The WNBA’s new in-season tournament, explained
Here’s how the Commisioner’s Cup will work, and everything else to look out for in the 2020 schedule.
The 2020 WNBA schedule will expand from 34 to 36 games, and also feature an in-season tournament for the first time in league history, the WNBA announced. Coined the “Commissioner’s Cup,” players will have the opportunity to earn a small cash prize in this season’s tournament, with a much larger prize to come in future tournaments. This is one of the many new financial incentives added in the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, which was tentatively agreed to on Tuesday. The NBA has considered adding an in-season tournament, too.
The 2020 WNBA calendar is different than most years, as the league will take its usual month-long hiatus during the Summer Olympics as Team USA competes for its seventh straight gold medal. The Commissioner’s Cup is tentatively set to re-open the second half of the season on August 14, two days before the regular season resumes. The game will not count towards regular season records, and where the game will be played has not yet been determined.
Each team’s first home and road regular season game against their conference opponents will be considered a tournament game. The schedule is composed so each team will play its conference opponents at home once and on the road once before the All-Star break. The leader in the cup standings for each conference will participate in an East vs. West Commissioner’s Cup with what’s expected to be a small cash prize for players. How that money will be divided is not yet clear. The tiebreaker procedure is also to be determined.
This season is more of a test run for the league, as the in-season cash prize budget is set to drastically increase in 2021 and beyond. It isn’t clear how that money will be divided, or how any future tournaments may be structured, but the pot will grow to $750,000.
Here are some other games to mark on the calendar:
Storm vs. Wings on May 15 at 10 p.m. ET: The then-defending champion Seattle Storm were a fraction of themselves in 2019 as Breanna Stewart missed the entire season to a torn Achilles and Sue Bird missed the entire season to a knee scope. With those two stars back in action, (if Bird stays in Seattle, as we expect), the Storm’s return to a record-breaking offense should be amazing.
The Wings will be fun to watch, too. Arike Ogunbowale had a case in the Rookie of the Year debate after finishing the season as one of the league’s best scorers. She finished with 20 or more points in 11 straight games. Sophomore Arike could take things to another level.
Liberty vs. Sun on May 16 at 7 p.m. ET: This will probably be Sabrina Ionescu’s first professional game. Nothing is set in stone, but it’s likely the Liberty will take Ionescu, Oregon’s triple-double machine, with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Watching Ionescu along with last year’s No. 2 pick Asia Durr, All-Star Kia Nurse and Tina Charles (if she returns to New York) will be a must-watch. The Liberty’s first home game in Brooklyn will be the following day against the Sparks at 6 p.m. ET.
Mystics vs. Sun on June 28 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2: Washington and Connecticut took last year’s finals to a full five games in one of the league’s most competitive finishes. There are a number of free agents on both sides, so we aren’t sure what these teams will look like in 2020. But a Mike Thibault vs. Curt Miller back-and-forth is always a treat.
Mystics vs. Aces on August 21 at 7 p.m. ET: Assuming Liz Cambage re-signs with the Aces this offseason, as she indicated at the end of last season, Mystics-Aces could take another step as one of the league’s best rivalries. Washington knocked them off, 3-1, in last year’s semis, but A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby and Cambage showed some serious chemistry at the end of the series. And don’t forget, these teams are also cursed.
Complete schedules for every team can be found here.