Lisa Leslie will be making her return to the WNBA courts this preseason as the Sparks open in Atlanta on May 3. Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2008 -- The WNBA announced its 2008 preseason schedule today, including four games in non-WNBA markets. For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Sky will tip off the league's preseason as they welcome the Seattle Storm to the UIC Pavilion on Wednesday, April 30 at 7 p.m.

The excitement of WNBA basketball will extend to four non-WNBA markets, highlighted by a return to Milwaukee, Wisc. and Lubbock, Texas, sites that hosted WNBA clubs during the 2007 preseason. The Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky will travel to the Badger State and play at the Al McGuire Center on May 3 while the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock will square off against the San Antonio Silver Stars May 12 at Lubbock's United Spirit Arena.

Additionally, the WNBA will visit Tampa, Fla. for a game between the Sacramento Monarchs and Washington Mystics on May 5. The fourth non-market game involves the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks who will meet in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D. on May 11.

Highlighting the preseason schedule will be the inaugural game for the Atlanta Dream as they host the Los Angeles Sparks at Philips Arena on May 3. The game will be the first chance to see the league's newest franchise take the court and will mark the return to WNBA action of three-time league MVP Lisa Leslie. Leslie sat out 2007 due to the birth of her first child. Also, the defending WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury will play their first preseason game against the Connecticut Sun on May 4 in Uncasville, Conn. The Mercury's preseason home opener is set for May 11 against Atlanta.

The full preseason schedule is as follows:

About the WNBA
Now entering its 12th season, the WNBA is the longest-running and most successful women's professional team sports league in America. The WNBA features 14 teams with the Eastern and Western Conferences comprised of seven teams each. In 2008, the expansion Atlanta Dream will join the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics in the Eastern Conference, while the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, San Antonio Silver Stars and Seattle Storm continue to comprise the Western Conference.

The 2008 season will tip off on May 17, when Lisa Leslie and the Los Angeles Sparks take on Diana Taurasi and the defending champion Phoenix Mercury in a nationally televised contest (3:30 p.m. on ABC). For the third straight year, ESPN2 will feature "WNBA Tuesdays" as the appointment viewing destination for WNBA fans. ESPN2 will televise "WNBA Tuesdays" for nine weeks during the regular season, beginning with a May 20 telecast featuring a Western Conference match up between the Sacramento Monarchs and Seattle Storm. Combined WNBA coverage on ABC and ESPN2 will include 21 national telecasts in 2008, while NBA TV, the league's 24-hour television network, will offer 70 regular season contests.

Renowned off the court for its dedication to the community, the WNBA is deeply committed to WNBA CARES programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on promoting health and fitness, breast health awareness, reading and youth basketball programs.