ESPN2 Tips-Off WNBA Postseason with Conference Semifinal Action Thursday

2015 WNBA Draft Lottery to Air at Halftime on September 24

ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA Playoffs 2015 Presented by Boost Mobile will begin Thursday, Sept. 17, with a doubleheader featuring Games 1 of the Eastern and Western Conference Semifinals. The Chicago Sky will host the Indiana Fever in the East matchup at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the West’s Phoenix Mercury hosting the Tulsa Shock at 10 p.m.  Postseason action will culminate with ABC and ESPN2’s exclusive coverage of the best-of-five series for the WNBA Finals 2015 Presented by Boost Mobile beginning Sunday, Oct. 4.

Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals announce teams will be Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo with Holly Rowe reporting,  and Pam Ward and Carolyn Peck with LaChina Robinson reporting. The trio of Ruocco, Lobo and Rowe will call the WNBA Finals 2015 Presented by Boost Mobile.

Many of the league’s best players will be on showcase during the postseason including 2015 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne (Chicago); Tamika Catchings (Indiana); Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles); Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus (Minnesota); Tina Charles and Epiphanny Prince (New York); Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix); Odyssey Sims (Tulsa); and Ivory Latta and Stefanie Dolson (Washington).

Additional Coverage

espnW.com will supplement ESPN’s schedule with comprehensive live coverage and analysis throughout the WNBA postseason by Mechelle Voepel and Michelle Smith, who have covered the WNBA all season long, along with Kate Fagan, Melissa Isaacson and Sarah Spain, as well as Ian Begley of ESPN New York.  Additional highlights:

• Live coverage of a record number of games throughout the WNBA playoffs, including every game of the conference finals and WNBA Finals.
• Playoff game video highlights along with previews, postgame video and analysis.
• Spain will cover Game 1 of the Indiana-Chicago series with an Instagram Takeover.
• A Best Women’s Basketball Player bracket — a panel of espnW and ESPN experts ranked their top players and we seeded them. The 16-player bracket will be unveiled Monday, Sept. 21, and users will determine which women’s basketball players advance. The best player of all-time will be unveiled during the WNBA Finals.
• Coverage from the 2015 WNBA Draft Lottery, taking a comprehensive look at the four teams vying for the top pick and which player W predicts will be the first player taken in the Draft.
• Postgame analysis from Rebecca Lobo and Carolyn Peck.

Additional production elements for the WNBA Finals will be announced closer to the series.

2016 WNBA Draft Lottery

The 2016 WNBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm will air at halftime during ESPN2’s Playoffs coverage on Thursday, Sept. 24. The Draft Lottery will be hosted by Matt Barrie from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters.

The four teams that did not qualify for the playoffs this season will be looking to secure the top pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm taking place next April.

WNBA officials and a representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young will conduct the draft lottery, which will establish the first four picks of the 2016 WNBA Draft. The order of selection for the remainder of the first round, as well as the second and third round, is determined by inverse order of the teams’ respective regular-season records from 2015.

WatchESPN

All ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

**If necessary

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