The WNBA All-Star Game is more than just an exhibition.
It’s an annual opportunity for the faces of the league to present themselves and the league how they’d like to be seen.
Last year, the weekend was about the players fighting for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Back in 2024, the dominant narrative was Team USA competing against the WNBA All-Stars who were snubbed from the Olympic team, giving those snubs a moment to prove themselves against the Olympians.
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This year, the messaging was subtle, but just as clear. The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game was a celebration of the sport.
For a couple of days, the WNBA was a place of tranquility and joy.
On Friday night, we saw three different generations of players, competing with and against each other in the Shooting Stars contest. Then, Azzi Fudd became the first rookie to win the 3-Point Contest, showing that this new crop of players is different.
And on Saturday night, the grand finale was as good as advertised.
Team Spoon beat Team Coop 129-122 in the All-Star Game, and the matchup provided us multiple vignettes that illustrated what makes this league one that provides daily joy to millions of people.
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Want some new school fun? Dominque Malonga delivered a dunk midway through the second quarter, while the Chicago crowd roared.
Want to see the best players who’ve been around play at the highest level? Jonquel Jones did not disappoint.
Jones flirted with a triple-double. She ended the game with 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in the win for Team Spoon, capturing MVP honors.
Now, Jones is truly the ruler of everything. She has regular-season MVP, WNBA Finals MVP and, now, All-Star Game MVP. She enters rarified air, as only Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and Maya Moore have accomplished this feat.
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During his postgame media availability, she commented on her StudBudz stream moment. She got emotional talking about it and what New York City means to her. Jones embodied how she and her fellow WNBA stars can deliver an incredible, superhuman basketball performances and then, moments later, remind us of their humanity in the most touching way.
What if you like the silliness that can come with the WNBA? Well, you know that was present all over the place.
With defense allowed but discouraged, the discourse about the lack of competition in the All-Star Game once again emerged. Kelsey Plum, who was selected for the All-Star Game but was out due to injury, had some fun ideas on how to up the ante, including having some prize money involved.
Want more laughs?
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A’ja Wilson was asked about her relationship with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, and she gave a hilarious response, saying, “My only relationship with Cathy is when she hands me awards, which is great. I love to see her.”
I’m not sure what was funnier: her answer or Olivia Miles’ facial expression. You can decide for yourself.
The All-Star Game being a summertime Chi situation was a smashing success.
A record 19,783 fans were in attendance at the United Center and they saw everything from amazing plays, great individual performances, hilarious moments and plenty of stars on and off the court that make the WNBA the special entity it is.
As everyone returns to their teams and gears up for the second half, let these moments become momentum that reminds us why we love basketball in the first place.
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It sparks joy. It counters a world that, for a multitude of reasons, feels like it’s growing darker by the day with light.
So, yes, there are things to fix with the WNBA. It’s not a monolith that lives outside of our world. It is implicated in the intersecting realities of racism, sexism, misogyny and every other issue that is embedded in the rest of the country and world.
But it also has great players and even better people who are playing a beautiful sport that all of us enjoy.
We all celebrated that this weekend. Let’s continue doing so as the WNBA crowns another champion this fall.
