Apr 4, 2020 - Sports

Coronavirus causes delay in WNBA season and training camps

 Elena Delle Donne #11 of Washington Mystics defends Jasmine Thomas #5 of Connecticut Sun during the 2019 WNBA Finals

Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The WNBA announced Friday it is postponing the start of its training camps and season, previously scheduled to begin on May 15.

The state of play: The postponement of the 2020 Olympics also gives the league flexibility to delay the season since players were slated to take July off to participate in the Tokyo Games. The WNBA, the longest-running professional female sports league, plans to hold a virtual draft April 17, AP reports.

"This virtual draft allows players who have worked so hard to have their dreams realized when they hear their names called and provides teams the opportunity to build their rosters in anticipation of the day that we are able to move forward with our season."
— WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a statement
  • New York City and Seattle both have WNBA teams and are two coronavirus hotspots in the U.S. Per Ap: “One of the [Seattle] Storm’s homes for the season, the Angel of the Winds Arena, is being used as a coronavirus isolation site.”
  • Engelbert told the AP last week that she thinks the WNBA could resume its season before the NBA and other sports leagues because it has fewer teams and players.

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