— Indiana Opens 19th Season with Youth Sports Day Delivered by Papa John’s on May 19
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever open their 19th season by hosting Youth Sports Day delivered by Papa John’s on Saturday, May 19, welcoming the Chicago Sky to begin the WNBA schedule. The home-opening game tips at 1:00 p.m., marking the first season-opening game in Fever history to take place on a Saturday afternoon at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Fever open the season with back-to-back games, in fact, as part of the WNBA’s Opening Weekend. Following their home opener, the Fever take part in the #WNBAAllDay on Sunday, May 20, when all 12 WNBA teams will be in action. Indiana travels to Washington for a 1:00 p.m. start in the nation’s capital.
Veteran WNBA coach Pokey Chatman begins her second season with Indiana as the Fever take part in a condensed, 34-game schedule ending August 19 prior to the WNBA Playoffs. Playoffs conclude in mid-September this season to accommodate the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain.
The WNBA’s 22nd season again welcomes a balanced schedule with Indiana facing the Atlanta Dream four times, and the remaining 10 opponents three times each. Indiana’s regular season concludes with back-to-back games with Chicago — in Indy on Saturday, Aug. 18, and a day later at the Sky’s new Wintrust Arena.
Schedule highlights include:
• One of the Fever’s largest crowds every season is welcomed during an annual Kids Day presented by Steak ‘n Shake afternoon game, popular with area summer camps. Indiana hosts defending WNBA champion Minnesota on Kids Day, Wednesday, July 11 (12:00 p.m.). Indiana will be the Lynx’ Kids Day guest one week later, July 18.
• Indiana plays five different mini-homestands, with no home stint longer than two games.
• The third year of the WNBA’s balanced schedule features a home/road mix that features four road dates against WNBA Finalists Los Angeles and Minnesota, two road games in the WNBA’s newest city, Las Vegas, and a pair of visits to Atlanta, Connecticut and New York. Indiana hosts dual home dates with six clubs: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle and Washington.
• Indiana begins and ends the season with its I-65 rivalry against Chicago. The Fever opens at home against Chicago, before battling the Sky to close the three-game series in back-to-back games to complete the schedule.
