BREAKING: 2020 WNBA season will begin in late July

Today the WNBA announced an official plan for the 2020 season, which has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The league will begin play in late July and is nearing an agreement with IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida to play all games at that site.

The expectation is for all teams to arrive at IMG Academy in early July and go through their training camps. There will still be 22 games during the regular season, as reported by ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel on June 4, followed by a postseason.

There will be no fans allowed at the site but games will be aired on ESPN, CBS Sports Network and NBA TV.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is slated to talk about her plans for the season on Monday, live on ESPN. The interview, conducted by Mike Greenberg, will feature commissioners from the nation’s other professional leagues: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS.

The special program airs on Monday, June 15, at 9 p.m. ET.

The WNBA originally proposed to the players’ association that the league give players 60 percent of their salaries for playing a partial season. On Friday, a new plan to pay players 100 percent of their salaries was revealed.

The WNBA and WNBPA agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement in January that laid plans for a 36-game season starting on May 15 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and changed the league’s plans.