The 12 must-see WNBA games of the 2023 regular season

The WNBA successful 2023 volition person 40 regular-season games, the astir successful league history. Major events won't interaction the league's calendar adjacent summertime oregon fall, with nary Olympics oregon FIBA World Cup. Stricter prioritization regulations spell into effect, meaning precocious arrivals for the play volition beryllium a no-go. And with five of the 12 teams nether caller coaches, galore eyes volition beryllium connected however those franchises set to caller leadership.

The Las Vegas Aces won their archetypal WNBA rubric nether Becky Hammon, whose coaching vocation successful the league began past year. The Aces' WNBA Finals opponent, the Connecticut Sun, volition beryllium guided present by erstwhile league subordinate and manager Stephanie White. Hammon and White played against each different successful the WNBA, some entering the league successful 1999 aft graduating from college.

The Aces-Sun matchups are among galore we are looking guardant to watching adjacent summer. While we don't cognize for definite precisely what the teams volition look similar personnel-wise -- escaped cause signings don't statesman until Feb. 1 and volition shingle up immoderate things -- we tin analyse 10 games that close present look intriguing.

Las Vegas Aces astatine Seattle Storm
Saturday, May 20, 3 p.m. ET

A rematch of their 2022 semifinal, though Storm fable Sue Bird has retired. Will escaped cause Breanna Stewart inactive beryllium with the Storm? Without Bird, it's a caller epoch for Seattle, and that volition beryllium adjacent much the lawsuit if Stewart is gone. As for the Aces, they volition beryllium trying to beryllium the archetypal squad to repetition since the Los Angeles Sparks successful 2001-2002.

Washington Mystics astatine Chicago Sky
Friday, May 26, 8 p.m. ET

The 2021 champion Sky person truthful galore roster questions, with players similar Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Emma Meesseman arsenic unrestricted escaped agents. The Mystics person their halfway of Elena Delle Donne, Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins nether contract, and present person Eric Thibault taking implicit from his father, Mike, arsenic caput coach.

Indiana Fever astatine Minnesota Lynx
Friday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET

The Fever and the Lynx volition draught 1-2 successful April, truthful this projects arsenic the archetypal matchup of the apical 2 picks. That mightiness beryllium South Carolina's Aliyah Boston and Stanford's Haley Jones, who mightiness beryllium coming disconnected an NCAA title lucifer successful April.

Seattle Storm astatine Phoenix Mercury
Tuesday, June 13, 10 p.m. ET

Will the Mercury and the NBA's Suns person caller ownership by this point? The Mercury mightiness beryllium successful their 2nd play without Brittney Griner, who is imprisoned successful Russia. Diana Taurasi , whose 41st day is 2 days earlier this game, has indicated she expects to play successful 2023. The Mercury made the 2022 playoffs, but dealt with a lot.

Connecticut Sun astatine Los Angeles Sparks
Sunday, June 18, 7:30 p.m. ET

New Sparks manager Curt Miller volition look the Sun, whom helium led to 2 WNBA Finals appearances successful 7 seasons astatine Connecticut. Los Angeles presently has conscionable 5 players nether contract, though face-of-the-franchise Nneka Ogwumike, an unrestricted escaped agent, has made it beauteous wide she wants to return.

Seattle Storm astatine New York Liberty
Saturday, July 8, 7 p.m. ET

The Liberty had their moments past season, but tin they go a WNBA title squad successful the adjacent fewer years? They presently don't person each the pieces needed to bash it, oregon a ton of headdress space. But let's spot what the squad looks similar by the commencement of the season.

Connecticut Sun astatine Chicago Sky
Wednesday, July 12, noon ET

Under White, the Sun anticipation to yet get to the past step: winning a championship. They mislaid to the Sky successful the 2021 semifinals and bushed Chicago successful the aforesaid circular successful 2022. This volition beryllium the 2nd of 4 matchups betwixt the Sun and Sky.

Los Angeles Sparks astatine Dallas Wings
Saturday, July 22, 8 p.m. ET

This volition beryllium the 4th clip adjacent play caller Wings manager Latricia Trammell volition look a Sparks squad for which she was an adjunct manager for 4 seasons earlier going to Dallas. Miller had immoderate involvement successful Dallas earlier opting for Los Angeles, wherever helium antecedently had been an assistant. By this point, we mightiness cognize if the Wings are a squad susceptible of much than conscionable making the playoffs.

Las Vegas Aces astatine Chicago Sky
Tuesday, July 25, 7 p.m. ET

Many thought these teams would conscionable successful the WNBA Finals past season, arsenic they tied astatine 26-10 atop the league. It wasn't to be: Game 5 of the semifinals got distant precocious from Chicago against Connecticut. The Aces and Sky are successful precise antithetic positions this offseason; Las Vegas has each its cardinal players signed for 2023, including two-time MVP A'ja Wilson. Chicago, arsenic mentioned, has galore questions.

Atlanta Dream astatine Indiana Fever
Sunday, Aug. 27, 4 p.m. ET

This crippled could beryllium astir 2 teams that person made melodramatic improvements with the 2022 (Rhyne Howard) and 2023 No. 1 picks and are making playoff runs. Or it could beryllium that the Dream and the Fever volition erstwhile again beryllium looking astatine the draught lottery.

Washington Mystics vs. Las Vegas Aces
Thursday Aug. 31, 10 p.m. ET

The Mystics did good successful regulating Delle Donne's docket past play to support her arsenic rested arsenic imaginable and not enactment excessive strain connected her backmost owed to travel. This volition beryllium the archetypal of a three-game agelong connected the West Coast adjacent the extremity of the regular season, and Delle Donne mightiness beryllium geared up for what could beryllium a cardinal tally for Washington.

Phoenix Mercury astatine Minnesota Lynx
Sunday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.

Last season, the Lynx missed the playoffs for the archetypal clip since 2010, and prima halfway Sylvia Fowles retired. The lottery went Minnesota's way, though, giving them the 2nd pick, and they expect Napheesa Collier backmost beardown aft maternity permission kept her retired astir of past season. Both these teams could request a large triumph present for playoff position.