The W is back — 30th season tips Friday with three on ION

The W is back, and it's bigger than it's ever been. The WNBA's 30th season tips Friday night with a tripleheader on ION: defending East champ Connecticut at the Liberty in Brooklyn (7:30 ET), the brand-new Toronto Tempo at the Mystics, and the Storm at the Valkyries. Two new expansion teams, a 15-team league for the first time in history.

Saturday is the headline act. Caitlin Clark and the Fever host Paige Bueckers and the Wings at 1 PM ET on ABC — the rookie-of-the-year holder vs. last year's No. 1 pick, on broadcast network in the early afternoon window. The W has never had a season opener with this much main-stage TV.

Under the new CBA, rosters are 12-deep with two more developmental spots and salary-cap exceptions for injured players. The league has more money, more teams, more national windows — and after 17 stars getting cut in the last 48 hours of camp, the talent is more compressed than ever. Tipoff is here.