The longest WNBA season is set for 2027 with 50 games and no break–while the rest of the basketball world can worry about the sustainability of the league expanding its regular season, A’ja Wilson was never worried about the change. After the latest changes were introduced for the upcoming season, the Las Vegas Aces star’s comments resurfaced.
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“I am cool with it,” Just Women’s Sports posted an old video of Wilson weighing in on playing 50 games in 2027. “I ain’t got nothing else to do. This is my job. Granted, this will be a lot, but we will get through it.”
The league held 34 games for the longest time before introducing a 36-game season in 2022. Since then, the league has consistently increased regular-season games. In 2023 and 2024, WNBA teams played 40 games, which was increased to 44 games in 2025 with the Golden State Valkyries joining as the 13th team and the first expansion team among the long list of future joiners.
The regular season remained tied to 44 games even when the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo joined as the 14th and 15th teams ahead of the 2026 season.
Wilson has been part of the WNBA when the season was extended from 34 games to 36 and 44. She has never complained about the extended seasons.
The WNBA first announced extending the 2027 season in June this year. In its official statement, it said that the league’s decision to expand the season to 50 games reflected its growth and momentum.
“Demand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, per WNBA. “This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA.”
However, the rapid extension of the regular season has left fans worried. Increasing 16 games in merely five seasons can also result in compounding injuries given the physical load that players have to take on without much space for transition.
According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the 2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement allowed the league to expand the regular-season expansion to 50 games for the next season and in 2028. Moreover, the league also has the right to expand the season to up to 52 games by 2029.
The clause in the CBA and the timeline of the WNBA’s further expansion align and hint at the league’s push to match the growing demand and extended competition. The Cleveland Sirens are the next big stop in expansion, joining in 2028. In 2029, the league will add a franchise in Detroit and another in Philadelphia in 2030. The Connecticut Sun are expected to relocate to Houston, which will again expand the league’s market.
According to Philippou, the league also shared dates for the 2027 season after a meeting in Manhattan earlier this week. While the exact dates are yet to be released, per Philippou, the season is expected to start on May 7, and by Oct. 24, the season would come to an end, including the playoffs.
The 2026 season started on May 8. The Golden State Valkyries won the title on Oct. 31 after defeating the Atlanta Dream in Game 7 to conclude the season. One reason that the season was extended to Oct. 31 was the mid-season break. The league went on a FIBA World Cup break from August 31–September 16.
Philippou also added that there won’t be any mid-season break in 2027. However, the league will have a break for the 2028 L.A. Summer Olympics. The extensive changes are happening while the league is also searching for a new WNBA Commissioner, as Cathy Engelbert is set to retire from the position by the end of this year. Engelbert said that a firm was interviewing people for the role.