Could Caitlin Clark win the tournament as a rookie with the Indiana Fever?.
The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship is back as the in-season tournament for women’s professional basketball offers a $500,000 prize to the winning team, so what are the all-important dates for Caitlin Clark‘s first shot at pro glory?
Presented by Coinbase, the new-look cup will see teams compete from June 1-13 to qualify for the Championship game in the form of a mini-league, which sees them play five Commissioner’s Cup games against their conference rivals. Two at home, three away or vice versa.
The top two teams will then compete in the final on Tuesday, June 25 for the chance to win half a million dollars and a bonus payment of $30,000 for each player if they manage to emerge victorious, with the trophy in their hands.
To ensure that teams do not treat the competition as a gimmick, or a chance to rest their stars for the regular season, the games in the Commissioner’s Cup count towards their regular season record. This ensures the contests are treated seriously and with respect.
Who has won the Commissioner’s Cup?
The New York Liberty enter the competition as the defending champions from 2023 after denying the Las Vegas Aces the chance to win two in a row, and they will be defending their title in the brand new format for this year.
They defeated the WNBA champions 82-63 at the Michelob ULTA Arena in Las Vegas in August 2023, with Jonquel Jones going on to become the MVP of the championship game, which is worth a $5000 bonus too.
Meanwhile, the Aces got their first win against the Chicago Sky in 2022 when Chelsea Gray inspired them to a 93-83 win at the Wintrust Arena in Illinois on July 26, 2022, in what was their first title as they became the first WNBA champions to win the cup too.
Whilst the inaugural edition on Thursday, August 12, 2021 saw the Seattle Storm demolish the Connecticut Sun 79-57 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. On that day, Breanna Stewart netted the $5000 cash bonus by winning the MVP award.
