will move past the Minnesota Lynx and Houston Comets (both have four rings) for most championships in WNBA history.

The Las Vegas Aces, who lost to the Storm in the Finals last season, possess immense talent of their own in Cambage, Wilson, and two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby. If the Aces play their cards right, there's no reason why Las Vegas can't return to the Finals - or go a step further and win a championship.

The Chicago Sky are an under-the-radar team to look out for in 2021. The addition of two-time league MVP and 2020 Defensive Player of the Year Candace Parker provides a huge boost to a roster that is already brimming with talent in the form of Courtney Vandersloot and Kahleah Copper.

Don't overlook the Washington Mystics, either - the 2019 champions' roster was decimated by injuries, trades, social justice efforts and coronavirus concerns in 2020 as they bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. But the Mystics should be able to field one of the deepest rosters this season, with Delle Donne returning to the fold alongside Natasha Cloud, Emma Meesseman and Ariel Atkins. Don't be surprised to see this team make a return to the Finals.

Key schedule dates

The 2021 WNBA season starts on 14 May, with the regular season finishing on 19 September. The playoffs will start on 23 September, with the last possible Finals date coming on 19 October (the date may change depending on the playoff schedule).

The league will temporarily break from July 15 - August 11 to accommodate the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with the second half of the season starting on August 15.

Tokyo 2020 women's basketball tournament

While team rosters are still to be confirmed for the women's basketball tournament at Tokyo 2020, expect to see plenty of WNBA stars in Japan. Eight-time gold medalists and defending Olympic champion the United States will be the team to beat, and should field a powerhouse roster that will likely include A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, as well as Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, who could become the first athletes to win five Olympic gold medals in basketball if the U.S. win gold in Tokyo.

Outside of the U.S., Cambage will lead Australia in her quest for another Olympic medal, while Mystics power forward and 2019 Finals MVP Emma Meesseman will headline Belgium's squad, who have qualified for their first Olympic tournament.