While the NBA and the NBPA continue to finalize details about their own return to play later this summer, their WNBA counterparts announced on Monday a commitment to a return to play with a focus on ‘social justice,’ including full salaries paid to every player in the shortened season, which will be played on the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida, which is near Tampa.
“In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it’s taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice,” said WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike in a press release from the WNBA. “We have always been at the forefront of initiatives with strong support of #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, the LGBTQ+ community, gun control, voting rights, #MeToo, mental health and the list goes on. This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”
There were reports that some WNBA players were part of Kyrie Irving’s phone call on Friday questioning the merits of a restart, it appears that the union has agreed with the league to move forward with the 2020 season. Just like with the WNBA, a season doesn’t mean that every player will play and we’ve already seen Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore forego multiple seasons in committing her life to focus on freeing Jonathan Irons, a man she believes was wrongfully convicted, prior to the current political climate.
Per the WNBA’s release, the 12 WNBA teams will report to Bradenton for training camp in early July.
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