WNBA's 15-Game Preseason Schedule to Include Multiple National Broadcasts for First Time Ever
April 28, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
NEW YORK - The WNBA today released its complete 15-game preseason schedule for 2025 and announced that, for the first time in league history, multiple preseason games will be broadcast nationally.
In addition to four national broadcasts across ESPN, ION, and NBA TV, fans can stream up to 14 of the 15 preseason games with a free WNBA League Pass preview in the Watch tab of the WNBA App, meaning that, for the first time ever, the entire slate of preseason action will be available to fans via broadcasts and streams. The 15th game is available only on ESPN platforms.
"We've seen the demand for WNBA content grow exponentially and we are meeting that demand by working with our broadcast partners and our teams to make a significant investment by making all 15 preseason games available to WNBA fans," said WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison. "It will be the ultimate way for fans to follow their favorite players as all 13 teams prepare to tip off the regular season in mid-May. And the preseason schedule itself, with superstars returning to the arenas where they starred in college and in some cases, teams from around the world serving as opponents, brings an entirely new level of excitement to the WNBA preseason."
The WNBA's 2025 preseason action tips off on Friday, May 2, with an ION doubleheader featuring the debut of Paige Bueckers, who was selected by the Dallas Wings with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft 2025 presented by State Farm, and multiple WNBA stars in action on the college campuses where they excelled.
In the first game, the Wings will face the two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces at Purcell Pavilion at Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame (7 p.m. ET). In addition to Bueckers' debut, that game will feature Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, a two-time AT&T WNBA All-Star Game MVP, and Aces guard Jackie Young, a two-time WNBA champion with Las Vegas, going head-to-head on the same court where they teamed up to guide the Fighting Irish to the 2018 NCAA national championship. That game also marks the Aces' debut of former Notre Dame star Jewell Loyd, a six-time WNBA All-Star acquired by Las Vegas in a trade on Feb. 1.
Later that evening, 2024 WNBA All-Star and WNBA All-Rookie Team selection Angel Reese, who propelled LSU to the 2023 national title, will lead the Chicago Sky against the Brazil Women's National Team at LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9 p.m. ET). An added highlight will be Reese's teammate and fellow All-Rookie Team pick, Kamilla Cardoso, squaring off against the Brazilian national team she has represented, and Sky rookie draft pick Hailey Van Lith also making her return to LSU, where she played during the 2023-24 season.
On Saturday, May 3, NBA TV will deliver the action when the Indiana Fever, led by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, the league's last two Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year selections, host the Washington Mystics, who recently added first round draft picks Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Georgia Amoore to their roster, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (1 p.m. ET).
The following day, Sunday May 4, Clark, the University of Iowa alum who was selected to the All-WNBA First Team as a rookie last year, will lead the Fever into Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City to face the Brazil Women's National Team on a to-be-announced ESPN platform (4 p.m. ET). That game will also feature the Fever's Damiris Dantas of São Paolo, Brazil, taking on the Brazilian national team that she, too, has represented.
Additional highlights of the WNBA preseason schedule:
On Monday, May 12, three-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu and her teammate, fellow Oregon alum Nyara Sabally, will lead the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty against the Toyota Antelopes of the Japan Basketball League at the University of Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena (7 p.m. PT, 10 p.m. ET).
The Fever will also travel to Gateway Center Arena @ College Park in Atlanta on Saturday, May 10 (3 p.m. ET) to face the Atlanta Dream, which added 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner and three-time WNBA All-Star Brionna Jones to its roster via free agency during the off-season.
The WNBA's newest team, the Golden State Valkyries, will make their preseason debut on Tuesday, May 6 at Chase Center in San Francisco (7 p.m. PT, 10 p.m. ET) when they host the Los Angeles Sparks, who acquired three-time WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum via trade to play alongside three-time All-Star Dearica Hamby and 2024 WNBA All-Rookie Team selection Rickea Jackson.
The Phoenix Mercury, which added WNBA career triple-doubles leader Alyssa Thomas and two-time WNBA All-Star Satou Sabally to a lineup that already included four-time All-Star Kahleah Copper, will visit the Aces in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 6 (7 p.m. PT, 10 p.m. ET).
The Minnesota Lynx, which reached the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV last season behind 2024 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and Kia WNBA MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier, will visit Chicago on Tuesday, May 6 (7 p.m. ET) and host the Sky in Minneapolis on Saturday, May 10 (8 p.m. ET).
The Seattle Storm, which added No. 2 overall draft pick Dominique Malonga to a roster led by nine-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike and six-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith, tips off its preseason schedule at home on Sunday, May 4 (3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET) against the Connecticut Sun, which will be led by free agent acquisition Tina Charles, who ranks first in WNBA history for career rebounds and second in career points.
Following the conclusion of the preseason, teams will be required to finalize their rosters by 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 15.
The WNBA's 29th regular season will tip off on Friday, May 16 and conclude on Thursday, Sept. 11, with each team playing a record-high 44 games. The WNBA Playoffs presented by Google will begin on Sunday, Sept. 14, culminating with the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, which will follow a best-of-seven format for the first time in league history. The entire postseason, which will feature up to 29 games, will be broadcast by Disney networks.
The WNBA App is available on iOS and Android devices, as well as on Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku. In addition to being a destination point for fans to access live preseason game action, the WNBA App will serve as the premier platform delivering exclusive and up-to-the-minute coverage ahead of and during preseason, featuring the latest scores, real-time highlights, and behind-the-scenes content.
2025 WNBA PRESEASON SCHEDULE
DATE VISITOR HOME ARENA/SITE LOCAL EASTERN NETWORK
TIME TIME
May 2 Dallas Las Vegas Purcell Pavilion at Joyce Center/Notre Dame 7:00 PM 7:00 PM ION/W League Pass*
May 2 Brazil National Team Chicago Pete Maravich Assembly Center/LSU 8:00 PM 9:00 PM ION/W League Pass*
May 3 Washington Indiana Gainbridge Fieldhouse/Indianapolis, Ind. 1:00 PM 1:00 PM NBA TV*
May 4 Brazil National Team Indiana Carver-Hawkeye Arena/Iowa City, Ia. 3:00 PM 4:00 PM ESPN^
May 4 Connecticut Seattle Climate Pledge Arena/Seattle, Wash. 3:00 PM 6:00 PM W League Pass*
May 6 Minnesota Chicago Wintrust Arena/Chicago, Ill. 6:00 PM 7:00 PM W League Pass*
May 6 Los Angeles Golden State Chase Center/San Francisco, Calif. 7:00 PM 10:00 PM W League Pass*
May 6 Phoenix Las Vegas Michelob Ultra Arena/Las Vegas, Nev. 7:00 PM 10:00 PM W League Pass*
May 7 Atlanta Washington CareFirst Arena/Washington, D.C. 11:30 AM 11:30 AM W League Pass*
May 9 Connecticut New York Barclays Center/Brooklyn, N.Y. 7:00 PM 7:00 PM W League Pass*
May 10 Indiana Atlanta Gateway Center Arena @ College Park/Atl. 3:00 PM 3:00 PM W League Pass*
May 10 Chicago Minnesota Target Center/Minneapolis, Minn. 7:00 PM 8:00 PM W League Pass*
May 10 Toyota Antelopes (JBL) Dallas College Park Center/Arlington, Texas 7:00 PM 8:00 PM W League Pass*
May 11 Golden State Phoenix PHX Arena/Phoenix, Ariz. 3:00 PM 6:00 PM W League Pass*
May 12 Toyota Antelopes (JBL) New York Matthew Knight Arena/University of Oregon 7:00 PM 10:00 PM W League Pass*
^ESPN platform to be announced
*League Pass Free Preview on the WNBA App, subject to local blackouts
Outside the U.S., all 15 preseason games will be available live in WNBA League Pass as part of the free preview on the WNBA App
• Discuss this story on the Women's National Basketball Association message board...
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 28, 2025
- Fever Have the Talent, But Know Coming Together Takes Time and Grace - Indiana Fever
- Connecticut Sun Waives Mya Hollingshed and Abbey Hsu - Connecticut Sun
- WNBA's 15-Game Preseason Schedule to Include Multiple National Broadcasts for First Time Ever - WNBA
- Now You Know: Indiana Fever Unveil New Campaign Ahead of 2025 Season - Indiana Fever
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
