WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert and league were able to assemble another 40-game schedule even with the Paris Summer Olympics set to take place in the middle of the season. The Liberty, who finished 32-8 in the first-ever 40-game season in 2023, look to enjoy the same success and get back into the WNBA Finals.
The Liberty — along with the rest of the league — will experience changes in the new season, including a reformatted Commissioner’s Cup tournament and a mid-season break right after All-Star Weekend.
Here are some key dates that stick out for head coach Sandy Brondello and the Liberty this season.
1ST GAME OF THE SEASON
For the second year in a row, the Liberty’s first game of the season will be on the road against the Washington Mystics on May 14. Last season, the Mystics shut down the new-look Liberty and cruised to a 16-point victory. In 2024, the matchup could be a bit different between the two teams that met in the first round of last year’s postseason.
The Mystics may be without two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne and star Natasha Cloud, who are both unrestricted free agents. Three-time All-Star Kristi Toliver, who hasn’t officially announced her retirement, became an associate head coach for the Phoenix Mercury.
HOME OPENER
Breanna Stewart and the Liberty will have their first game at Barclays Center on May 18. The 2023 MVP hopes to put on a show like she did in last year’s Barclays Center debut, when she broke the Liberty’s single-game scoring record with a 45-point performance against the Fever.
The home opener will give the Libs their second look of the season against 2023 unanimous Rookie of the Year winner Aliyah Boston. The teams will meet two days prior at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The matchups could also give the Libs a look at consensus No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark. Many project Clark to forgo her final year of eligibility and declare for the 2024 WNBA Draft.
1ST COMMISSIONER’S CUP GAME
The Libs will host the Fever for their first Commissioner’s Cup game on June 2. It’ll be the first of five in-conference matchups within the span of two weeks (June 1-13). The new format differs from last season’s structure. In 2023, teams played 10 Cup games. The championship game takes place on June 25 at the arena of the team with the best record in Cup play. The team from each conference with the top record in Commissioner’s Cup games will compete for a $500,000 prize pool.
“After crowning three Commissioner’s Cup champions since 2021, we believe it is time to introduce a new, streamlined format for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase for the 2024 season,” said Engelbert. “The newly designed, concentrated structure for this in-season tournament adds an increased sense of urgency and excitement as we place a particular spotlight on Eastern and Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup play in a two-week window near the tip-off of our regular season.”
Jonquel Jones, who is currently an unrestricted free agent, won Commissioner’s Cup MVP after lifting the Liberty to a win over the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.
SEMIFINALS REMATCH
The Liberty will travel to Uncasville for their first matchup against the Connecticut Sun and fourth Cup game overall. The two teams last met in Game 4 of last season’s semifinals, when Stewart and Betnijah Laney played every minute to eliminate MVP runner-up Alyssa Thomas and the Sun.
The Sun could have more than one key player missing in 2024. Guard Tiffany Hayes, who averaged 12.1 points on 47.6% shooting, announced her retirement weeks ago. DeWanna Bonner, Rebecca Allen and Brionna Jones are all unrestricted free agents.
The team is also believed to be a contender to sign six-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith. Her possible addition would satisfy the team’s need of an elite true point guard.
WNBA FINALS REMATCH
Superstar A’ja Wilson and the Aces will host the Liberty at Michelob Ultra Arena on June 15. It’ll be the first matchup between the two teams since the Aces eliminated the Libs in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals in Brooklyn.
The teams will meet at least two more times in 2024: Aug. 17 at Michelob Ultra Arena and Sept. 8 at Barclays Center.
ALL-STAR WEEKEND
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend will take place from July 19-20 in Phoenix, with the All-Star Game being on the latter date. Team Stewart defeated Team Wilson, 143-127, in last year’s game in Las Vegas. Liberty stars Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu helped captain Stewart get the win.
Ionescu also finished the weekend with extra hardware after scoring a record 37 of 40 points to win the 3-point contest.
OLYMPIC BREAK
The regular season will break from July 21-Aug. 14 when the Paris Olympics are set to take place. Many WNBA stars will represent their respective countries in the tournament.
REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
Brondello and the Libs will end their regular season against the Atlanta Dream at home on Sept. 19. All 12 teams will be in action that day with playoff seedings and berths on the line.
