It was a busy opening weekend for the WNBA with record breaking performances and ratings as the league’s stars shined.

There are no shortages of challengers to the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty or star power across the league.

Playing at Oregon’s Matthew Knight Arena for the first time in five years, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu drew a roar from the capacity crowd by proclaiming “Go Ducks!”.

Breanna Stewart and her New York Liberty teammates are focused on the present and that includes defending the WNBA championship.

A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are returning to court to begin the chase for a coveted WNBA championship with the opening of training camps and last year’s rookie sensation Caitlin Clark begins Year 2 in the league.

Breanna Stewart has re-signed with the New York Liberty.

The Connecticut Sun don’t plan on trading guard Marina Mabrey after she asked to be dealt earlier this month.

Tina Charles is going back to Connecticut.

Unrivaled will crown its first one-on-one champion on Feb. 14.

The Phoenix Mercury are finalizing a deal to acquire Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun.

Brittney Griner is testing the free agent market for the first time in her career.

The Washington Mystics have hired Jamila Wideman as the franchise’s new general manager and Sydney Johnson as the team’s coach.

Sabrina Ionescu is joining Unrivaled as the new league’s final player for this season.

Unrivaled finally has its teams set.

The Washington Mystics are parting ways with coach Eric Thibault and general manager Mike Thibault.

Diana Taurasi is still mulling over her decision whether to play another season in the WNBA or retire.

Breanna Stewart had 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, Sue Bird added season highs of 18 points and 10 assists, and the Seattle Storm beat the Washington Mystics 97-84 to sweep their opening-round series.

Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart is the first two-time winner of The Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year award.

The Washington Mystics have won the WNBA draft lottery for the first time in franchise history.

The WNBA playoff chase may come down to the final day of the regular season on Sept. 19.

The Chicago Sky are at full strength and moving up the WNBA standings after a slow start due to injuries.

NEW YORK Kyrie Irving is making sure WNBA players can sit out the season and not stress about a paycheck. The Brooklyn Nets star is committing $1.5 million to supplement the income of players who choose not to play this season, whether it be because of coronavirus concerns or social justice reasons. Irving said that with the help of WNBA players Natasha Cloud who chose to sit out and Jewell Loyd, he connected with several WNBA players who discussed with him the challenges they faced in deciding whether to play. To be eligible, players must provide insight into the circumstances surrounding their decision and not be receiving salary support from any other entity. WNBA players wore Taylor's name on their jerseys during opening weekend.

NEW YORK The Seattle Storm are healthy to begin the season with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird back in the lineup and sit atop the preseason Associated Press WNBA poll. 1 in the preseason since the AP has been doing the poll. You have to go out there and play the games, said Bird, who missed last season while recovering from knee surgery. Connecticut and Washington, who met for the WNBA title last year, were sixth and seventh in the poll. The first regular season power poll will be released on Tuesday, July 28___Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

WASHINGTON Washington Mystics players Natasha Cloud and LaToya Sanders are opting out of participating in the 2020 WNBA season for the leagues reigning champions. Theres a lot of factors that led to this decision, but the biggest being that I am more than an athlete. Cloud and Sanders each has been with Washington for five seasons. Her commitment to social justice issues is of utmost importance to her and, therefore, to the Mystics organization, Thibault said of Cloud. We will continue to be partners with her and all of our players on their commitment to social justice reform as we go forward into this season and beyond.Players have until Thursday to opt out of the season.