WNBA Coaches, GMs Discuss Replay Center Ahead of 2027 Launch

General managers and coaches from all 15 WNBA teams discussed officiating, the replay center debuting in 2027, and practice facilities coming online next season at the league’s annual competition committee meeting, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported Thursday. No decisions or rule changes were made. The group will meet again at the Final Four in the spring.

Every WNBA arena will be connected directly to the NBA’s Replay Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, according to the league’s release. When a play is up for review, broadcast and in-arena camera angles will go straight to Secaucus. Replay staff there will pick out the clearest views and send them to the officiating crew on the floor.

Rotating officials and league operations staff will also be available to assist. The NBA opened the facility for the 2014-15 season.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the replay center on July 25. She made the announcement at her All-Star news conference in Chicago, hours before tip-off at the United Center.

Engelbert also said in July that the NBA’s last two-minute report would not be used in the WNBA for now, The Associated Press reported.

She gave an update at her final WNBA Finals news conference as commissioner on Oct. 17. The center was on track to open next season, Engelbert said, according to Front Office Sports.

The league formed an officiating task force before the 2026 season, and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was a member. Its main point of emphasis was freedom of movement.

Sue Blauch, the WNBA’s head of referee performance and development, told the AP in May that “we didn’t really change any rules or change an interpretation” coming out of those sessions. Officials enforced existing guidelines more strictly instead.

By mid-July, teams were averaging about 86 points per game. That was the most in league history, the AP reported. Officials had called 44 flagrant fouls by that point, compared with 51 in all of 2025.

The competition committee recommended the league’s first coach’s challenge, and the WNBA Board of Governors approved it for the 2023 season. Teams were allowed one challenge per game.

The 2024 changes went through the same committee recommendation and board approval. A team whose first challenge succeeded was awarded a second one. A successful first challenge also let the team keep its timeout, but the timeout used on a second challenge was not retained, regardless of the result.

Coaches had three types of calls available to challenge under that release. They could dispute a foul charged to their team, an out-of-bounds decision, or a goaltending or basket interference call.