It’s an interesting time for the WNBA — on and off the court

This excerpt comes from The Buzzer (CBC Sports’ daily electronic newsletter). Subscribe to this email newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things sports.

As the 26th season of the world’s top women’s basketball league begins on Friday night, there is plenty to discuss on the court. The 36-game season will be the longest ever, up four games from last year. After last year’s success, the Commissioner’s Cup tournament returns to the court. And the defending champion Chicago Sky has added Emma Meesseman as the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP.

Sue Bird’s final dance is also on the horizon. The 41-year-old point guard has hinted at retirement following what will be her 19th WNBA season — all spent with the Seattle Storm. After being drafted as the first overall pick in the 2002 draft, Bird became the league’s all time leader in games played and assists. She was also selected 12 All-Stars and won four championships. Bird also won five Olympic gold medals for the United States.

Sylvia Fowles, a Minnesota Lynx center, is another long-standing standout who is on her way out. After this season, the WNBA’s leading rebounder will be retiring. The league will welcome back Becky Hammon (a six-time All-Star who was an assistant coach for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs) on the other hand. Hammon replaces Bill Laimbeer, the former Bad Boy of Detroit Pistons.

Three players from the Canadian women’s national team are on WNBA rosters — though one of them, guard Kia Nurse of the Phoenix Mercury, is sidelined indefinitely due to a knee injury suffered in last year’s playoffs. Bridget Carleton and Natalie Achonwa, forwards for Minnesota, are now out of action. Carleton, 24, averaged just 4.8 points while Achonwa was at 3.7. Read more about the three Canadians in the WNBA in this story by CBC Sports’ Myles Dichter.

While all these stories are interesting, the WNBA is still the most talked about league. Over the past few years, the league and its players have really leaned into social activism, so it’s perhaps not surprising that they’re currently intertwined with the two weightiest issues of the moment — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Two days after the publication of a draft opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court indicating that it might be closing a half-century worth of constitutional rights to abortion, last night the WNBA issued a statement stating that it believes all women have the right of autonomy over their bodies as well as equal access to healthcare. We will continue to advocate for women’s health and support them in their decisions. Also, we must protect women’s rights and ensure that elections are held accountable. As we begin the 2022 WNBA Season, civic engagement and voting rights will be a major focus. Several players have spoken out passionately against the potential Supreme Court ruling on social media, including Washington’s Natasha Cloud and two-time All-Star Napheesa Collier of Minnesota, who’s expecting her first child later this month.

Griner’s relatives and the U.S. government have remained silent about Griner’s plight for all of these reasons. But, earlier this week, the State Department announced that it officially considers Griner wrongfully detained and will now work more aggressively toward securing her release.

Griner is one of the WNBA’s biggest stars — a seven-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion who last season finished second in the league in scoring and topped the league in efficiency rating. This is what it would look like if Kevin Durant were being held in a foreign nation on the eve the NBA season.

Griner could be allowed to return home safe and sound, but it is possible that her horrifying experience will scare other Russian players from trying to play in Russia. Because of the oligarch-fueled clubs in Russia, WNBAers are willing to work in other countries during their off-seasons. Some offer double or triple the salaries as they earn in the WNBA. Post-Griner this extra income may not be worth it. Read more about the new WNBA season and some of the issues the league is involved with here.