The Washington Mystics will open the 2021 WNBA season on May 15 at 1:00 p.m. against the Chicago Sky at Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the WNBA.
“As we tip-off this historic season with teams returning to play in their home markets, we celebrate the impact the WNBA has made on generations of young and diverse athletes and on sports and society since 1997,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Together with our fans and partners, we look ahead to how the outstanding athletes of the WNBA will continue to provide the best women’s basketball in the world while also driving change, striving for justice and equality, and impacting future generations.”
Teams will play a 32-game season, with a four-week break to accommodate the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games. The new schedule will see Washington face every opponent three times, with the exception of the Phoenix Mercury (who they will play twice).
Washington’s longest homestand will be from Aug. 22 to Aug. 31 when the Seattle Storm (Aug. 22), Los Angeles Sparks (Aug. 24), Dallas Wings (Aug. 26 and Aug. 28) and Connecticut Sun (Aug. 31) visit Entertainment and Sports Arena.
The team will have multiple three-game road trips this season but will end the first half of the season against the Sky (Jul. 10) and will resume the games after the Olympic break on the road with back-to-back games against the Aces (Aug.15 and Aug. 17) and the Mercury (Aug. 19).
All weekday home games will tip off at 7:00 p.m. with the exception of the game on May 18 against the Phoenix Mercury at 8:00 p.m. There will two Saturday homes games with a 1:00 p.m. start (Chicago on May 15 and Las Vegas on June 5) and two Saturday games with a 7:00 p.m. start (Indiana on June 19 and Dallas on Aug. 28).
The Mystics won the first championship in franchise history in 2019 following a record-breaking season that included the most wins in franchise history and Most Valuable Player honors for perennial All-Star Elena Delle Donne.
As the Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics welcome fans back in April, the Washington Mystics are scheduled to accommodate a limited number of fans at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
The full schedule is available here.