WNBA’s 20th season begins; history celebrated on ESPN, in The Mag
On Saturday, ESPN will tip off its 14-game regular-season schedule of the WNBA’s historic 20th year with a star-studded game between the defending champion Minnesota Lynx and four-time WNBA All-Star Maya Moore host the Phoenix Mercury and nine-time All-Star Diana Taurasi (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). In the video above, Front Row interviewed Vice President, Women’s Sports Programming, Carol Stiff and Rodney Vaughn, ESPN’s WNBA producer, on what fans can expect from ESPN’s productions of this anniversary year.
Jon McLeod and Tara Chozet produced this video.
by Carrie Kreiswirth
(Dylan Coulter for ESPN)
To help commemorate the league’s 20th season, ESPN The Magazine created a unique cover concept for the WNBA20-themed issue on newsstands today.
ESPN The Magazine’s WNBA20 Issue cover shoot – which took place in Bristol, Conn., and New York City – by the numbers:
- 12 current and former players featured on the cover including Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles, Chiney Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Skylar Diggins, Sue Bird, Tina Thompson, Teresa Weatherspoon, Rebecca Lobo, Tamika Catchings and Katie Smith
- 2 days to complete shoot
- 9,000 photos taken
- 11 flights booked to get athletes to and from the shoot
- 90 miles driven to find and buy Stewie’s shoes
- 3 cans of chrome spray paint to paint the basketballs
- 4 balls total painted
- 30 rubber bands and 60 Bobby pins used for hair
