WNBA opens 30th season Friday with Tempo, Fire, and Clark vs. Bueckers

The W's 30th season tips Friday night, and the league has never looked bigger. Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire join as the first paired expansion teams in WNBA history. The league is now at 15 — and on track to hit 18 by 2030. Tempo opens Friday at 7:30 ET against the Mystics. Fire plays Saturday at 9 ET against the Sky.

The marquee night is Saturday, when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever host Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. It's the first regular-season meeting between the last two No. 1 overall picks. Both made their Team USA senior debuts in March at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, where Clark won tournament MVP. Reigning Rookie of the Year Bueckers is now the GM survey's top "build a franchise around" pick — flipping last year's vote, which had gone to Clark.

The opening night kicks off Friday with reigning champ New York Liberty hosting Connecticut — though Sabrina Ionescu will miss it with the ankle she sprained in the preseason finale. Angel Reese makes her Atlanta Dream debut after the offseason trade out of Chicago. The first Clark-Reese matchup of the season is June 4 in Indianapolis. The W has never been this loaded.