WNBA set to tip off shortened season after delayed start

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2019, file photo, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks at a news conference before Game 1 of basketball's WNBA Finals in Washington. Engelbert believes the measures that the league has taken to ensure the players are safe in the bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

FILE - This Sept. 4, 2018, file photo shows Seattle Storm's Sue Bird, left, and Breanna Stewart embracing after the Storm defeated the Phoenix Mercury 94-84 during Game 5 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinal, in Seattle. With Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird back, the Seattle Storm are healthy to begin the season and sit atop the preseason Associated Press WNBA poll. The Storm were the unanimous choice receiving all 16 first-place votes from the national media panel Tuesday, July 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

FILE - In this March 8, 2020, file photo, Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after her team scored against Stanford during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the final of the Pac-12 women's tournament in Las Vegas. New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu is checking in periodically from the WNBA bubble at IMG Academy. She is offering her thoughts on her rookie season at the WNBA bubble as told to AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)