A thrilling women's basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics ended with Team USA winning an eighth consecutive gold medal, and now the top players from across the globe are getting ready for the second half of the WNBA season.
The WNBA is finally getting ready to resume after a four-week break for the Summer Games. Stars like A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart have added another gold medal to their collection, and they now will begin ramping up for the WNBA playoffs.
When does the WNBA season resume, and where do teams stack up in the standings entering the second half?
Here's everything to know about the resumption of the WNBA regular season.
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How long was the WNBA's Olympic break?
The last WNBA regular season games were on Wednesday, July 17.
The only other WNBA contest since then was the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 20, when the WNBA All-Stars defeated the eventual gold medalists on Team USA 117-109.
When does the WNBA season resume?
The second half of the WNBA regular season will tip-off on Thursday, Aug. 15, with three games:
- Mercury vs. Sky: 8 p.m. ET, Prime Video
- Mystics vs. Lynx: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3
- Liberty vs. Sparks: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
When is Caitlin Clark's next game?
Caitlin Clark will return to the floor with the Indiana Fever on Friday, Aug. 16, with a home game against the Phoenix Mercury. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the matchup will air on ION.
WNBA standings
The New York Liberty have the WNBA's top record at 21-4, putting themselves 2.5 games ahead of the Connecticut Sun. The Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces are all within five games of the No. 1 seed.
Lower in the standings, the Chicago Sky have a three-game cushion over the Atlanta Dream for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Here is a full look at the standings at the break:
- New York Liberty: 21-4
- Connecticut Sun: 18-6
- Minnesota Lynx: 17-8
- Seattle Storm: 17-8
- Las Vegas Aces: 16-8
- Phoenix Mercury: 13-12
- Indiana Fever: 11-15
- Chicago Sky: 10-14
- Atlanta Dream: 7-17
- Los Angeles Sparks: 6-18
- Washington Mystics: 6-19
- Dallas Wings: 6-19
When do the WNBA playoffs start?
The WNBA playoffs will begin on Sunday, Sept. 22.
The league announced that Sunday, Oct. 20, would be the last possible WNBA Finals date.
