Natasha Howard and Seattle Storm Have WNBA Spotlight

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Florida State Women’s Basketball fans will have plenty of opportunities to watch Seminole legend Natasha Howard on national television this season.

With the sports world slowly returning under new norms due to COVID-19, it will be Howard’s Seattle Storm opening up the WNBA national telecast schedule when it faces the New York Liberty on the road on Saturday, July 25, at Noon on ESPN. The matchup will include the debut of 2020 No. 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu from the Liberty.

Overall, Howard and the Seattle Storm will have 13 nationally televised games in the re-structured WNBA season, with the regular season running from July 25 to Sept. 12. The combination of networks include ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and CBS Sports Network. Every WNBA game this season will be played within a bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

During the opening weekend, when all 12 teams will be in action, all aspects of the game and player outfitting will be designed to affirm Black Lives Matter and honor victims of police brutality and racial violence.

“As we build on the momentum for women’s sports and the WNBA from last season, we’re incredibly grateful to our broadcast partners who have shown a continued commitment to bringing the WNBA to fans across the country on their biggest platforms,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “This 2020 WNBA season will truly be one unlike any other, and we’re looking forward to using our collective platform to highlight the tremendous athletes in the WNBA as well as their advocacy for social change.”

WNBA Tip-Off 2020 presented by AT&T also will highlight the league’s new social justice platform, The WNBA Justice Movement, with a special focus on the Black Lives Matter movement. During the national triple-header telecasts on July 25-26, team uniforms will display Breonna Taylor’s name as WNBA players raise awareness and seek justice for the women and girls who have been the forgotten victims of police brutality and racial violence. Players will individually have the option to continue to wear the placard with Breonna Taylor’s name for subsequent games. Additionally, throughout the season, players will wear warm-up shirts that display “Black Lives Matter” on the front and “Say Her Name” on the back. “Black Lives Matter” will also be prominently displayed on courts during games.

Howard is a two-time WNBA Champion who has elevated herself to being one of the league’s top players. She was named the 2019 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and was also an All-WNBA First Team player in the same season with the Storm. In 2018, she was the league’s most improved player. She will be entering her seventh season in the WNBA.

SEATTLE STORM 2020 WNBA NATIONAL TELECAST SCHEDULE
July 25 (Saturday), 12 PM ET – Seattle @ New York (ESPN)
July 28 (Tuesday), 10 PM ET – Minnesota @ Seattle (CBSSN)
July 30 (Thursday), 6 PM ET – Seattle @ Washington (ESPN)
Aug. 1 (Monday), 8 PM ET – Los Angeles @ Seattle (CBSSN)
Aug. 4 (Tuesday), 9 PM ET – Connecticut @ Seattle (ESPN2)
Aug. 6 (Thursday), 6 PM ET – Seattle @ Atlanta (ESPN2)
Aug. 8 (Saturday), 3 PM ET – Phoenix @ Seattle (ABC)
Aug. 10 (Monday), 9 PM ET – Chicago @ Seattle (ESPN2)
Aug. 22 (Saturday), 6 PM ET – Seattle @ Las Vegas (CBSSN)
Aug. 27 (Thursday), 10 PM ET – Las Vegas @ Seattle (CBSSN)
Sept. 2 (Wednesday), 10 PM ET – Washington @ Seattle (CBSSN)
Sept. 9 (Wednesday), 10 PM ET – Dallas @ Seattle (CBSSN)
Sept. 11 (Friday), 10 PM ET – Seattle @ Phoenix (CBSSN)