The WNBA All-Star Game is finally here. Saturday’s event will feature the WNBA’s best and brightest players, as it always does. But this year, with the Olympics kicking off next week, the USA Basketball Women’s Olympic Team will be playing against the WNBA All-Stars in their run up to the Paris Olympics. Here’s how each team ranked:
Team WNBA: DeWanna Bonner (Connecticut Sun), Aaliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Kaitlyn Clark (Indiana Fever), Alisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks), Breonna Jones (Connecticut Sun), Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty), Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky)
USA team: Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Kaalia Copper (Phoenix Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Jewel Loyd (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)
date: Saturday, July 20, 2024
time: 8:30pm ET
position: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
TV Channels: A.B.C.
Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu
Follow Yahoo Sports’ Cassandra Negley for live updates and highlights from WNBA All-Star Weekend, which continues on Saturday.
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Clark has played 10 minutes, 41 seconds so far, the most of any WNBA player, and has four assists, so if they want to win (and every WNBA team says they want to win this weekend), they should use Clark to keep the ball moving smoothly.
A’ja Wilson went from biggest cheerleader to biggest enemy in the space of 24 hours after watching her former University of South Carolina teammate and best friend Alisha Gray take a foul and then make a minor misstep.
Notable attendees so far have included Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Ty Dolla Yin, Sheryl Swoopes and Paige Bueckers. Shannon Sharpe will also be sitting near the media side.
Napheesa Collier will fill in, which is significant as she has recently missed significant time with the Minnesota Lynx due to injury. She came off the bench at the last Olympics and is expected to be a big factor for the U.S. in Paris.
The US team is using a full court press and scoring with a steal.
Kaitlyn passed to Aaliyah to start the second quarter, then passed to Jones on the next possession, quickly increasing her assist count to three.
Sophie Cunningham gulped down the remainder of her drink as it was projected onto the giant screen after being announced to the audience – and no wonder – she’s getting an early start on her holiday activities.
And the “Next Generation WNBA All-Stars” are here as part of the WNBA and NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.
1Q: WNBA Team 24, USA Team 23
The loudest cheer of the game came when Angel Reese got an offensive rebound and waited for it to be sucked into the basket, giving Team WNBA a slight lead.
Angel Reese plays in her first All-Star game late in the first quarter. Immediately, Kelsey Mitchell and Kelsey Plum get tangled up on the perimeter. Mitchell looks shaken up. Plum laughs it off. Mitchell scores on the inbounds play.
WBL legends were honored at All-Star, and it was so refreshing to see the league and women’s basketball as a whole lean into history this weekend, especially with so many fans watching the game for the first time (hello!). Learn a little more about some of them, like Galloway McQuitter and Adrienne Mitchell Newell, who highlighted the importance of remembering the history of women’s sports.
All-Star veterans Ogwumike and Bonner make big plays early for Team WNBA. The first shift comes at 5:37. BG and Wilson take the court together for Team USA against Hamby and Ogwumike. Hamby previously said he will probably “handle this wisely,” suggesting she won’t get much playing time. She’s on the USA 3×3 team in Paris.
Ah, so fitting: Diana Taurasi opened the scoring with a three-pointer in the only place she’s played in the WNBA.
Everybody here is loved by everybody. Pac-12 nation is crazy about Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum (sorry about this one, guys). Phoenix stars Kalia Copper and Brittney Griner are getting big cheers, as are the stars of Team USA. But no one is more beloved than Diana Taurasi. This weekend felt like a celebration of the GOAT. Truly, it felt like this might be her last Olympics and WNBA All-Star game. But we’ve probably said that before.
A big shout out goes to Caitlin Clark, who was announced as the first starter for the WNBA team, but the cheers continue for Arike Ogunbowale, DeWanna Bonner (a two-time champion with Phoenix!), Jonquel Jones (people loved her 3-point shooting performance) and Nneka Ogwumike.
One oddity tonight will be the jersey numbers, as players on WNBA teams will wear jersey numbers, so Angel Reese and Dearika Hamby will each wear No. 5. DeWanna Bonner and Arike Ogunbowale will each wear No. 24.
Team WNBA? Ah, they’re all in one mind.
“We were talking [it] Yesterday and after [Team USA] “We played a really good game today against South Sudan, I thought it was really, really good,” WNBA head coach Cheryl Miller said before the game, “so I know how the players that I’ve had the opportunity and honor to coach feel, they want to win.”
This will be the second time the All-Star Game has been played as Team USA versus Team WNBA, making it a unique situation for both teams.
“We’re looking for an understanding of how we want to play,” USA Basketball head coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters before the game. “We’re looking for lineups. We’re looking for coaches that understand their players and know how to get the best out of their players. So we’re trying to accomplish a lot today with all the commotion that’s going to happen.”
Team USA and Team WNBA announce starting lineups
Team USA and Team WNBA announced their starting lineups, with rookie Kaitlyn Clark starting. Team WNBA will feature Clark, Arike Ogunbowale, DeWanna Bonner, Nneka Ogwumike and Jonquel Jones, while Team USA will feature Chelsea Gray, Jewel Loyd, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson.
Team USA starting lineup: Chelsea Gray, Jewel Loyd, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson.
Team WNBA starters: Caitlin Clark, Arike Ogunbowale, Dewanna Bonner, Nneka Ogwuemike, Jonquel Jones
