'More money, more games': Becky Hammon reacts to WNBA expanding to 50 games in 2027

PHOENIX — When Becky Hammon first took over as the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces in 2022, the WNBA regular season consisted of 36 games. In 2027, the number of regular season games will expand to 50.

“We just keep tacking on games,” Hammon said on Wednesday ahead of the Aces’ matchup against the Phoenix Mercury. “More money, more games. That’s the way it works.”

On Wednesday, the league announced its regular-season schedule will expand from 44 games to 50 games in 2027 as “demand for the WNBA has never been greater,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. Additional details about the 2027 season schedule, including key dates and timelines, will be released at a later date, which Hammon said she’s interested to learn more about.

“We’ll have to see if they allow even some more roster spots and stuff like that because that’s a lot of wear and tear on a group, especially when you start mixing World Cup and all this other stuff,” Hammon said, referring to the 2027 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup tournament in El Salvador in July 2027. “It is good. I mean, it is what it is. It’s the growth of the league and so when you look at it at, that lens, it’s good.”

Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts echoed the same sentiment on Wednesday, adding he’s curious what “the window … where the games are played” will be for a 50-game regular season.

“Our league is continuing to expand, more people are seeing it, so I think more games is good, but there’s going to be some challenges as far as the scheduling in that window that they’ve played in or that we’ve played in over the last couple of years,” Tibbetts said. “The more games you play, the less practices you have. So there’s a delicate balance there and finding the rhythm of that.”

The number of regular season games has steadily increased over the years as the league soars in popularity. The regular season jumped from 32 games in 2021 to 36 games in 2022 and 40 games in 2023 and 2024. The slate of games increased to 44 games in 2025 and 2026. And more games are on the way.

“Expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,” Engelbert said in a statement on Wednesday. “This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA.”

According to the landmark CBA deal signed earlier this year, the 2027 season can end no later than Nov. 21 in 2027 and Nov. 30 in 2028. There is also an option for the league to expand to 52 regular-season games by 2029.

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.