NEW YORK – The inaugural WNBA FIT Month tips off today with a special focus on highlighting the importance of being active, eating healthy and playing together.

Throughout August, the WNBA along with its teams will join community members and partners in hosting health and wellness programs and events, while teaching fans of all ages the values of the game such as hard work, discipline, leadership and teamwork. WNBA players will share their extensive training and nutrition regimens through digital and social media, and teams will use in-arena and social media assets to promote their activities and motivate fans to live healthy, active lifestyles.

Fans are encouraged to join the WNBA and its teams for the WNBA FIT Month Challenge, which launched today and continues all month. To participate, fans can download the NBA FIT App powered by Under Armour, select a WNBA team and log workout minutes. Participants have the opportunity to win tickets to attend a game involving the team they represent in the Challenge. For more information, please visit fit.nba.com/app.

The WNBA and Spalding will host more than 300 youth as part of a four-clinic series, including one court refurbishment at a local school. The series, led by WNBA clinicians and current and former WNBA players, will feature basketball instruction and fitness programs. Clinic participants in all four markets will receive tickets to attend a WNBA game.

As part of WNBA FIT Month, the WNBA and its teams will partner with Bright Pink for WNBA Breast Health Awareness (Aug. 13-27), which will focus on helping women understand and reduce their risk for breast and ovarian cancers.

The WNBA, in partnership with international advocacy organization Global Citizen, is encouraging women to take action by completing the WNBA Bright Pink Assess Your Risk quiz (wnba.com/assessrisk), an online tool that provides a personalized assessment of risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Fans will have the opportunity to win tickets to select WNBA games by taking the Bright Pink Assess Your Risk quiz and sharing the quiz through Global Citizen’s platform (globalcitizen.org/en/join/wnba/). Additionally, for every fan who completes the quiz, the WNBA will donate two tickets for a WNBA Breast Health Awareness game to those affected by and engaging in the fight against breast and ovarian cancers.

ESPN2 will feature five nationally televised games for WNBA FIT Month and Breast Health Awareness. The WNBA FIT schedule tips off with the Atlanta Dream visiting the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, Aug. 3 (8 p.m. ET), followed by the Dallas Wings hosting the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday, Aug. 10 (8 p.m. ET).

During Breast Health Awareness, ESPN2 will televise the Los Angeles Sparks’ visit to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday, Aug. 16 (8 p.m. ET) and the matchup between the Sparks and Mercury on Thursday Aug. 24 in Phoenix (9 p.m. ET). The network’s WNBA FIT Month and Breast Health Awareness coverage concludes with a 2016 Finals rematch between the Sparks and Lynx on Sunday, Aug. 27 in Los Angeles (7 p.m. ET).

Team events for WNBA FIT Month and Breast Health Awareness will be showcased on WNBA and NBA Cares social media outlets. To learn more about WNBA Fit Month, http://cares.wnba.com.

The 2017 WNBA regular season runs through Sept. 3. For more information on the WNBA and game tickets, fans may visit www.wnba.com.

About Bright Pink

Bright Pink is a national non-profit focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women. The organization’s mission is to save women’s lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering them to live proactively at a young age.

Bright Pink’s innovative programs educate and equip young women to assess their risk for breast and ovarian cancer, reduce their risk, and detect these diseases at early, non life-threatening stages. Founded in 2007, Bright Pink strives to reach the 52 million women in the US between the ages of 18-45 with this life-saving education. Put Awareness In Action™ at BrightPink.org.

About the WNBA

The WNBA – which features 12 teams and is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world – is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. The league, which counts Verizon as its leaguewide marquee partner, tipped off its 21^st season on May 13, 2017.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.