The WNBA is turning 30 this season, and it is throwing itself a proper party.
All-Star Weekend arrives in Chicago on Friday and Saturday, with Wintrust Arena hosting Friday night's skills events and the United Center set to host the main event Saturday night. It is a 30th anniversary celebration dressed up as a basketball weekend, with Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, A'ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart all part of the same showcase. The league has never had more star power at one event, and the storylines heading into the weekend are layered enough to carry a full week of conversation.
Here is everything you need to know before tip-off.
The Format: Team Cooper vs Team Weatherspoon
This year's All-Star Game carries a twist that fits the anniversary theme perfectly. Rather than a traditional conference format, WNBA legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon are serving as honorary general managers, selecting their rosters from the pool of 22 All-Stars.
Cooper won four WNBA championships with the Houston Comets and was the league's dominant force in its early years. Weatherspoon is one of the most celebrated defenders in league history. Seeing two icons of the first generation draft the stars of the current one is exactly the kind of moment a 30th anniversary deserves.
The Rosters
Team Cooper
Starters: Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), Natasha Howard (Minnesota Lynx), Gabby Williams (Golden State Valkyries)
Reserves: Angel Reese (Atlanta Dream), Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo), Dominique Malonga (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles Sparks), Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces), Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics)
Team Weatherspoon
Starters: Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever), A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx), Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Jessica Shepard (Dallas Wings)
Reserves: Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty), Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx), Kiki Iriafen (Washington Mystics), Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks)
Three Indiana Fever players starting, Clark, Mitchell, and Boston, reflects how completely the Fever have captured the league's attention this season.
Weekend Schedule
| Event | Day | Time (ET) | Venue | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WNBA Live Fan Festival | Thu-Fri | All day | Chicago | - |
| Shooting Stars Competition | Friday, July 24 | 8:00 PM | Wintrust Arena | ESPN |
| 3-Point Contest | Friday, July 24 | After Shooting Stars | Wintrust Arena | ESPN |
| All-Star Game | Saturday, July 25 | 8:30 PM | United Center | ABC |
The Shooting Stars Competition
This year's weekend debuts a new event: the Kia WNBA Shooting Stars competition, replacing the traditional skills challenge. Four teams each feature a WNBA legend, a current player, and a Nike EYBL standout in a timed shooting contest.
The legend group is loaded: Elena Delle Donne, Lauren Jackson, Rebekkah Brunson, and Deanna "Tweety" Nolan headline the event. It is a format built to showcase the full spectrum of the sport, from legends to current stars to the next generation. For a 30th anniversary weekend, that feels right.
The 3-Point Contest: Great Field, Bigger Story
The six participants in this year's State Farm WNBA 3-Point Contest are a genuinely exciting group:
- Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream)
- Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo)
- Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings)
- Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire)
- Natisha Hiedeman (Seattle Storm)
- Janelle Salaun (Golden State Valkyries)
Mabrey's 34-point explosion against the Lynx earlier this month makes her one to watch. Fudd as a rookie going up against veterans gives the event a good storyline. Salaun, coming off her strong stretch with the Valkyries, is another name to know.
But the bigger story is who is not there.
Caitlin Clark is not competing amid workload and back-health concerns. Sabrina Ionescu is also absent, with Ionescu publicly disputing reports that she declined, saying she was never properly invited. Kayla McBride also criticized the process, saying the communication around her invitation was informal and late. Three years in, some of the league's most prominent shooters still have not shared the 3-Point Contest floor, and the ongoing saga has become its own annual subplot.
The field is good. But the league needs to figure out how to get its biggest names into this event cleanly and consistently.
The Main Storylines
Clark vs Bueckers. The narrative that has defined this WNBA season gets its highest-profile showcase Saturday night. Both are All-Star starters. Both have been among the best players in the league this year. They have shared a floor before, but never with this much attention and never on this stage. Whatever happens in the All-Star Game will be replayed and analyzed for weeks.
Clark's health. As recently as the week of July 5-11, Clark was playing on a 16-minute cap as she worked back from a back injury. She has been trending in the right direction, but how she looks and feels Saturday night will be one of the most closely watched storylines of the weekend.
A'ja Wilson. The best player in the world has been the best player in the world all season. The All-Star Game is a showcase, not a competition in the traditional sense, but Wilson tends to make any floor she plays on feel like hers. Watch for her regardless of score.
The Fever's three starters. Clark, Mitchell, and Boston all starting is a statement about where Indiana is as a franchise and as a cultural force. Two years ago this would have been unimaginable. Now it is just the baseline.
Reese as a reserve. Angel Reese playing for Atlanta this season after her Chicago Sky tenure makes her return to the United Center a genuine subplot. Chicago fans have complicated feelings about her departure. Expect a reaction when she is introduced.
Our Pick
All-Star games are not designed to be closely contested. Defense is optional, highlights are the product, and everyone goes home healthy. But with the Clark-Bueckers matchup as the backdrop, Saturday night has genuine must-watch energy that goes beyond the exhibition format.
Tune in for the moments. There will be some good ones.
All-Star Game: Saturday, July 25, 8:30 PM ET on ABC. United Center, Chicago.
Make your WNBA picks at Crystal Ball Picks.
