What you need to know about the 2023 WNBA season

The WNBA kicks off its 27th season on Friday with new rules, new rosters and one big return. Here’s what to expect.

Brittney Griner is back.

After nearly 10 months in detention in Russia, Britney Griner going to play basketball again.

Griner’s detention clouded last year’s WNBA season. She was arrested in February 2022 at an airport near Moscow on drug charges, and subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison. The league regularly paid tribute to her during the season and her fellow players spoke out on her behalf.

Griner was released in December in a prisoner exchange and after recovering privately for some time, she signed a one-year contract to return to the Phoenix Mercury.

Griner did not play basketball during her incarceration and is still working to get back into shape. “Everyone tells me to give myself grace and it will take time,” she said at a press conference in April, “but that’s the hardest thing there is for a professional athlete, because we always want to be in top form again.” .”

Griner and the Mercury open their season Friday in Los Angeles against the Sparks.

Star players join forces.

The off-season was dominated by the signing and trade of free agents creating two super teams: the Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces.

The Liberty made three major moves: First, they traded with the Connecticut Sun for Jonquel Jonesthe league’s most valuable player in 2021. Then they brought in one of the best free agents: Brianna Stewart, the 2018 MVP, who had won two championships in Seattle. Finally, they signed the league’s career leader, Courtney Vanderloot. Those three join returnees Betnijah Laney and Sabrina Ionescu, who have each formed an All-Star team.

The reigning champion Aces already boasted an impressive roster of talent: last year’s MVP, A’ja Wilson (who also won in 2020); Chelsea Gray, the MVP of the 2022 Finals; and their fellow All-Stars, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. And then they started drawing Candace Parker, the two-time MVP, two-time champion and seven-time All-Star. They also picked up the veteran Alice Clarkwho won two titles with Seattle.

The rest of the league doesn’t shy away from the super teams. “In the best films, the underdog ends up on top,” Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics told reporters this month.

Still, the Aces and Liberty are by far the betting favorites to win it all.

Rookies try to make their mark.

Some of the newest WNBA players are just weeks away from finishing their college careers. How they make that transition will be crucial to the fate of their new teams.

Alice Boston was the Indiana Fever’s obvious pick as the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft. Boston, who led South Carolina to a national title in 2022 and back to the Final Four this year, is expected to become a cornerstone of the franchise for the Fever as it rebuilds. While the competition she faces will be tougher in the WNBA, Boston should be able to score easier without facing the same doubles and triples teams she faced in college.

With this year’s No. 2 pick, Minnesota lined up Diamond miller, who led Maryland in nearly 20 points per game in the 2022-23 season. Miller is a versatile and athletic winger who should pair well with Napheesa Collier.

Hayley Jonesthe No. 6 draft pick, led Stanford for four years, including the Cardinals’ 2021 title challenge. She fits well into an Atlanta Dream team looking for more playmakers.

New lines will add new wrinkles.

The competition too its rulebook updated this low season.

WNBA coaches can now challenge one – and only one – call-up per game. Coaches can request ratings on three types of calls: a foul by their team, an out-of-bounds call, or a foul for goaltending or basket interference. Coaches are limited to one challenge, even if the challenge is successful and even if the game goes into overtime.

Officials may also now penalize players for committing a foul during a quick break without making a legitimate play on the ball. For this, a transition foul, the offensive team is awarded one free throw, which can be taken by any player on the floor, and the offensive team retains control of the ball.

The WNBA also has new guidelines for sideline activity. In an effort to limit disruptions and distractions, the league is telling players who aren’t in the game not to stand “for an extended period of time”. Players and coaches must also not “attempt to distract their opponents in an unsportsmanlike manner”. Teams may receive a delay of game warning or a technical foul for an infraction.