NEW YORK—Though it will be on hiatus during the Summer Olympics, Women’s National Basketball Association commissioner Val Ackerman sees the break as a positive time for the league.
“The fact that we have so many players who are going to be on the world’s biggest sports stage is a huge positive for the league,” said Ackerman, who spoke just before a team of WNBA All-Stars took on Team USA in an exhibition match last week at Radio City Music Hall.
In addition, several WNBA players who are not going to Athens will use their August break to do meet-and-greets at basketball camps and clinics, sponsor events and outings and make other community appearances, he said.
According to Ackerman, the league will take advantage of a potential U.S. gold-medal performance as a way to additionally market and promote its teams. For example, each of the league’s 13 teams will have “welcome back” games the first time they have a home game.
“They are planning to make a big deal, particularly for those teams that have an Olympian, who may well be coming back with a medal of some kind,” Ackerman said. “Our teams are working very hard to welcome them back in the same way in terms of certain promotions they’re doing, certain groups that they’re targeting.”
In addition to the Team USA members, WNBA players heading to Athens include Lauren Jackson (Australia) and Elena Baranova (Russia).
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