Momentum rapidly is building for the 2024 WNBA season. Let’s catch up on the recent W-related news.
WNBA partners with Second Spectrum
On Tuesday, the WNBA announced a multi-year partnership with Second Spectrum, which will provide optical tracking in all WNBA arenas. The WNBA will be the only women’s pro sports league in the United States with league-wide advanced tracking.
With the data gleaned from three-dimensional player- and ball-tracking, WNBA teams can engage in more sophisticated analysis of team strengths, weaknesses and strategies.
INBOX:
The #WNBA is bringing optical tracking to the league through a partnership with Second Spectrum.
Each WNBA arena will use cameras to collect low-latency, 3D player pose and ball tracking data. This will greatly help player and team analytics and coaching strategies. pic.twitter.com/YCo3FTVJM6
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) March 5, 2024
On the partnership, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said:
Technology continues to fundamentally change the sports landscape. Deploying state-of-the-art optical tracking technology through Genius Sports will deliver rich data to our teams that they can leverage to enhance player performance while informing in-game strategy and enable a new wave of insights and media elements for fans.
WNBA Draft 2024 is sold out
Looks like everyone is excited about the WNBA Draft!
Open to fans for the first time since 2016, tickets to WNBA Draft 2024 sold out in 15 minutes. Congratulations to 1,000 lucky fans who will be attendance to hear Commissioner Cathy Engelbert call Caitlin Clark’s name when the Indiana Fever make the first pick.
YALL DID YOUR BIG ONE FOR SURE! Tickets sold out in 15 MINUTES ️
W fans do not play around AT ALL
If you didn’t get to cop… don’t worry!
You can watch the WNBA draft presented by @StateFarm, April 15th on ESPN at 7:30pm/ET pic.twitter.com/6qmxPBGCdm
— WNBA (@WNBA) March 7, 2024
WNBA Canada Game returns
For the second-straight year, the WNBA will hold a preseason game in Canada. After last year’s successful exhibition in Toronto between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx, a preseason match between the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm will take place in Edmonton on Sunday, May 5.
Our Canadian correspondent, Chelsea Leite, has the details about the event, as well as some interesting information about Edmonton’s historical significance to women’s basketball in Canada.
In additional Canadian WNBA news, Toronto has re-emerged a potential site for an expansion team.
*BREAKING NEWS*
Sources tell me Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Group has a proposed bid to bring the 14th WNBA team to Toronto. Former Raptors VP Teresa Resch is pegged to lead the new franchise.
More on this in my latest for @cbcsports https://t.co/i7lpDTRZJL
— Shireen Ahmed (@_shireenahmed_) March 4, 2024
Aces exhibition in A’ja’s hometown
While the Storm and Sparks will spend part of their preseason north of the border, the Las Vegas Aces are heading to A’ja Wilson’s hometown, playing a preseason game on Saturday, May 11 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC against the Puerto Rican national team.
The Aces also might be sporting their new uniforms, which will include a new Ally jersey patch.
Catch the newest “Off Top”
Episode 1 of Season 3 of “Off Top,” the WNBA’s interview series hosted by Ari Chambers, debuted on Friday, Mar. 8, International Women’s Day. Chambers chats with 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston and 2022 Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard, both of whom are participants in the 2024 Player Marketing Agreement cohort.