Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon benched three starters during a nationally televised game against the New York Liberty on Sunday.
The move highlights growing tension between the WNBA and its teams over player workload and the physical toll of the league's current scheduling practices.
Hammon sat three starters [1], including MVP A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young. The game took place in Brooklyn, New York, as part of a national ABC broadcast. While some reports suggested the players sat out due to injury, Hammon said the decision was a protest against the WNBA's back-to-back scheduling and the "brutal" load placed on athletes.
Comparing the WNBA's requirements to those of the men's professional league, Hammon said, "That's not even legal on the NBA side" [2]. She said the current scheduling is "absurd" [4].
The impact of the missing stars was evident on the court. The New York Liberty won the game with a final score of 111-71 [2].
The decision to bench top talent during a high-profile national window is a rare move in professional sports. By removing her best players from a marquee matchup, Hammon used the visibility of the ABC broadcast to draw attention to the league's operational demands.
This incident follows a season of increasing scrutiny regarding player health and the sustainability of the WNBA's calendar as the league continues to expand its reach and commercial footprint.
“"That's not even legal on the NBA side."”
This protest signals a potential shift in how WNBA teams manage player health relative to league mandates. By leveraging a national television window, the Aces are pressuring the league to modernize its scheduling to match the player-protection standards seen in the NBA, suggesting that the current growth of the league may be outpacing its infrastructure for athlete recovery.
