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WNBA releases 2019 schedule!

Photo Credit -- AP/Jessica Hill

Mark your calendars.

Start planning your road trips.

Clear your schedules.

This week has been a busy one for WNBA news. From James Dolan dishing on the New York Liberty to the Dallas Wings hiring Brian Agler as its new head coach to the Atlanta Dream revealing that they will be returning to State Farm Arena for the 2019 season.

So it is only fitting that the league as a whole gets in the news with the release of this upcoming season’s schedule.

The primary day to circle on the calendars is May 24 when the 2019 season kicks off with a pair of contests.

The aforementioned Dream will kick off the season at its State Farm Arena home once again when Brian Agler’s Dallas Wings visit the ATL. That same night, the Indiana Fever will travel to Gotham’s outskirts as the Liberty will await them at the Westchester County Center.

The first nationally-televised contest of the season will fittingly feature the defending champion Seattle Storm when they will take on the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday May 25 on ABC in a rematch of what was a thrilling five-game semifinal.

The Storm will play that game – along with four others at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. Seattle’s first three home games will emanate from the suburban arena with most of the Storm’s remaining home slate taking place at Alaska Airlines Arena at the University of Washington.

That same night, the Washington Mystics will be on the road at the Connecticut Sun. Also – can enough be said about the tear their social media teams were on when the schedule was released?

That day will also feature another contest sure to peak the fans of many WNBA fans. James Wade’s first game as head coach of the Chicago Sky will be at the Minnesota Lynx – whose coaching staff Wade was previously part of.

On Sunday, A’ja Wilson’s Aces will be in action at home as they start the season against the Los
Angeles Sparks as Derek Fisher makes his debut as a WNBA coach.

Given the rivalry that has built up between the Sparks and Lynx the past few years, fans were definitely looking at the schedule to see when their first get-together of the 2019 season would be. That day is set for June 8 at Target Center in Minneapolis – also on ABC.

The first rematch of the other semifinal matchup from last year will occur on June 1st when the Dream hit the road to face the Mystics at the DC Entertainment and Sports Arena. The first Storm-Mystics tilt of the season will occur on June 14 in the Nation’s Capital.

Agler will see his former team for the first time on July 9 when the Wings host the LA Sparks in Arlington. A few days later, they will meet again at Staples Center as Agler makes his return to Southern California.

As was the case last season, the Liberty will return to Madison Square Garden for two games this year – June 4 vs. the Sparks and August 13 vs. the Lynx – both 11 a.m. contests.

The time of the All-Star Game in Las Vegas was also announced – July 27 and is all set for a 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT tip. It shall also be aired on ABC.

The other ABC contest will be on June 16 when the Storm face the Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. Both games that are set to air on the main ESPN channel will feature the Mystics. The first is on June 23 when Washington heads to State Farm Arena in a semifinals rematch with the Dream and June 29 when the Mystics host Connecticut.

Nine of the 12 teams will have at least one game aired on one of the ESPN or ABC channels with the exceptions being the Sky, Fever, and Liberty. Interestingly enough, the Dream which came within only one game of the Finals will only have one game on an ESPN or ABC channel while teams such as the Sun, Lynx, Mercury, Sparks, and Aces have more.

That, of course, is without any announcement of which games will be free-streamed via Twitter. Perhaps Chicago, Indy, and New York will get some love from the nest. We will see.

This season will be a bit more spread out than last year’s compressed campaign thanks to the FIBA World Cup in Tenerife. The season tips off on May 24 but does not conclude until early September.

What matchups could look like are based on how rosters look like today, but that could change in so many different ways with free agency and the draft lurking in the background.

The full schedule is on wnba.com and just looking at it has to give a women’s hoops aficionado only one thought.

Is it May 24 yet?

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