Season opener set for July 26
The Sky will open their season July 26 against the Aces in a rematch of a second-round playoff game last season, the team announced Monday.
The Aces ended the Sky’s 2019 season after forward Dearica Hamby made a game-winning, 38-foot shot that coach James Wade has argued shouldn’t have counted because she allegedly stepped out of bounds.
The Sky will play each of the 11 other WNBA teams twice and will have 10 nationally televised games, including their opener on ABC.
The Sky’s most grueling stretch likely will be their three games between Aug. 6 and Aug. 10, when they’ll play the Mercury, Sun and Storm — three All-Starladen teams who are pegged to make runs at the WNBA title.
Another notable date on the schedule is Aug. 4, which is when 2019 first-round draft pick Katie Lou Samuelson and Astou Ndour — both of whom the Sky traded to the Wings during the offseason — will face their former team for the first time.
The Sky’s announcement was part of the WNBA’s reveal of the entire schedule. The league will tip off its 22-game season-in-abubble at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, with back-toback days of tripleheader broadcasts July 25-26 on ABC, ESPN and CBS Sports Network.
The first game — a matchup between the Storm and Liberty that will begin at 11 a.m. July 25 on ESPN — will feature the return of Storm stars Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, who missed last season because of injuries, and the pro debut of No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu with the Liberty.
The regular season will conclude Sept. 12 and will be followed by a traditional playoff format.