Eight Key Matchups to Watch in the 2024 WNBA Season
After a thrilling finish to the 2023 season that included a clash of the superteams in the WNBA Finals, the release of the ’24 regular-season schedule included plenty of top-tier contests to watch when competition tips off next May.
The WNBA registered its most-watched campaign last season in 21 years, and the ’24 season marks the second campaign that the league will have a total of 40 regular-season games.
The Commissioner’s Cup will also return for a fourth year, starting on June 1, 2024, but with a new format. Each team will play a total of five Commissioner’s Cup games (three at home and two on the road), with one against its in-conference rival for a chance to play in the in-season championship game for a $500,000 prize.
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Next year’s All-Star Game will take place July 20 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, followed by a regular-season break for the Summer Olympics in Paris, where the U.S. women’s national team will seek its eighth consecutive gold medal.
From postseason rematches on opening night and what could be the beginning of the goodbyes for one longtime WNBA legend, here are some of the more intriguing games in 2024.
Liberty at Mystics: May 14
The 2023 runner-up will make the trip to the nation’s capital on opening night in a rematch of the ’23 first-round series. Although New York earned the sweep to pick up its first win in a playoff series since ’15, the Mystics forced overtime in the series finale. With a Liberty squad looking to reign supreme in the Eastern Conference once again and a Washington team seeking to live up to its greatest potential, it has the makings for a competitive matchup.
Mystics at Sun: June 4
Washington will go on the road to face Connecticut in its first Commissioner’s Cup game. But before this matchup, the two teams will have already played each other May 17. It doesn’t get much better than 2023 WNBA MVP runner-up and all-time triple-double leader Alyssa Thomas and two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne battling for 40 minutes—if the Mystics and the unrestricted free agent come to an agreement this offseason. This contest will be exciting to watch, especially if both teams are at full strength.
Aces at Wings: June 5
Las Vegas will travel to Dallas for a 2023 semifinals rematch. Like the Aces, the Wings have their own cluster of elite talent in three-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, ’23 Most Improved Player Satou Sabally, veteran center Teaira McCowan and forward Natasha Howard. While the Aces dominated in the first game of the postseason series, the Wings dropped two tightly contested battles to the eventual WNBA champs. If the Wings’ roster virtually remains the same, expect to see a good game at College Park Center.
Liberty at Aces: June 15
The June battle of the league’s superteams will be the first time the squads have met since the epic Finals showdown. The Aces beat the Liberty in the first two games decisively before losing Game 3 and winning a nail-biter in Game 4 to win the series and earn back-to-back titles. With all the star power from both teams set to return and barring no injuries up to this point, this game will be must-see TV.
Sun at Liberty: Aug. 24
The two teams clashed in last season’s semifinals, a series that saw New York win back-to-back games to earn its first Finals appearance in more than two decades after a disappointing outing in Game 1. The two catalysts behind the Liberty’s series-clinching win were 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart and ’21 MVP Jonquel Jones, who spent her first six seasons in the W with Connecticut. In the final regular-season matchup between the two teams, this game will likely carry postseason seeding implications, excitement and tons of star power.
Aces at Liberty: Sept. 8
Las Vegas and New York will meet for their third and final matchup of the season. The two teams will have squared off for the second time of the season three weeks earlier. In the third contest between New York and Las Vegas in the ’23 campaign, Chelsea Gray delivered the second triple-double performance of her career to snap the Liberty’s six-game winning streak while also helping the Aces earn their revenge from the ugly loss in the Commissioner’s Cup. Expect to see a postseason feel to this game.
Sun at Aces: Sept. 15
Much like the Las Vegas–New York matchup above, the final clash between the Sun and Aces will feel like a heavyweight playoff bout between the West Coast powerhouse and a dominant East Coast force likely competing for the top spot with the Liberty. The two teams played all three of their contests—June 6, June 8 and July 1—before last season’s All-Star break. With a late-season clash this time around that could be a potential playoff matchup, get your popcorn ready for a battle between 2023 Finals MVP A’ja Wilson and Suns’ Thomas.
Storm at Mercury: Sept. 19
The WNBA has witnessed the greatness of Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi for 19 seasons. While the three-time WNBA champion and the league’s first 10,000-point scorer has not indicated that 2024 will be her final season, it’s possible that she could close the curtain on her award-winning career. Should Taurasi decide to retire, the 41-year-old would want to end her career competing for a title in her 20th season. This means Phoenix will need to have secured a playoff spot or be in the process of earning a postseason opportunity by early next September under first-year coach Nate Tibbetts after snapping a decade-long playoff streak this year. But beyond the hypotheticals, if the Mercury’s game against the Storm is Taurasi’s last, she would end her career as part of WNBA royalty, much like her friend Sue Bird did in her ’22 retirement tour.