The 2023 WNBA season ideas off on Friday with the Las Vegas Aces favored to repeat as champions.
But there’s a brand new challenger on the block within the type of the revamped New York Liberty. The Aces are the +115 title favorites at BetMGM, with the Liberty closes behind at +125.
While the Aces will wait till Saturday to get their season below method in Seattle, the new-look Liberty play on the Washington Mystics on opening night time Friday. New York loaded up within the offseason, including former WNBA MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones together with the league’s all-time chief in assists common in Courtney Vandersloot to a roster that already included begin Sabrina Ionescu.
“Winning a championship, that’s the ultimate goal,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello mentioned.
“(But) we don’t win championships in the preseason. … So, win the day. We have to come to work and get better.”
Meanwhile, the Aces have been within the headlines for the incorrect causes coming into the season. Coach Becky Hammon will miss Las Vegas’ first two video games with out pay as a part of penalties levied by the WNBA following a league investigation.
The Aces opened at +130 to repeat as champions, however these odds shortened to +115 by opening day with the general public backing Las Vegas with 19.0 p.c of the title bets and 25.6 p.c of the cash. However, that was nicely behind the Liberty, whose odds opened at +150 earlier than drawing 23.6 and 33.7 p.c of the motion, respectively, with each figures main all groups on the sportsbook.
The subsequent closest odds belong to the Mystics at +1400, adopted by the Phoenix Mercury at +2000. It’s really the Mercury who open the season as BetMGM’s largest WNBA title legal responsibility, having drawn the third-most cash at 16.9 p.c together with the second most whole bets at 19.8 p.c.
The second largest legal responsibility is the Connecticut Sun, who open the season at +3500 to win the title after falling to the Aces in 4 video games in final yr’s WNBA finals.
The Liberty are the sportsbook’s third largest legal responsibility. New York is an authentic WNBA franchise, however doesn’t have a title, and final performed for one in 2002.
However, after first-round playoff exits every of the final two years, the Liberty made a large offseason splash.
A two-time WNBA champion and 2018 MVP, Stewart signed with New York after averaging 20.3 factors and eight.6 rebounds in six seasons with Seattle. Vandersloot, a four-time All-Star, 2021 champion with Chicago and the league’s all-time chief in assists common (6.6) adopted.
New York additionally traded for Jones, the 2021 MVP who averaged 13.6 factors and eight.3 rebounds, whereas twice averaging a double-double, throughout six seasons with Connecticut.
