The WNBA Is Taking 17 Days Off. Here’s Why.

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What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today

The WNBA goes on break today. Games are paused from August 31 through September 16 so players can compete in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which runs Sept. 4–13 in Berlin. WNBA play resumes Thursday, Sept. 17. (Yahoo Sports)

WHY IT MATTERS: The World Cup is the biggest standalone international tournament in women’s basketball, and plenty of WNBA teammates will be facing each other.

Team USA features stars like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese, and they’re just a few of the many WNBA players in the tournament. Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaün and Dominique Malonga will play for France, while Ezi Magbegor suits up for Australia, among others.

New Nielsen data says 52% of the U.S. population is interested in women’s sports, with 122.5 million fans nationwide. Americans watched 46 billion minutes of women’s sports in 2025, up 71% from 2022.

👉 Dig into Nielsen’s data

WHY IT MATTERS: The growth is showing up in ad spending, too. Brands are spending 120% more on women’s sports than they did in 2022, while the number of people who say they have no interest has fallen nearly 20% in three years. That means a bigger audience and more money flowing into women’s sports.

The Charlotte Crown are the first UPSHOT League champions after coming back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Jacksonville Waves 81-76. Deja Kelly led the way with 29 points and was named Championship MVP. (Q City Metro)

🎥 Watch highlights from Deja Kelly’s impressive season

WHY IT MATTERS: UPSHOT was created to give players another place to play professionally and develop their game outside the WNBA. In its first season, it was successful in helping players move to the next level, with Michelle Onyiah earning a developmental contract with Indiana and Christyn Williams with Dallas. And on the court, Charlotte’s championship completes quite the turnaround after starting the season 1-6.