| 2024 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 14 – September 19, 2024 |
| Number of games | 40 per team |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 Ion CBS/CBSSN Amazon Prime Video NBA TV |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Caitlin Clark |
| Picked by | Indiana Fever |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | New York Liberty (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Minnesota Lynx |
| Finals MVP |  Jonquel Jones (New York) |
The 2024 WNBA season was the 28th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), a professional women's basketball league based in the United States.
The regular season ran from May 14 to September 19, with each of the 12 teams playing 40 games—four games each against the other five teams from the same conference, four games each against two teams from the other conference, and three games each against the remaining four teams in the other conference.[1] Five regular season games in early June were played against teams in the same conference to determine qualification for the WNBA Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament first played in 2021; the final will be hosted by the team with the better win–loss record in qualifying games.[2] The 2024 season includes a month-long break for the Summer Olympic Games, beginning after the annual WNBA All-Star Game on July 20 in Phoenix, Arizona.[3][4]
The eight teams with the best regular season records, regardless of conference, qualify for the WNBA Playoffs to determine the league's champion in the 2024 WNBA Finals. Since 2022, the playoffs have featured a best-of-three series in the first round, where teams are seeded based on regular season performance, and a best-of-five format for the semifinals and WNBA Finals.[5] The Las Vegas Aces were the defending champions, having won the 2023 WNBA Finals to retain their title in back-to-back seasons.[6] However, they lost to the New York Liberty in four games in the Semifinals, thus marked the end of the Aces' two year championship run. During the WNBA Finals, the New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in five games to win their first championship in franchise history.
- ^ Allen, Percy (December 18, 2023). "Here's a look at the Storm's 2024 schedule". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Voepel, M.A. (December 18, 2023). "WNBA goes to more compact format for Commissioner's Cup". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Pickman, Ben; Merchant, Sabreena (December 18, 2023). "WNBA unveils 2024 schedule with 40 regular-season games, new Commissioner's Cup format". The Athletic. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Feinberg, Doug (December 18, 2023). "WNBA to take its usual month-long break for the Olympics". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Henderson, Cydney (September 12, 2023). "2023 WNBA playoffs: Finals schedule, scores, matchups and award winners". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ Lev, Jacob (October 18, 2023). "Las Vegas Aces become WNBA's 1st repeat champions in 21 years". CNN. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2024.