'23 WNBA slate tips May 19, features record 40 games per team

The 2023 WNBA regular season will run May 19 through Sept. 10 and features a record 40 games per team, the league announced Wednesday.

Opening weekend includes four games on the first night of action, a Friday: The Washington Mystics will host the New York Liberty, the Connecticut Sun will travel to take on the Indiana Fever, the Minnesota Lynx will face the 2021 champion Chicago Sky in Minneapolis and the Phoenix Mercury will play the Los Angeles Sparks on the road.

The defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces will kick off their season on Saturday, May 20, against the Seattle Storm in Seattle, a rematch of this fall's dramatic semifinal series, while the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings will also face off that night in Dallas. The first weekend of play concludes on Sunday with the Sun hosting the Mystics, the Fever traveling to New York and the Sky playing the Mercury in Phoenix.

The league will host its 19th All-Star Game on July 15, with the location yet to be announced. The 2023 campaign will also feature the third year of the Commissioner's Cup, an in-season competition that will run May 19-July 12. The championship game will be played Aug. 15.

Among other intriguing matchups: The Aces and Sun, who faced off in the 2022 Finals, will play three times, starting June 6 and 8 in Connecticut.

The slate of 40 regular-season games per team -- 20 on the road, 20 at home -- is four more than 2022 and eight more than 2021. The league will announce its television and streaming schedule at a later date.

Five teams have new coaches heading into free agency: The Sun (Stephanie White replacing Curt Miller); the Wings (Latricia Trammell replacing Vickie Johnson); the Fever (Christie Sides replacing Marianne Stanley/Carlos Knox); the Mystics (Eric Thibault replacing Mike Thibault); and the Sparks (Miller replacing Derek Fisher/Fred Williams).

One of the most highly anticipated free agency periods in league history is set to kick off early next year, with free agent negotiations allowed to begin Jan. 21 and signings permitted Feb. 1.

The 2023 WNBA Draft, where the Fever have the No. 1 overall pick, is scheduled for April 10, 2023.