The 28th WNBA season is finally here, and it's set to be one of the biggest yet — which also makes for some pretty entertaining narratives.

Leading the way are the Las Vegas Aces, who are vying for their third-straight WNBA championship. It’s only ever happened once in league history, when the Houston Comets ticked off four back-to-back titles wins from 1997-2000. Led by 2023 Finals MVP A’ja Wilson, the Aces look poised to have a go at making history.

Over in Indiana, Caitlin Clark has arrived as one of the most hyped WNBA rookies in a decade. There are massive expectations of both Clark and the Fever this season, with Clark a favorite to win Rookie of the Year — and possibly having good odds to win league MVP. 

Only one player has ever won MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year: Candace Parker in 2008. But both Clark and her teammates are keeping things in perspective.

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"To create championship culture, you've got to build relationships with your teammates, get to know them," Clark said at last week's Fever media day. "We're a young team for the most part. Building that chemistry and being able to click on court are the biggest things."

The New York Liberty made it all the way to their first WNBA Finals since 2002 last year, but at times looked discombobulated as the "superteam" worked to establish on-court chemistry. Similar cracks appeared during preseason, when the seasoned squad conceded a near 50-point loss to the Chicago Sky.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Sun are hunting down their first-ever WNBA trophy — and to finally put to bed their "always a contender, never a champ" reputation.

There’s also excitement in Chicago, where rookie rivals turned teammates Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese are gearing up to put on a show (as soon as Cardoso's shoulder recovers, of course). Speaking of rebuilding, Washington is entering its post-Elena Delle Donne era, and their future without the one-time franchise player has yet to be determined.

Both Dallas and Atlanta remain fan favorites, as each aim to make deeper runs this year. Out west, Phoenix and Seattle also look to return to form, eyeing postseason glory after major offseason acquisitions. And Los Angeles and Minnesota are betting the house on the youth, stocking their rosters with young, hungry talent in an attempt to foster some on-court fire.

With the 2024 WNBA season set to tip off on Tuesday, teams from around the league have issued their final rosters. 

While some big name players were subject to cuts, a few repeat bubble players were able to make their respective teams while a couple of surprise rookies also found their way onto opening-day squads. Here's everything you need to know about the each WNBA team's permanent roster, from training day waivers and draftee futures to projected season shakeouts.

Atlanta Dream

The Dream made some interesting offseason moves, adding seasoned post-scorer and 2012 WNBA MVP Tina Charles in an attempt to build on an impressive 2023 run that saw Atlanta through to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. On the flip side, the Dream cut all three of their rookies — Khadijiah Cave, Taja Cole, Elizabeth Balogun — along with training camp recruits Khaalia Hillsman and South Carolina grad Destanni Henderson.

Check out the final roster here.

Chicago Sky

The Chicago Sky have undergone something of a roster overhaul this offseason, kicked off by Kahleah Copper's trade to Phoenix. Newly minted head coach Teresa Weatherspoon’s first season at the helm will be led by Diamond DeShields, as well as star rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, currently sidelined with a shoulder injury. 

Former No. 4 pick Kysre Gondrezick made the Sky roster this year, while Chennedy Carter also found a landing spot in Chicago. 

Check out the final roster here.

Connecticut Sun

Just six players from the 2023 season have made their way back onto the Sun’s 2024 roster, including 2023 All-WNBA First Team member Alyssa Thomas. While there aren’t any rookies on this roster, Queen Egbo joins the Sun for the first time and alongside Olivia Nelson-Ododa, promises an interesting dynamic on the court. 

Check out the final roster here.

Indiana Fever

The Indiana Fever are carrying 13 players on their roster, with Damiris Dantas’ contract suspended as a result of injury. Headlined by Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and rookie phenom Caitlin Clark, Indiana is betting on their mix of veteran and young players as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. 

Check out the final roster here.

New York Liberty

2023 WNBA Finals contenders took their time whittling down their roster on Monday, announcing the final lineup two minutes after the league's 5 PM ET deadline. The result is a refreshed bench designed to fuel their road back to the offseason, balancing experience and star power (Vandersloot, Ionescu, Jones, Stewart, Laney-Hamilton) with some rookie ingenuity by way of 2024 11th overall pick Marquesha Davis.

Check out the final roster here.

Washington Mystics

Washington is entering a new era after losing stars Natasha Cloud and Elena Delle Donne and taking UConn standout Aaliyah Edwards No. 6 overall in the 2024 draft. Edwards will have her shot at returning to the playoffs with the Mystics, making the roster alongside 2022 draft pick Shakira Austin and proven contributors Brittney Sykes and Ariel Atkins. Also of note, former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year with Baylor DiDi Richards, who's back in the league after being cut by the Liberty in 2023.

Check out the final roster here.

Dallas Wings

The Dallas Wings are coming off of a solid 2023 season and are poised to enter 2024 with a lot of buzz. Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally head up a strong rookie class that includes Ohio State leader Jacy Sheldon and undrafted surprise hit Jaelyn Brown. Lou Lopez Sénéchal will also see playing time this season after spending last year out with an injury.

One notable absence is Victoria Brown, who was cut by the team on Sunday.

Check out the final roster here.

Las Vegas Aces

The 2024 WNBA champs are going for the three-peat this year, arming themselves with an arsenal of veteran talent in the face of Candace Parker's unexpected retirement. Two-time league MVP A'ja Wilson leads a pack that spans the likes of Kelsey Plum, Kiah Stokes, and Syd Colson while draftees Dyaisha Fair (Syracuse) and Kate Martin (Iowa) can finally breathe easy after officially making the cut.

Check out the final roster here.

Los Angels Sparks

With high-profile draftees Stanford's Cameron Brink and Tennessee's Rickea Jackson both securing their spots on the final roster, the well-balanced Sparks are looking to drum up chemistry between the young recruits and longtime power players like Dearica Hamby.

Check out the final roster here.

Minnesota Lynx

Versatility is the name of the game in Minnesota, where the Lynx look to dominate the frontcourt with the likes of Napheesa Collier, Diamond Miller, and Alanna Smith. Guard Courtney Williams has also made herself known in preseason action, while No. 8 overall draft pick Alissa Pili (Utah) survived a tough slate of cuts that showed third-round pick Kiki Jefferson (Louisville) and 2021 WNBA champ Ruthy Hebard the door.

Check out the final roster here.

Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury acquired some major players this offseason, adding Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper to a squad that already lists trusted vets Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi in a bid to right Phoenix's 9-31 2023 record. The rookies didn't have an easy go of it, however, with 2024 third-round picks Charisma Osborne out of UCLA and Jaz Shelley out of Nebraska joining former CU Buffs star Mya Hollingshed on the cuts list.

Check out the final roster here.

Seattle Storm

A revamped Storm aims to reclaim their place in the postseason this year, pairing league stars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneke Ogwumike with starting guard Jewell Lloyd in an effort to put points on the board from the jump. UConn alum Nika Mühl, considered somewhat of a bubble player after going No. 14 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, is officially sticking around, while fellow rookie Quay Miller (Colorado) failed to make the opening-day lineup.

Check out the final roster here.

The WNBA 28th season officially begins on Tuesday, May 14th.

A four-game doubleheader is set to kick things off on opening day, with a sold-out matchup featuring Caitlin Clark’s regular season debut with the Indiana Fever leading the charge. A'ja Wilson and the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces will also be in action, going up against the Phoenix Mercury at 10 PM ET in the evening's second act. 

First up are the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics, with 2023 league MVP Breanna Stewart hoping to once again guide her team back to the WNBA Finals. Last year, Stewart led the team in scoring with 23.1 points per game, while the Liberty notched a league-best 11.1 three-pointers per game last season. 

For their part, the Mystics find themselves without longtime forward Elena Delle Donne this season. Rookie Aaliyah Edwards will attempt to fill the void, being one to watch as Washington looks to turn the page on its next chapter.

At 7:30 PM ET, the Fever face the perennially dangerous Connecticut Sun. Indiana is coming off their best season since 2019, finishing the year 13 and 27 overall. Armed with 2024's No. 1 draft pick, they're now looking to make their first playoffs appearance since 2016. This could be one of the first true tests for the much-hyped Caitlin Clark, as the rookie squares off with Sun starter DeWanna Bonner.

The 10 PM ET bill keeps things going with the 2024 WNBA title-winning Aces hosting the Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Despite losing superstar Candace Parker to retirement in April, the Aces' roster remains stacked with household names Sydney Colson, Kelsey Plum, and Kiah Stokes complementing rookie Kate Martin and two-time league MVP Wilson. They'll need to harness some of that 2023 champion chemistry on the court if they want to one-up a veteran-heavy Phoenix squad.

Rounding out the night is a Seattle team headlined by offseason additions Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith plus 2024 draft pick, UConn alum Nika Mühl. Paired up with team stalwart Jewell Loyd, the powerful arrangement could make for a sneaky sleeper pick for the WNBA Finals. Minnesota, meanwhile, won both of its preseason games, with 2024 draftee Alissa Pili putting up some solid performances under the basket. Pili, alongside Napheesa Collier and Diamond Miller, could form a tough defensive wall capable of silencing even the most offensively gifted opponents.

Tuesday, May 14th:

Wednesday, May 15th:

Teams around the WNBA are under pressure to finalize their 12-player rosters before Monday's league-enforced deadline.

Teams must cut their 2024 rosters down to just 12 spots from as many as 18 training camp players. And while this year’s WNBA draft class is undoubtedly rife with talent, only 18 draftees remain rostered ahead of Monday's final cuts. Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their team’s opening-day squad. 

And it's not just rookies. Veteran players are also on the chopping block, even former title-winners: On Thursday, the Minnesota Lynx waived 2021 WNBA champ Ruthy Hebard.

But with every wave of cuts, players that survive dismissal inch closer to claiming a coveted roster spot. The Las Vegas Aces have already reached that magic number 12, opening the door for draft picks Dyaisha Fair and Kate Martin to stay on with the reigning champs.

Additionally, Dallas has whittled their training camp group down to 12. Fifth overall pick Jacy Sheldon and undrafted rookie Jaelyn Brown continue to remain in the mix. 

Other teams, meanwhile, still have decisions to make. Seattle currently lists 13 players, while others like New York still have a full 18 players in training camp. It’s likely that the final preseason game will tip roster decisions one way or another as coaching staffs continue to evaluate performance and playing time. 

But being cut doesn't mean the end of the road for everyone. Should players be waived, they can still be signed to short-term hardship contracts with teams carrying injured players on their permanent rosters. 

The 2024 WNBA season kicks off on Tuesday, May 14th.

The 2024 WNBA season will bring a new Commissioner’s Cup format, another opportunity for a Las Vegas Aces title defense and an Olympic break.

The schedule tips off with four games on May 14, including the Aces hosting the Phoenix Mercury in their opener and the Indiana Fever potentially showing off the No. 1 overall draft pick against the Connecticut Sun. All 12 teams will play 40 games, and the season will end on Sept. 19 with every team in action.

“We eagerly anticipate tipping off the 2024 season and building on the success of last season, our most-watched in 21 years and a record-setter for social media engagement, digital consumption, All-Star merchandise sales and sports betting,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.

No games will take place from July 18 through Aug. 14 due to the Paris Olympics, which will feature many WNBA players competing for their national teams. The All-Star game will be held on July 20 in Phoenix, and it will also serve as a send-off event for the U.S. Olympic team.

The revamped Commissioner’s Cup tournament will take place before the Olympic break, with the in-season tournament games taking place from June 1-13. The best two teams from that two-week qualifying period will face off in the championship game on June 25.

The Aces will go up against the New York Liberty, who the two-time reigning champions defeated in the 2023 WNBA Finals, three times in the regular season: June 15 and Aug. 17 in Las Vegas and Sept. 8 in New York.

The complete 2024 schedule can be viewed here.

Candace Parker wants to play another WNBA season, but only if she is fully healthy, she told Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America.”

The two-time WNBA MVP missed the second half of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery to repair a foot fracture in July. Before the surgery, the 37-year-old started in the first 18 games of the season for the Las Vegas Aces, averaging 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

“I’m coming off a foot surgery. If I’m healthy, I’m going to play. But I’m not going to play in pain anymore,” she said Thursday.

She shared the same sentiment in an interview with the Associated Press, noting that she played on her injured foot throughout the first half of the 2023 season. She is still rehabbing the injury, and she has other priorities: “I want to be able to go out to the beach. I love playing beach volleyball. I don’t know if one more season is worth risking that.”

Parker enters the offseason as a free agent. She signed a one-year deal with the Aces ahead of the 2023 season.

“If I’m healthy, I’m going to play, but the game of basketball is in amazing hands regardless,” she told Roberts.

Parker saw the future of the game up close as a member of the Aces. While she had to watch from the sidelines as the Las Vegas Aces won the championship, she spent the season working alongside head coach Becky Hammon, who won her second title in as many years, and A’ja Wilson, who took home the Finals MVP award.

“I realized why they’re a first-class organization: Becky Hammon, the way she brings everybody together; A’ja, I was extremely proud of the leader she’s been all season; Chelsea Gray; Kelsey Plum — go down the line,” Parker said. “I just was really happy to be a part of that.

“And it’s extremely humbling to do it from the sideline, from a different vantage point, but it was so special to see the adversity that the team was able to overcome.”

Parker is preparing for the debut of her documentary, “Candace Parker: Unapologetic,” which will premiere at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN.

Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston could be WNBA teammates in 2024, and they are well aware of the possibility.

Clark enters the college basketball season as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Iowa superstar has yet to determine whether she’ll go pro or return for a fifth year with the Hawkeyes — but if she heads to the WNBA, there is a good chance she will wind up with Boston.

The Indiana Fever selected Boston with No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, and the former South Carolina standout went on to become the unanimous selection for WNBA Rookie of the Year. The Fever also hold the best odds for the No. 1 pick in 2024, with a 44.2% chance of winning the draft lottery on Dec. 10.

Boston, who is making her broadcast debut as an analyst for Big Ten basketball games this season, sat down with Clark in October for a Taylor Swift-themed interview. So it was inevitable that the draft would come up.

“Well, the Indiana Fever could have the first pick, so maybe we’ll have the duo,” Clark said. “I don’t know. Remains to be seen. But me and Aliyah might be teammates at some point, you never know.”

Of course, the two aren’t strangers to one another on the court. Clark and Iowa beat out Boston and South Carolina in the 2023 Final Four, and the two also have been teammates on Team USA.

“We were teammates before, so maybe we’ll have to reconnect,” Clark said of the WNBA draft, to which Boston replied: “Exactly.”

Still, Clark is entering her senior season with her mind open to all possibilities. But she knows she does not want to live with any regrets.

“I don’t know if I’m going to stay, I don’t know if I’m going to go,” she said. “I think it’s just something that, your time in college is so special. It’s different from being a pro. Obviously I haven’t lived that, but you just kind of know that from watching the WNBA, I’m a big fan. And I just want to experience every single moment and really soak it in. Soak in the games we lose, soak in the games we win.

“I feel like I was just a freshman — you can probably say the same. Time flies by, but these are some of the best moments of your life. So I think the biggest thing is, I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but I’m just going to enjoy every single experience that I have this year because each one is unique and each one is special in its own way.”