ION’s “State Farm® WNBA Friday Night Spotlight” returns in 2025 as the home of the most WNBA regular‑season games on television. This year, three seasoned studio talents—Larry Smith, Autumn Johnson, and Meghan McKeown—will anchor 30‑minute pre‑game, halftime, and post‑game shows, broadcasting live from Atlanta.
ION’s Studio Show Hosts and Analysts Breakdown
ION’s live game coverage is a simulcast of the WNBA’s world‑feed commentary, ensuring fans across the country hear the league’s top play‑by‑play and analyst teams.
Starting every Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET (first game) and 10:00 p.m. ET (second game), the WNBA season will take place from May 16 through mid‑September. ION’s first game broadcast will be of the Washington Mystics vs. Connecticut Sun.
Viewers can tune in on over‑the‑air on ION Television, available on most pay‑TV and connected TV services, free via ION’s FAST channels, and the ION WNBA app.
Here are the key voices you’ll hear:
Larry Smith (Host)
The centerpiece of ION’s in‑studio coverage is award‑winning anchor and correspondent Larry Smith. Smith brings decades of experience—from 16 years at CNN Sports to hosting NBATV’s Gametime—and has covered more than 60 world and major championship events, including 12 Final Fours and seven NBA Finals.
Autumn Johnson (Analyst)
A dynamic presence in women’s basketball coverage, Johnson serves as the NCAA’s lead studio personality and has contributed to ESPN and the Big Ten Network. A three‑sport collegiate athlete, she founded the AJTV Summit and Scholarship to mentor young women in media.
Meghan McKeown (Analyst)
McKeown brings her on‑court insight from covering the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces on NBC/Peacock, as well as work with the Big Ten Network, ESPN, and Fox. A former collegiate athlete at Boston College, she has become a trusted voice in basketball analysis.
Nicole Denne
Denne serves as Executive Producer for ION’s studio programming, where she shapes pre‑game, halftime, and post‑game shows for both WNBA and NWSL broadcasts. Earlier in her career, Denne was an Executive Producer at KNBC in Los Angeles, and also covered the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics.
Full ION Schedule for the 2025 WNBA Season
Here is the list of 50 games from the 2025 WNBA that will be broadcast on ION:
| Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) |
| May 17 | Washington | Connecticut | 7:30 p.m. |
| May 17 | Seattle | Minnesota | 9:30 p.m. |
| May 24 | Indiana | Los Angeles | 10:00 p.m. |
| May 31 | Las Vegas | Atlanta | 7:30 p.m. |
| May 31 | Dallas | Connecticut | 7:30 p.m. |
| May 31 | Washington | New York | 7:30 p.m. |
| May 31 | Phoenix | Minnesota | 9:30 p.m. |
| June 7 | Indiana | Washington | 7:30 p.m. |
| June 7 | Seattle | Las Vegas | 10:00 p.m. |
| June 7 | Dallas | Los Angeles | 10:00 p.m. |
| June 7 | Minnesota | Phoenix | 10:00 p.m. |
| June 14 | Chicago | Washington | 7:30 p.m. |
| June 14 | Los Angeles | Minnesota | 7:30 p.m. |
| June 21 | Indiana | Atlanta | 7:30 p.m. |
| June 21 | Connecticut | Las Vegas | 10:00 p.m. |
| June 28 | Atlanta | Connecticut | 7:30 p.m. |
| June 28 | Los Angeles | Phoenix | 10:00 p.m. |
| July 5 | Atlanta | Dallas | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 5 | Las Vegas | Los Angeles | 10:00 p.m. |
| July 5 | Chicago | Seattle | 10:00 p.m. |
| July 12 | Las Vegas | Atlanta | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 12 | Phoenix | Indiana | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 12 | Minnesota | Seattle | 10:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 16 | Seattle | Atlanta | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 16 | Phoenix | Indiana | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 16 | Connecticut | Dallas | 9:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 23 | Phoenix | Atlanta | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 23 | Chicago | Connecticut | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 23 | Los Angeles | Washington | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 23 | Las Vegas | Minnesota | 9:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 30 | Indiana | Chicago | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 30 | Minnesota | Dallas | 7:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 30 | Atlanta | Las Vegas | 10:00 p.m. |
| Aug. 30 | New York | Seattle | 10:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 6 | Dallas | Atlanta | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 6 | Las Vegas | Connecticut | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 6 | Minnesota | Indiana | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 6 | Los Angeles | Chicago | 9:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 13 | Washington | Atlanta | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 13 | Las Vegas | Indiana | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 13 | Seattle | Dallas | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 13 | Chicago | Minnesota | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 13 | Connecticut | Phoenix | 10:00 p.m. |
For the 2025 season, apart from ION, ESPN and ABC have assembled an all‑star broadcast roster that reads like a Hall of Fame who’s-who. Anchored by the veteran tandem of Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo, and propelled by a constellation of sideline reporters and studio analysts, every tip‑off will be as enthralling off the court as it is on it.
Coverage spans ABC, ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, and ESPN Deportes, ensuring fans can catch every rivalry, showcase, and showdown across multiple platforms.
