WASHINGTON — The Mystics finally will have their parade.
The 2019 WNBA champions will celebrate their first championship on Tuesday, May 12, at 11:00am.
The Mystics parade route will run from the National Museum of Women to Capital One Arena, the former home of the team.
In a statement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her excitement for the parade.
“This is the beginning of a new tradition in the District of Champions: kicking off a new season with parades and banners,” said Bowser. “We will start our Mystics celebration with a parade, then a block party and a banner raising, and then we all know what we need to do – run it back!”
WNBA champion, and 2019 league MVP Elena Delle Donne is happy a date is finally set for the parade.
“I can’t hell you how many people have asked me when it is,” said Delle Donne. “So I’m glad there’s finally a date. I’m really hoping people come out, come celebrate. It’s right before the season opener, so I think it’s going to be great momentum heading into this next season.”
Unlike the Nationals, who had their parade just days after winning the World Series, the Mystics had to wait.
Under the WNBA’s previous collective bargaining agreement, most players needed to play overseas immediately following the WNBA season for another source of income.
That meant the WNBA champions didn’t have a definitive date for their championship parade, until now.
When the Mystics hold their championship parade, it will have been 214 days since the team won the franchise’s first title.
But with the Mystics opening up their title defense a few days later, there’s no better way to remind the league that the path to the WNBA title runs through D.C.
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