2024 WNBA regular season: Essentials to know with much anticipated year opening Tuesday

Arguably one of the most highly-anticipated WNBA seasons in the league’s history has arrived.

The 2024 WNBA season is set to tip off, and it is shaping up to be one of the most exciting times in professional women’s basketball. The game and interest in the league has exploded to new heights, and the incoming draft class has generated more buzz.

College stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and more will be making their debuts at the professional level, but there is already plenty of stars they’ll go up against, including New York Liberty forward and 2023 Most Valuable Player Breanna Stewart, Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson. Can the rookies lead their teams to immediate success? Or will star-studded teams continue to shine?

Here’s what to know ahead of the 2024 WNBA season:

When does the WNBA 2024 season start?

The WNBA regular season begins with a four-game slate Tuesday, May 14. The games are:

• New York Liberty at Washington Mystics, 7 p.m. ET

• Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2

• Phoenix Mercury at Las Vegas Aces, 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2

• Minnesota Lynx at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m.

Each team will play 40 games in their respective seasons. The league’s regular season runs through Sept. 19, when all 12 franchises are in action over a six-game slate.

When is Caitlin Clark’s first WNBA game?

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star who was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA draft, is scheduled to make her WNBA debut on the league’s opening night. The Fever play the Connecticut Sun at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 14 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, with the game televised nationally on ESPN2.

Clark will be the showcase of the WNBA television schedule in 2024; the Fever will have 36 of their 40 regular-season games available on linear television or streaming services.

When is Angel Reese’s first WNBA game?

Former LSU forward Angel Reese, the Chicago Sky’s No. 7 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA draft, is scheduled to make her WNBA debut Wednesday, May 15, when the Sky travel to face the Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. ET at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. That game will be available on WNBA League Pass.

How to watch WNBA games

Fans can catch all the WNBA action through several ways. The WNBA has a League Pass offering that gives fans streaming access to every single game. The WNBA also has several broadcast partners: ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2, Amazon Prime Video, CBS and CBS Sports Network, NBA TV and Ion Television.

Who won 2023 WNBA Finals?

The Las Vegas Aces, led by coach Becky Hammon, are the reigning two-time WNBA Finals champions. The Aces have posted a combined 60-16 (.789) record over the last two regular seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does 2024 WNBA season start? Caitlin Clark’s opener, how to watch