The second WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship is set to take place at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 26, when the Chicago Sky host the Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
The Commissioner's Cup was first introduced last season as a "competition within a competition" to commemorate the WNBA's 25th Anniversary.
The Sky and Aces enter the Commissioner's Cup each holding 9-1 records through their respective Cup games, however, the Sky had a better overall record heading into the All-Star break, earning the right to host the game.
As the Commissioner's Cup culminates with the championship on Tuesday, we've got you covered with a few key elements to know about the competition.
How to watch the Commissioner's Cup
Matchup: Chicago Sky vs. Las Vegas Aces
Date: Tuesday, July 26
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Live Stream: Amazon Prime Video
Betting odds for Commissioner's Cup
Odds (via FanDuel)
Sky: -126
Aces: +108
Over/Under: 169.5
What is the Commissioner's Cup?
The Commissioner's Cup is an in-season competition between all 12 WNBA teams for a prize pool of $500,000.
The Commissioner's Cup does not replace the WNBA Finals, but instead, is a separate element that added incentive to a handful of regular-season games. With each team in the league eligible – six in the Eastern Conference and six in the Western Conference – Commissioner's Cup play lasted throughout the entire first half of the season.
A total of 61 regular-season games were designated as "Cup games."
"Cup games" were the first home and road game played between intra-conference rivals. The team in each conference with the best record in "Cup games" goes on to compete in the Commissioner's Cup Championship.
In 2022, Las Vegas finished with the West's best record in "Cup games," while Chicago finished atop the Commissioner's Cup Leaderboard in the East.
What are the teams playing for?
In addition to the Commissioner's Cup trophy, the $500,000 prize pool will be distributed among the two competing teams.
As WNBA rosters contain 12 players, each member of the winning team is eligible to earn $30,000, while each member of the losing team is eligible to earn $10,000. Additionally, the MVP of the Commissioner's Cup Championship will net $5,000 on top of their earnings.
This year, the Commissioner's Cup will feature a new platform where teams will provide funding for local non-profit organizations, focused on civic engagement, with a pool of at least $165,000 for charitable donations.
The WNBA will donate $2,000 to the chosen organization of each cup game’s winning team and an additional $500 to the losing team’s organization. To spotlight the Championship Game for the Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase, the league will donate $10,000 to the winning team’s chosen organization and $5,000 to the organization of the runner-up. The accumulating donation dollars will be presented to each organization at the conclusion of the Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase.
12 charitable and civic organizations have been designated by each of the league's 12 teams that will benefit from this year's series:
- Atlanta Dream: The King Center
- Chicago Sky: My Block. My Hood. My City.
- Connecticut Sun: League of Women Voters of Connecticut
- Dallas Wings: This Is Project Texas
- Indiana Fever: Indiana Black Expo
- Las Vegas Aces: ACLU of Nevada
- Los Angeles Sparks: Human Rights Campaign
- Minnesota Lynx: ACLU of Minnesota
- New York Liberty: A Little Piece of Light
- Phoenix Mercury: Black Mothers Forum
- Seattle Storm: ACLU of Washington
- Washington Mystics: Alliance for Youth Action
The Commissioner's Cup Championship does not count towards regular-season standings.
