NEW YORK – The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and CBS Sports announced today a multi-year partnership in which CBS Sports Network will televise live WNBA games beginning with the upcoming 2019 season.

CBS Sports Network will feature national coverage of 40 live WNBA games in primetime and on weekends, beginning on Saturday, May 25 (8:00 PM, ET), when the Minnesota Lynx host the Chicago Sky.

Record 11-time All-Star Sue Bird and the defending WNBA Champion Seattle Storm make six appearances on CBS Sports Network this season, including a WNBA Finals rematch against former league MVP Elena Delle Donne and the Washington Mystics on Friday, June 14.

“Through our partnership with CBS Sports Network, the WNBA is joining an elite lineup of premium sports programming,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We thank CBS Sports for making such a meaningful commitment to women’s basketball and for providing another platform to showcase the world-class athletes of the WNBA.”

“We are truly excited to partner with the WNBA, bringing the country’s premier women’s sports league to CBS Sports Network. This partnership is one of the biggest and most impactful women’s sports programming arrangements ever at CBS Sports, offering national exposure of 40 games per year,” said Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports. “This agreement provides great live content throughout the summer in primetime and on weekends, and aligns two great brands in the WNBA and CBS Sports. We look forward to working with the WNBA for many years to come.”

The 2019 WNBA season, entering its 23^rd season, tips off Friday, May 24, and features 12 teams vying for a championship, including the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics.