WNBA season will play out in Florida

The WNBA will have a 2020 season.

The league, which has been on hiatus for almost two months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Monday announced it has laid out plans to resume in July at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

“We are finalizing a season start plan to build on the tremendous momentum generated in the league during the offseason,” first-year WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement, “and have used the guiding principles of health and safety of players and essential staff to establish necessary and extensive protocols.

“We will continue to consult with medical experts and public health officials as well as players, team owners and other stakeholders as we move forward with our execution plan.”

Players would report to the facility in early July for the start of training camp and the season would tip off later that month. Some players, like the Liberty’s Han Xu and Marine Johannes, are still stuck abroad because of the pandemic.

The WNBA’s announcement comes amid a serious of back-and-forth discussions among various players in the NBA over whether to play out the remainder of their season at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando. The back and forth there, however, has less to do with the coronavirus (and increasing number of reported cases in Florida) and more to do with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Players, led by Kyrie Irving, have questioned the importance of returning to play after George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis, died while in police custody, sparking international outrage and overwhelming support for ending police brutality, racism and white supremacy.

On Friday, Nets’ star Kyrie Irving, while on a call with more than 80 NBA players, said he was “willing to give up everything I have,” according to The Athletic. Unidentified WNBA players reportedly said they would “stand in unity” with the NBA players, according to Yahoo! Sports.

While there are surely some WNBA players who share the same sentiment, others are likely still hoping to build on the momentum the league has gained, especially this year.

In January the league and the player’s union passed a historic new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which granted players new benefits like paid maternity leave, better housing options, upgraded team flights and single rooms for travel games.