2020 WNBA season
The 2020 WNBA season will be the 24th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Washington Mystics are the defending champions. Planned changes to the league's schedule included an increase from 34 to 36 regular season games for each team, the introduction of a mid-season Commissioner's Cup tournament, and more games broadcast on ESPN and ABC.[1] This is the first season under a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the WNBA Players' Association.[2] On April 3, the season was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Under a plan approved on June 15, the league began a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy, without fans present on July 25.[4][5][6]
| 2020 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | July 25 – October[lower-alpha 1] |
| Number of games | 22[lower-alpha 2] |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, CBSSN, NBA TV |
| Top draft pick | Sabrina Ionescu |
| Picked by | New York Liberty |
Offseason
Collective Bargaining Agreement
On January 14, 2020, the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association announced that a new eight-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) had been signed.[7][2] Key provisions of the new CBA include:[8][9]
- The new maximum base salary, for which certain qualified players and those designated as "core players" are eligible, is $215,000, an increase from $117,500 under the previous CBA. Maximum earnings for top players can be over $500,000.
- The new minimum base salary for inexperienced players is $57,000 and for experienced players is $68,000. This is an increase from $41,965 and $56,375 respectively under the previous CBA.
- The "core player" designation, under which teams can retain players otherwise eligible for free agency, remains available to teams. However, while teams could designate a player as such up to four times under the previous CBA, this has been reduced to thrice in the next two seasons and twice thereafter.
- Apart from those players under the "core player" designation, all players who have met contract obligations for five years become unrestricted free agents. This is a decrease from the required six years under the previous CBA.
- The league will enter a 50-50 revenue sharing agreement beginning in 2021, conditional on meeting certain revenue growth targets.
- For road games, players will receive "comfort/economy plus" seats rather than ordinary economy class seats, and will receive individual hotel rooms.
- The league will provide a new paid maternity leave policy, where players will receive their full salaries while on leave. Players with children will be provided an annual $5,000
childcare stipend and two-bedroom apartments. Veteran players are also eligible for up to $60,000 in reimbursements for costs related to family planning.
- The league will institute a new “Diversity in Coaching” initiative to build a pipeline to coaching and offer other paid employment opportunities for players during the offseason. Under the initiative, WNBA players can work on coaching staffs or in front offices of NBA teams without a salary limit, regardless of the WNBA team's ownership structure.[lower-alpha 3]
- The league will create expanded programs to address intimate partner violence and nutrition, but details about these programs were not included in the CBA.
- By the sixth year of the CBA, veteran players (defined for this purpose as those with more than 2 years of WNBA experience) will face season-long suspension for missing the start of training camp. The CBA includes several exceptions to this policy, among them serious injury or illness, maternity leave, national team commitments for non-US players, college graduations, and other significant life events.
Schedule changes
The WNBA originally planned that each team would play 36 total games in the 2020 season, an increase from the 34 games played in each season since 2003. Teams will have 18 home & road games each.[1][10]
The original 2020 season schedule featured the inaugural Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament. In the first half of the season between May 15 and July 10, each team would have played its first home and road games against its five conference opponents. These games would have been designated as "Cup games", and the leaders in Cup standings in each conference were would have met in the Commissioner's Cup championship game scheduled for August 14, 2020.[1][10]
The 2020 WNBA schedule originally included a traditional month-long break in July and August to allow players to participate in the Summer Olympic Games. The 2020 games have however been postponed till 2021, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, rendering this break unnecessary. On April 3, 2020, the WNBA announced that the start of its own schedule would also be postponed, although there were few details on what the revised schedule might look like. The 2020 entry draft took place as originally scheduled on April 17, although it was done remotely.[3] During a conference call on the day of the draft, Commissioner Engelbert addressed the issue of when the season might begin. Aside from reiterating that the season would not begin as originally scheduled on May 15, she had few concrete details. "Obviously, our goal is to have a season when it’s medically advisable and feasible," she stated. She confirmed that games would if possible be scheduled during the now-unnecessary Olympic break, and she also stated that the season might extend into the fall.[11]
On the originally scheduled opening day, May 15, 2020, Engelbert told ESPN that the players would get their first paychecks on June 1, but she gave few other details of how the season might proceed, if it starts at all. She said a full-length schedule with 36 games per team could only be played if the season began before some point in early July, but she also said the league was looking at various scenarios for a shorter season.[12]
Postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic
As with most professional sports leagues, the WNBA season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 3, it was announced that the starting of the regular season has been postponed.[3] The 2020 WNBA draft took place on April 17 as originally scheduled,[3] but the rest of the league's activities have been delayed.
On the originally scheduled opening day, May 15, 2020, it was announced that the players would be paid their first paychecks on June 1. On June 4, ESPN reported that the WNBA was planning on a shortened 22-game regular season to be held at IMG Academy, with players receiving 60% of their salaries.[13] On June 9, The Next reported that many players were unhappy with the reduced salary, and the league revised its plans by June 12 to include full season salaries for players.[14] On June 15, the return-to-play proposal was approved.[5][15] The playoff format, which includes single-elimination first and second-round games and then five-game series for the semifinals and finals, will stay the same and end in October.[15]
2020 WNBA draft
The New York Liberty have the first pick in the 2020 WNBA draft.[16] The Liberty selected Sabrina Ionescu first overall.[17] The full draft was televised on ESPN in the USA and on both TSN2 and SN1 in Canada.[18]
Transactions
Retirement
- In June 2019, Camille Little announced her retirement after twelve years of playing in the WNBA. She won the WNBA Title in 2010 with the Seattle Storm.[19]
- In September 2019, Sancho Lyttle announced her retirement after fourteen years of playing in the WNBA. Lyttle made the WNBA All-Star game once, and twice lead the league in steals.[20]
- Alana Beard announced her retirement on January 22, 2020 after fifteen years of playing professionally. Beard is a four time WNBA All-Star and two time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She also won a WNBA Championship while playing with the Los Angeles Sparks.[21][22]
- Rebekkah Brunson announced her retirement on February 11, 2020 after fifteen years of playing professionally. Brunson will stay with the Minnesota Lynx as an assistant coach. Brunson will have her jersey number 32 retired by the Lynx. Brunson finishes her career as a five time WNBA Champion and five time WNBA All-Star. As of her retirement, Brunson was the active WNBA leader in rebounds.[23][24]
- Carolyn Swords announced she would be retiring to join the marketing team of the Las Vegas Aces on February 24, 2020. However, due to the COVID pandemic, she was let go from her position and resumed her career to re-join the Aces. Over her nine year career, she played for four different teams.[25]
Free agency
Free agency negotiations started on January 28, 2020, and the signing period began on February 10, 2020.[26]
Coaching changes
| Off-season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2019 season | 2020 season | Reference |
| Indiana Fever | Pokey Chatman | Marianne Stanley | [27][28] |
| New York Liberty | Katie Smith | Walt Hopkins | [29][30] |
Arena changes
- In June 2019, it was announced that the Bankers Life Fieldhouse would undergo renovations to add an outdoor plaza and skating area. This renovation would force the Indiana Fever to play its home games at the Hinkle Fieldhouse for the 2020–2022 seasons.[31]
- In July 2019, it was announced that Talking Stick Resort Arena would be undergoing renovations and the Phoenix Mercury would be forced to play their home games at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the 2020 season.[32]
- On October 17, 2019, the New York Liberty announced that they would move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as their permanent home.[33] In the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the Liberty's primary home venue was the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York.
- On October 18, 2019, the Atlanta Dream announced that it would move from State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta to the new Gateway Center Arena in the southern suburb of College Park, Georgia.[34]
Regular Season
All-Star Game
Traditionally there is no WNBA All-Star Game during an Olympic year, such as 2020. The 2020 Tokyo games have been postponed till 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the season being held at IMG Academy the All-Star Game was not played in 2020.
Standings
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Storm | 9 | 1 | .900 | – | 4–0 |
| 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 8 | 2 | .800 | 1 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Sparks | 7 | 3 | .700 | 2 | 2–2 |
| 3 | Minnesota Lynx | 7 | 3 | .700 | 2 | 0–3 |
| 5 | Chicago Sky | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3 | 2–1 |
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3 | 2–2 |
| 7 | Indiana Fever | 4 | 6 | .400 | 5 | 3–1 |
| 7 | Connecticut Sun | 4 | 6 | .400 | 5 | 2–2 |
| 9 | Washington Mystics | 3 | 7 | .300 | 6 | 2–3 |
| 9 | Dallas Wings | 3 | 7 | .300 | 6 | 0–3 |
| 11 | Atlanta Dream | 2 | 8 | .200 | 7 | 1–2 |
| 12 | New York Liberty | 1 | 9 | .100 | 8 | 1–2 |
Notes
- (#) - League Standing
- y- Clinched conference
- x- Clinched playoff berth
- e - Eliminated from playoffs
- Home and Away records not shown, as all games played at a neutral location.
- Updated to include results from August 15, 2020
- Source
Schedule
Statistical leaders
The following shows the leaders in each statistical category during the 2020 regular season. Updated through games played August 10, 2020.[35][36]
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | 22.3 ppg |
| Rebounds per game | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | 11.0 rpg |
| Assists per game | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | 8.9 apg |
| Steals per game | Lexie Brown | Minnesota Lynx | 3.2 spg |
| Blocks per game | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | 2.0 bpg |
| Field goal percentage | Ezi Magbegor | Seattle Storm | 70.6% (24/34) |
| Three point FG percentage | Julie Allemand | Indiana Fever | 54.2% (13/24) |
| Free throw percentage | Satou Sabally | Dallas Wings | 93.3% (28/30) |
| Points per game (team) | Phoenix Mercury | 88.8 ppg | |
| Field goal percentage (team) | Chicago Sky | 48.3% | |
Season award winners
Player of the Week Award
Player of the Month Award
Rookie of the Month Award
Coach of the Month Award
Postseason awards
Coaches
Eastern Conference
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Dream | Nicki Collen | Connecticut Sun (assistant) | 2 | 31–37 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Sky | James Wade | UMMC Ekaterinburg (assistant) | 1 | 20–14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut Sun | Curt Miller | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 4 | 79–75 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Indiana Fever | Marianne Stanley | Washington Mystics (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Liberty | Walt Hopkins | Minnesota Lynx (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Mystics | Mike Thibault | Connecticut Sun | 7 | 130–108 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Western Conference
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Wings | Brian Agler | Los Angeles Sparks | 1 | 10–24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Aces | Bill Laimbeer | New York Liberty | 2 | 35–33 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | Derek Fisher | New York Knicks | 1 | 22–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota Lynx | Cheryl Reeve | Detroit Shock (assistant) | 10 | 231–109 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| Phoenix Mercury | Sandy Brondello | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 6 | 118–86 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Seattle Storm | Dan Hughes | San Antonio Stars | 2 | 44–24 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Notes:
- Year with team does not include 2020 season.
- Records are from time at current team and are through the end of the 2019 season.
- Playoff appearances are from time at current team only.
- WNBA Finals and Championships do not include time with other teams.
- Coaches shown are the coaches who began the 2020 season as head coach of each team.
Footnotes
- The season was originally scheduled for May 15 – September 20, and was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The season was originally scheduled to have 36 games per team, an increase from the 34 games played in the previous season. However, the season was shortened and delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This issue arose in the 2019–20 offseason when the Washington Wizards hired Mystics player Kristi Toliver as an assistant coach. Toliver could not receive a normal NBA assistant's salary because the Mystics and Wizards are owned by the same company; the previous WNBA CBA viewed such an arrangement as a way of getting around the salary cap.
References
- "2020 WNBA Season to Feature Inaugural Commissioner's Cup, Expanded 36-Game Schedule for Teams and More ABC Games". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- Megdal, Howard (2020-01-14). "W.N.B.A. Makes "Big Bet on Women" With a New Contract". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular Season". 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- "Report: The WNBA's New Proposal For The 2020 Season Includes Full Pay". UPROXX. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
- "WNBA announces plans for 2020 season to start late July in Florida". NBC Sports Washington. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- @WNBA (July 10, 2020). "Basketball officially returns July 25th. Are you ready for #WNBA Tip-Off 2020 presented by @ATT#ATTtipoff" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Voepel, Mechelle (2020-01-14). "WNBA, union reach 'groundbreaking' new CBA". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- Ellentuck, Matt (2020-01-14). "The WNBA's new CBA, explained". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- Spruill, Tamryn (2020-01-14). "'The time is now for women's sports': Breaking down the major provisions in the WNBA's watershed CBA deal". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- Feinberg, Doug (2020-01-16). "WNBA expands to 36-game schedule adds Commissioner's Cup". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- "WNBA Statement Regarding the Start of the 2020 Regular Season". wnba.com. WNBA. April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- Voepel, Mechelle (May 15, 2020). "WNBA players to be paid June 1 as league, union work through details". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Voepel, Mechelle (2020-06-05). "Sources: WNBA in early talks for 22-game season". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- "WNBA players, former Sparks GM Penny Toler speak out about WNBA proposed plan". The Next. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- Voepel, Mechelle (2020-06-15). "WNBA's 22-game regular season, playoffs OK'd". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- Zucker, Joseph (2019-09-17). "2020 WNBA Draft: Liberty Get 1st Pick; Full Order Revealed After Lottery". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- Voepel, Mechelle (April 17, 2020). "Oregon superstar Sabrina Ionescu goes No. 1 to New York Liberty". espn.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "WNBA Draft 2020 Presented By State Farm To Be Held As Scheduled On April 17". wnba.com. WNBA. March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- "Mercury's Camille Little, final active player from 2007 WNBA draft, nears retirement". usatoday.com. September 5, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- "Mercury forward Sancho Lyttle retiring after 15 WNBA seasons". azcentral.com. September 13, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- "Alana Beard Retires From WNBA". wnba.com. WNBA. January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- "Alana Beard, four-time WNBA All-Star, announces retirement". espn.com. ESPN. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- "Minnesota Lynx Hire Five-Time WNBA Champion Rebekkah Brunson as Assistant Coach". wnba.com. WNBA. February 11, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- Youngblood, Kent (February 11, 2020). "Rebekkah Brunson will join Lynx coaching staff". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- "Carolyn Swords Announces Retirement, Joins Aces Front Office As Marketing Specialist". wnba.com. WNBA. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- "2020 Free Agency Timeline Update". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- "Pokey Chatman Will Not Return As Head Coach & General Manager". WNBA.com. WNBA. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- "Indiana Fever Announce Marianne Stanley As New Head Coach". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- "New York Liberty Announce Head Coach Katie Smith's Contract Not Renewed". wnba.com. WNBA. October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- Ayala, Erica (2010-01-10). "What to make of the Liberty's hire of first-time head coach Walt Hopkins". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- "Indiana Fever Announce Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse As Home Venue For 2020, 2021 and Part of 2022 WNBA Seasons" (Press release). Indiana Fever. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- "Phoenix Mercury Change In Home Court For 2020 Season". All About Arizona News. July 25, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- Nemchock, Eric (2019-10-18). "New York Liberty set to make Barclays Center permanent home". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- "Atlanta Dream Announces New Home Court at Gateway Center in College Park" (Press release). Atlanta Dream. October 18, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Official Leaders". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- "Team Stats". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- "Stewart, Hines-Allen Earn First Players Of The Week Honors Of The Season". wnba.com. WNBA. August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- "Wilson, Vandersloot Earn Players Of The Week Honors For Week 2". WNBA.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.