Seattle's repeat effort, Candace Parker's homecoming headline 2021 WNBA storylines
Call it the WNBA's version of Friday Night Lights.
The WNBA will kick off its season on Friday night, and this year marks a special one, with the league celebrating 25 years in existence.
There is no shortage of players and teams to keep an eye on as the league hits the quarter-century mark, so let's take a look at the top storylines heading into the 2021 WNBA season.
Can Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm repeat?
If there were any questions about how Breanna Stewart would bounce back after tearing her Achilles in 2019, they were answered resoundingly in 2020.
She averaged 19.7 points and 8.3 rebounds last season while shooting 45.1% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. She took her game to an even higher level in the postseason, where she averaged 25.7 PPG and shot 54% from the field and 50% from 3-point range, helping lead the Storm to the WNBA championship.
Now, two years removed from her injury, is there another level left for her to achieve?
The rest of the WNBA is hoping the answer is no, but if it's a yes, the Storm could be a strong candidate to take home a second straight title.
A new regime in Atlanta
Controversy surrounded the Atlanta Dream in the Orlando bubble in 2020 when they wore jerseys supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and honoring Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police last March.
Upon wearing the uniforms, their owner, then-U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, voiced her displeasure in a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
That caused backlash on her own team, as Dream players actively campaigned for Loeffler's opponent, Raphael Warnock, in the Jan. 5 election. Loeffler would end up selling the team to Larry Gottesdiener, chairman of real estate firm Northland.
What's next for Atlanta?
Candace Parker returns home
For 13 seasons, Parker has called Los Angeles home as a member of the Sparks, where she built a legacy that holds up with some of the greatest athletes to ever play in the City of Angels.
She is a nine-time All-WNBA selection, five-time All-Star selection, two-time WNBA MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and a WNBA champion as a member of the Sparks.
Now, she returns to her hometown of Chicago after signing a two-year deal with the Sky, starting a new chapter in her historic career.
The return of some of the league's biggest stars
While the 2020 WNBA season was filled with action and star power, some of the WNBA's biggest stars were inactive due to health concerns over COVID-19, social justice reform and injury.
Now, the league welcomes some familiar faces back for the 2021 season.
Washington Mystics two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne, Las Vegas Aces' forward Liz Cambage, and Los Angeles Sparks forward Chiney Ogwumike headline a star-studded list of players who will be making their return to the WNBA after a year off in 2020.
In addition, last year's No. 1 overall pick, Sabrina Ionescu, will return to the floor after she was sidelined by an ankle injury at the beginning of last season, only playing three games with the New York Liberty.
The talent pool in the WNBA is arguably the deepest it has ever been, and it will only get deeper with these stars back in the fold.
Top billing for the top pick
Speaking of the WNBA's talent pool growing deeper, that's also due to an incoming rookie class headlined by the No. 1 overall pick Charli Collier of the Dallas Wings.
Collier enters the league as a dominating post presence who averaged 20.9 PPG and 12.2 RPG in her junior season at Texas.
If she can step right into the WNBA and produce for the Wings, they might be in line for a quick franchise turnaround.
Phoenix Rising
Six seasons have passed since the Phoenix Mercury were the last team standing after winning the 2014 WNBA Finals.
They will have a chance to end that drought this coming season thanks to their "Big 3."
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi form one of the most feared groups of players in the WNBA, with firepower on the inside and outside.
The trio boasts 19 All-Star Game selections between them, which instantly makes them one of the most decorated collections of players in the WNBA.
The Mercury made it to the second round of the playoffs last season without Griner, who had to leave the Orlando bubble due to personal reasons.
