WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 10: Elena Delle Donne #11 of the Washington Mystics celebrates with teammates after defeating the Connecticut Sun to win the 2019 WNBA Finals at St Elizabeths East Entertainment & Sports Arena on October 10, 2019 in Washington, DC. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP
The start of the 2020 WNBA season has been postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic, league officials said Friday.
The league had been due to tip off on May 15 but has now been put on hold, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
“As developments continue to emerge around the COVID-19 pandemic, including the extension of the social distancing guidelines in the United States through April 30, the WNBA will postpone the start of its training camps and tip of the regular season originally scheduled for May 15,” Engelbert said.
“While the league continues to use this time to conduct scenario-planning regarding new start dates and innovative formats, our guiding principle will continue to be the health and safety of the players, fans and employees.”
Engelbert said the league planned to carry out a “virtual draft” on April 17.
Sport in North America has ground to a virtual standstill because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with every major professional league halted and dozens of events cancelled or postponed.