Wings to host Fever at home of NBA's Mavs

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Wings, who have the No. 1 overall pick in next month's WNBA draft, will play their June 27 game against 2024 top pick Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at the home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.

The Wings announced Wednesday that the game will be held at the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center, where Clark played in the Final Four with Iowa two years ago.

That is about 20 miles from College Park Center at UT-Arlington, which has a capacity of 6,251 and where the Wings are playing their 10th and expected final season since the franchise moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2016. They are planning to move next year into an arena being renovated that is part of the Dallas convention center and less than two miles from the AAC.

"Having the best women’s basketball players on the planet playing in a world-class venue such as American Airlines Center is truly fitting. Hosting this game at AAC provides our athletes with the well-deserved opportunity to be showcased in front of a record home crowd," Wings CEO Greg Bibb said. "Playing our first game in our future home city of Dallas offers our fans not only a new and unique opportunity to experience the WNBA but also enjoy a preview of what is to come.”

In the 2023 women's Final Four at the AAC, Clark and the Hawkeyes upset top-seeded South Carolina in the national semifinal before losing to LSU in the title game. Iowa also made it to the national championship game last season, losing to the Gamecocks in Cleveland in what was Clark's final college game.

The Wings are tabbing the June 27 game as “A Night in Dallas." It is expected to feature the three most recent No. 1 WNBA draft picks, the Wings' upcoming selection on April 14, along with Indiana teammates Clark (2024) and Aliyah Boston (2023), who both were WNBA rookie of the year.

Dallas also hosts Indiana on Aug. 1, a game that is still scheduled to be played at the Wings' usual home arena.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball