The upcoming WNBA season will be the league's 25th — and it's already shaping up to be one to remember.
PEOPLE is unveiling a special new 25th-anniversary logo for the league, as well as a video campaign honoring the WNBA's history and legacy, Count It. The commemorative logo will be featured on game balls, as well as on league courts and the teams' jerseys.
In addition, the league will host special events and celebrations all season long.
"It's definitely truly something special just to watch how much the WNBA has grown," current league star A'ja Wilson tells PEOPLE. "Especially nowadays, I think people tend to forget how young the WNBA really is. It has grown over the last 25 years, and in the last three — almost four — years I've been in it. It's definitely been something incredible to watch."
Twenty-fifth season highlights to look forward to include naming and honoring the league's greatest players of all time, who will be selected based on their overall contribution to the WNBA, including performance and leadership, as well as their work within the outside community. Fans will be able to vote on their favorite players to be included among the honorees.
"We're just shouting out to all the legends that helped us get here," Wilson, 24, says.
The WNBA will also look back at the league's 25 greatest moments, which will be unveiled during the season's latter half and the playoffs.
In addition, the WNBA Justice Movement will continue to be elevated throughout the season as the league aims to promote racial and gender equality and champion social justice.
RELATED: WNBA Players Walk Off the Court During National Anthem as They Dedicate Season to Breonna Taylor
"We really did come together and focus on what matters, and on top of that we're really good at putting the basketball into the hoop," Wilson notes of the women in the league's continual community efforts. "So it makes it that much more fun when you get to do things that you love both on and off the court with just amazing women."
Most notably, the 25th season will include the inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup, a new competition platform including player prize pools. Ten designated regular-season games per team will lead to a championship game between the teams with top standings in each conference. "The Commissioner's Cup platform also convenes fans, players, and partners in local communities for conversations and programming centered on equality and social justice," a press release provided to PEOPLE says.
The Commissioner's Cup Championship Game will be held after the Tokyo Olympics ends in August and before the 2021 regular season restart.
"The WNBA's 25th season celebrations begin with our Draft on April 15 and won't stop until a champion is crowned in October. We're dedicating this landmark season to celebrating and showcasing the achievements of the league and its players, taking a look back at the league's history while also looking to the future and continuing to impact fans and, more broadly, culture at large," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert tells PEOPLE. "With a new campaign Count It and commemorative logo on the courts, jerseys and game ball, a WNBA Advisory Board featuring WNBA legends, and a continued commitment to social justice, this season is poised to be our best season yet."
RELATED: Meet the Incredible Black Female Olympians and Paralympians Vying for Gold at the Tokyo Games
Engelbert continues, "Fans can expect captivating performances on the court, innovative and memorable interactive elements off the court, and an unprecedented amount of energy and momentum."
Before the season's start later this year, Wilson is among many other talented WNBA players reflecting on what the sport, and league, mean to them.
"It is truly a community," she says. "We are so unified in so many things that we love and things that we want to get accomplished so much bigger than basketball. I think we stand behind each other through it all. "
Source: Read Full Article