CHICAGO — With the weight of CBA negotiations left in the past, the 2026 WNBA All-Star break gave off lighter vibes than a year ago. In the league’s 30th season, the growth showed everywhere and culminated in Teresa Weatherspoon’s roster defeating Cynthia Cooper’s, 129-122, in front of an All-Star record 19,783 fans at the United Center in Chicago.
The mini break featured a visit by President Barack Obama, an endless stream of content from the StudBudz live stream and a new crop of winners and losers to encompass it all.
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Winner: Generational Shooting Stars
Elena Delle Donne knocking down shots in a vintage WNBA jersey? Give. Us. All. Of. It.
The Shooting Stars competition replaced the Skills Challenge on Friday night, and it proved to be a winner. The Washington team of Delle Donne (legend), Shakira Austin (current player) and Jezelle “GG” Banks (EYBL high school player) won by defeating the Dallas/Detroit team in the finals.
The generational structure in place as a 30th anniversary honor shouldn’t be dropped in subsequent years. It showcased what was, what is and what will be in a fun way. Delle Donne spoke at length about the growth of the league and the All-Star festivities a mere three years after retiring. Imagine what it will look like by the time Banks is in the league.
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The trophy case keeps growing for the 6-foot-6 center known as JJ.
Jones became the first player in WNBA history to win league MVP (2021), Commissioner’s Cup MVP (2023), Finals MVP (2024) and All-Star MVP. She earned the latest honor with a near triple-double, finishing her 22 minutes on the court for Team Spoon with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. She was efficient (8 of 17) and solid from beyond the arc. Never forget she quite nearly won a 3-point competition in 2024.
The Liberty champion played this year’s game the day of the memorial for her aunt, Marilyn Anita Knowles, who died late last month. It’s also a bright moment for New York, which has not had many of late amid a frustrating slide in the standings.
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Loser: Jonquel Jones and the dark side of a live feed
It was far from a rosy weekend for Jones. The six-time All-Star caught flak earlier in the weekend for comments caught on the StudBudz feed. She supposedly said that her 2019 Connecticut Sun team, which featured Courtney Williams and was five minutes away from a title, deserved to win that WNBA championship, whereas the 2024 Lynx deserved it over her Liberty squad.
The comments were honest and regular sports talk any fan might have with a friend at the local bar. The Sun were well on their way to that title, and the loss of it collapsed a historic core. The Lynx could have also taken Game 5, and it will be marred forever by head coach Cheryl Reeve saying immediately after the loss, “that s*** was stolen from us.” Both series went to a winner-take-all Game 5.
As Jones clarified on Saturday night, it didn’t come out the way she meant it and there was nothing deeper to it.
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“What I was just saying is that you can have a team that has a lot of chemistry, is great on paper, that has had a great season, and it’s still not enough to get it done,” Jones said. “And that’s what I was trying to explain to her with that whole clip.”
That it blew up on social media clearly impacted her weekend, and she took nearly a minute to compose herself through sobs before explaining how much the New York organization means to her and that the moment misrepresented that. It’s unfortunate her All-Star weekend was marred in that way, and proved once again there is a downside to constantly being online.
Everyone expects to see Clark hit from deep when the competition dial is turned down, and that’s exactly what she did. She scored Team Spoon’s first eight points, capped by a 28-foot pull-up and a 33-foot bomb.
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Here’s the winning bit: That first bucket was off a steal in the game’s first 25 seconds. A STEAL. No one can say on Sunday morning that Clark doesn’t play defense. It was all in good fun, and she later contributed to a few trap attempts. Clark scored 17 points with 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes. It was her second All-Star Game on the court after missing last year’s festivities in Indianapolis due to injury.
Loser: All-Star game rule change
Those could have been 4-point shots. Or 5-points, as Clark pushed for throughout Friday, until hearing there wouldn’t be any extra points at all.
Winner: The trophies!
Multiple players didn’t let the joke slip by that the growth of the league and All-Star weekend is clear in the size of the trophies. We all remember the infamous 2022 children’s toy held by MVP Kelsey Plum.
Azzi Fudd holds her hefty 3-Point Contest trophy on Friday night. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
(Geoff Stellfox via Getty Images)
Winner: Brands and business
The WNBA is Big Business. Nothing showcases that better than All-Star weekend, where the WNBA Live activations and parties multiply every year.
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The league expected more than 30,000 people to roll through the WNBA Live space at the McCormick Convention Center, and sold tickets to it for the first time at nearly $40 apiece. Players rolled through for various showings and competitions throughout the weekend.
Brands are showing up in more spaces than that, hosting parties attended by players and showcased throughout their social media pages.
Under Armour pledged $500 for each 3-pointer made by Marina Mabrey in the Friday night competition, and printed Mabrey money in her honor. The first-time All-Star briefly forgot about that branding after a dazzling performance during the All-Star Game, but recovered (a common occurrence for many players in a party-filled weekend) and highlighted her brand partner.
“I think it works all over the world,” Mabrey said of the money. “I think it works anywhere. But it’s best if you use it in the club.”
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Mabrey scored 23 points in her first All-Star and gave everyone another precious moment attempting to barista for her family at the Unrivaled pop-up.
Loser: Friday night’s showing
The last time Chicago hosted All-Star festivities, the opening night competitions were held at nearby McCormick Place. Though no tickets were sold for a court set up at the convention center, EYBL participants did attend.
Attendance might have been higher for that one than the 2026 events. A majority of seats were empty by the start of the Shooting Stars competition, and many remained that way throughout the night. The competitions were fun enough, but they only lasted one hour.
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As the WNBA expands All-Star, it should look to provide a richer experience on Friday night. A stilted one-hour showing isn’t much of a draw, and the fans lingering outside at the restaurants that remained open an hour later show there is a market for more. The celebrity 3-point contest put on at WNBA Live on Saturday could be an option, with more pop culture involvement. Aubrey Plaza could be healthy and available next year … just saying.
Loser: Chicago as host
To be perfectly clear, Chicago’s turn hosting 2026 All-Star went well. There were no major guffaws; the city itself delivers a perfect summer showing, complete with a rare couple of July days in the 70s.
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Putting All-Star in a larger city results in a watered-down product forced to compete with everything else. The All-Star branding showed better in places like Phoenix and Indianapolis because of their downtown size. This year’s main headquarters in the South Loop posed logistical challenges.
And while the Nike Tournament of Champions lends itself well to a weekend celebrating the WNBA, it also takes away from the professional league. The convention center and local hotels were packed with high school athletes focused on their own games, not necessarily engulfed in the WNBA’s event.
It was also notable how loud the massive crowd at United Center roared for their former Sky stars, including Mabrey, Angel Reese and 2021 champion Kahleah Copper. An organization can truly thrive here.
