Sky Sports will show 17 regular-season games in European primetime, as well as the WNBA All-Star Game and a range of Playoff and Finals match-ups
Thursday 13 May 2021 14:08, UK
The WNBA is celebrating its 25th season and you can follow live coverage with Sky Sports from every week of the regular season, the Playoffs and Finals, starting with Chicago Sky at Washington this weekend.
After the 2020 season was played out in a bubble in Florida, the teams are back on their home courts across the United States as Seattle Storm look to defend the title they won when beating the Las Vegas Aces in the Finals.
The 2021 season officially gets underway on Friday, May 14 with a full weekend of action featuring all 12 teams.
Fans in the UK will be able to catch a high-profile first live offering of the season at 6pm on Saturday, May 15 when two-time league MVP Candace Parker makes her Chicago Sky debut at the Washington Mystics against former MVP Elena Delle Donne.
‘More and more people can now watch us and see us play, we are seeing more buy-in from companies who are excited to be a part of the WNBA. It all combines and it makes such a big difference for us and it’s going to continue to grow our game. I’m super excited for where we are right now and where we are going to head in the future."
In line with Sky Sports' ambition to make women's sport more accessible, many of this season's games will be available in prime time windows and a selection will also be made available on the Sky Sports YouTube channel for wider audiences.
Fans in the UK can also watch 12 regular-season games streamed live on Twitter @WNBA, which will feature in-game commentary from basketball insiders, influencers and WNBA legends. A link to the current WNBA schedule, as well as to games to be streamed on Twitter, can be found here.
About the WNBA
Entering its 25th season in 2021, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women.
"It's amazing that, first of all, we're still going," Delle Donne told Sky Sports.
"I feel like there's a lot of leagues that have not lasted nearly this long but to know that we're in such a good position, that we will continue to get better and continue to have more and more fans come onboard.
"You always have to credit those that came before us. I feel like the most important thing has always been that we put the best product out there, and that is just beautiful, amazing basketball. We've always been doing that and know I feel like more and more eyes are on our game."
Following the recent launch of the WNBA's season-long 25th anniversary campaign 'Count It', and the league's new ball and uniform unveilings, attention will now be focused on the league's brightest stars as they bring women's professional basketball back to arenas with an opening weekend highlighted by star-studded matchups.
Count It signifies that the WNBA is not done "counting" achievements because there are many more to come as WNBA players continue to excel and defy expectations.
Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and social responsibility.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women's basketball - and women's sports overall - with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete.
In addition, during the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.
