WNBA Future: More Teams, More Games, More Money, Free Brittney

By Barry Janoff

July 11, 2022: The WNBA used its nationally televised All-Star Game platform in Chicago (ABC) July 10 to talk about its immediate and long-term future, which includes expansion, a record-number of regular season games, more amenities during the post-season and, first-and-foremost, strengthening its support for the safe and quick return of Brittney Griner.

Griner remains in prison in Russia, where she has been detained since February, after police at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, with her trial now underway.

Griner was a honorary member of the All-Star Game, a decal of her No. 42 was on the court at Wintrust Arena, home for the host Sky, and she was the focus of “We Are BG!” rallies and media gatherings in conjunction with WNBA All-Star Game events.

Before the game, every WNBA All-Star wore the No. 42 and the name Griner on the back of all their warm-up shirts.

For the second half of the game, a jersey with Griner’s name and number was worn by every player — black jerseys for Team Wilson, orange jerseys for Team Stewart — with the logo of Griner's WNBA franchise, the Phoenix Mercury, on the front.

Team Wilson won the game, 134-112.

During a pre-game media conference, commissioner Cathy Englebert said Griner remained top-of-mind, as did gender and health issues.

"Obviously we're thinking of Brittney Griner," Engelbert said. "She's always with us."

According to Englebert, each WNBA is scheduled to play a record 40 games beginning with the 2023 season, up from 36 games this year.

The commissioner also said here are plans for expansion from 12 teams by the 2025 season; the playoff bonus pool this year would increase to $500,000, which would include doubling what each player on the championship team now receives; and that the WNBA would use charter flights for all its league Finals games this year.

"We're seeing tremendous interest in the game, evidenced by viewership, and everything from draft on to today," Engelbert said during the media conference. "Our response to that also is to continue to try to grow, and we want to grow our footprint.

"Beginning next season, we're going to play 40 games. We need to have a more substantial season, so we'll do that next year."

According to Englebert, taking public stands on key issues will remain a priority.

‘We continue to advocate for gender and health equity, especially in communities of color, and access and reproductive health care,” she said.

“We certainly will continue to advocate for women's rights, reproductive rights, choice and all of that. We'll evaluate those kind of things when we're looking at cities.

"When we do our analysis of those (potential expansion) cities and run it through our psychographics and demographics, that comes through as a very important element as to how diverse the city is, what the support is around the city and state.

“That's why the players were so smart this year when they picked their Social Justice Council pillar of voting rights, and more importantly to me, civic engagement, because we need to be more civically engaged. Not just at the federal level but at the local and state level of who our elected leaders are in the states in which we play and certainly in every state."

Regarding future All-Star Games, “We did go to all of our teams and cities and ask who wanted to host it over the next three years. It was the first time we actually had that ask out for '23, '24, '25."

Overall, Engelbert said, “We continue to work really hard on the transformation of the business to improve the player experience.”

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