– WNBA Tip-Off 2020 presented by AT&T featured by Two Days of National TV Tripleheaders –
– The regular season schedule will feature at least 64 national broadcasts across the country ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS Television Network and CBS Sports Network –
NEW YORK, July 13, 2020 – On Saturday, July 25, the WNBA will kick off with consecutive days of triple-headed national broadcasts through ABC, ESPN and the CBS Sports Network. The focus will be on the brightest stars in the league as they bring women’s basketball back with an inaugural weekend dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement.
During the opening weekend, when all 12 teams will be in action, every aspect of the game and player gear will be designed to affirm Black Lives Matter and honor victims of police brutality and racial violence.
“As we harnessed momentum for women’s sports and the WNBA from last season, we are incredibly grateful to our streaming partners who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to bringing the WNBA to fans across the country on their biggest platforms.” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “This 2020 WNBA season will be truly unique and we look forward to using our collective platform to highlight tremendous athletes in the WNBA as well as their advocacy for social change.”
Season 24 of the league will take place in Bradenton, Florida at IMG Academy, the official home of the 2020 WNBA season, and will include a 22 game schedule for each of its 12 teams. The schedule is highlighted by 24 national broadcasts via ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, including 12 doubles during the first half of the season. Additionally, CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network will offer 40 streams, including 11 doubles and one triple. This year will be the first time that CBS will air a game on the CBS Television Network, the remaining games will air on the CBS Sports Network. Other games scheduled for NBA TV, as well as games available on the WNBA League Pass, will be announced in the coming weeks. The regular season game is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, September 12, and will be followed by a traditional playoff and finals format.
The WNBA Tip-Off 2020 presented by AT&T will kick off on July 25 with the 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm who met with No. 1 2020 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty (12 pm ET, ESPN). That game will be followed by a matchup of star-studded teams when the Los Angeles Sparks, led by Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike, denounce Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Phoenix Mercury (3 pm ET, ABC). A showdown between Indiana Fever and defending champion Washington Mystics completes the first day of action (5 pm ET, CBS Sports Network).
Triple-headed coverage on Sunday, July 26 begins at 12 p.m. ET (ESPN) when the Connecticut Sun, which returns to the court after reaching the WNBA Finals in 2019, faces the Minnesota Lynx. The Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces will follow at 3 p.m. ET (ABC) in a rematch of teams fighting for a thrilling last-second finish in the second round of the playoffs a year ago. A showdown between the Dallas Wings and the Atlanta Dream will culminate the day (5 pm ET, CBS Sports Network).
The WNBA Tip-Off 2020 presented by AT&T will also highlight the league’s new social justice platform, the WNBA Justice Movement, with a special focus on the Black Lives Matter movement. During triple-header national broadcasts July 25-26, team uniforms will show Breonna Taylor’s name as WNBA players raise awareness and seek justice for women and girls who have been forgotten victims of brutality Police and racial violence. Individual players will have the option to continue using the Breonna Taylor name sign for subsequent games. In addition, throughout the season, players will wear warm-up shirts that show “Black Lives Matter” on the front and “Say Her Name” on the back. “Black Lives Matter” will also be featured prominently on the courts during games.
“We are beyond excited for the WNBA to resume play on our network family with a 24-game regular season roster,” said Carol Stiff, vice president of programming and acquisitions for ESPN. “Our continued collaboration with the WNBA has resulted in a timeline featuring all teams in the league, three appearances by reigning champion Washington Mystics and the professional debut of No. 1 draft pick Sabrina Ionescu, all further highlighting the incredible talent that is the WNBA. “
“The WNBA presents some of the best basketball in the world and we look forward to another fantastic WNBA season on the CBS Sports Network,” said Dan Weinberg, executive vice president of programming for CBS Sports. “We are pleased to expand our partnership this season and schedule a game on CBS as we expand our reach, bringing the league’s tremendous talent to an even larger audience. Our list of 40 games, featuring national exposure for each game, is very strong, highlighted by young stars and legends, and we are excited to show them off on CBS Sports. ”
The full schedule for the 2020 regular season is available at wnba.com/schedule and the national broadcast schedule is available at wnba.com/national-tv-schedule/.
Highlights of the ABC / ESPN / ESPN2 broadcast schedule
• ESPN networks will host 24 regular-season broadcasts during the first half of the season, including three games on ABC, six on ESPN and 15 on ESPN2, and up to 19 playoff games. ESPN game coverage for the second half of the season will be released at a later date.
• All ESPN broadcasts during the regular season and postseason will air live on the ESPN app.
• ABC, in addition to airing a couple of games on the opening weekend, will feature Seattle vs. Phoenix on Saturday, August 8 (3pm ET).
• Seimone Augustus of Los Angeles, who won four WNBA championships with Minnesota, will face her former team for the first time on Sunday, August 9 (7 pm ET, ESPN2).
• ESPN will highlight four-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith and his new Phoenix teammates when he faces his former team, Dallas, for the first time on Monday, August 10 (7 pm ET).
Highlights of CBS Sports’ TV broadcast schedule
• CBS Sports will air 40 regular-season broadcasts, including one on the CBS Television Network and 39 on the CBS Sports Network.
• CBS Sports coverage will include 11 games with Ionescu’s Liberty team and seven games that will take place during the last week of the season.
• Dallas will appear on CBS Sports Network 10 times; Los Angeles and Seattle will each appear seven times.
• On Saturday, August 29 (4 pm ET, CBS Television Network), Ionescu and The Liberty will face the Los Vegas Aces and two-time league leader Angel McCoughtry.
• On Wednesday, August 26 (10 pm ET, CBS Sports Network), DeWanna Bonner, now of the Connecticut Sun, will first notice her former team, the Phoenix Mercury, after winning two championships in 10 seasons with Phoenix.
The 2020 WNBA season will mark the second season of the league’s multi-year marquee sponsorship with AT&T. Throughout the season, the inaugural WNBA Changemaker AT&T and the WNBA will collaborate on programming to support women in sports and continue to fight for equality for all. As part of the historic sponsorship, AT&T will be integrated into WNBA.com, the WNBA app, and WNBA social channels, as well as broadcast partners ESPN Networks, CBS Sports Network, and NBA TV. As WNBA Changemaker, AT&T will be featured alongside Deloitte and Nike in the newly created apron placement designated for WNBA Changemakers. Additionally, AT&T will appear on the boards throughout the season.
