The W appears serious in its efforts to plant a footing in Canada.
With the North’s Kia Nurse making waves in the WNBA as one of the stars of the New York Liberty and the Toronto Raptors still basking in the glow of bringing an NBA championship to the 6ix, Canada, a country that typically is on “ice” during the fall and winter months is feeling some real hoop vibes.
The WNBA announced that 53 games this year will air across three Canadian channels – TSN, SportsNet, and NBA TV Canada.
The first contest of the extended Canadian slate, fittingly, began on Friday June 28 on SportsNet One and SportsNet Now when Nurse and Liberty host Arike Ogunbowale and the Dallas Wings at the Westchester County Center. That same day will also feature the Seattle Storm hosting the Chicago Sky at 10 p.m. eastern on TSN.
In addition, the WNBA All-Star Game, which will emanate from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, will air in Canada on both TSN and SportsNet.
Coming off the Raptors’ historic victory in the NBA Finals and a record-breaking year for the NBA in Canada, the popularity of basketball across the country is at an all-time high.
–NBA Canada Managing Director Dan MacKenzie (release)
Well this is pretty awesome my grandparents will be pretty happy now… my hometown in Hamilton Ontario though just for the record but hey Canada gets more basketball I love it! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 https://t.co/c1vUnkbrkZ
— Kia Nurse (@KayNurse11) June 27, 2019
— Natalie Achonwa (@NatAchon) June 27, 2019
The W’s inroads into Canada may only be continuing with a couple of Canadian investors kicking the tires on a possible team in Toronto….
