CHICAGO — The buzz for WNBA All-Star weekend’s Friday night events started well before any athlete arrived at Wintrust Arena.
In the morning, the two teams set to face off in the All-Star Game on Saturday gathered at the Obama Presidential Center’s athletic facility. Most assumed it would be a normal start to their All-Star weekend — an unserious practice, talking with reporters, then a bit of prep time before Friday night’s festivities.
Instead, a surprise. After remarks from commissioner Cathy Engelbert and other Chicago leaders, former United States President Barack Obama arrived to speak with the All-Stars for a few moments before their practice time began.
“Look at these All-Stars!” Obama said two seconds after being handed the microphone. He then addressed both teams for about two-and-a-half minutes before applause filled the room.
Afterward, he took a group photo with the players and coaches, then walked around and met with several individually.
“It’s pretty surreal. It’s super exciting to meet him,” Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston said. “Obama’s pretty dope, so I’m super excited.”
After the surprise meeting, the players took the court for practice — first Team Coop, followed by Team Spoon. Then, a gap in the action as there were multiple hours between the morning practices and the night’s festivities. Of the actual All-Stars, only four were set to participate in Friday’s events: Courtney Williams (Shooting Stars), Jessica Shepard (Shooting Stars), Rhyne Howard (3-Point Contest), Marina Mabrey (3-Point Contest).
Wintrust, the home of the Chicago Sky, was the host site for those two events. The action kicked off at 7 p.m. local time. First up was Shooting Stars, but there was plenty happening in the building before that took place.
About two hours before any of the competitions began, several of the participating athletes hit the orange carpet for a dramatic entrance. Golden State’s Janelle Salaün was first, scurrying along after a few photos. Then came Bridget Carleton, who hung around for longer and fielded a few questions from reporters.
“I’m excited,” Carleton said. “Just really excited to be here. It’s been a fun day.”
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Some WNBA legends came in soon after. Lauren Jackson strolled across the backdrop at about 5:05. 18 minutes later, Elena Delle Donne appeared. They both admitted that they hadn’t played basketball seriously in a while, and it showed in their warmups.
“Even just being around all the fanfare at the All-Star Game, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Jackson shared. She brought her son. “The platform now that the girls have is incredible.”
Fans were filling in for the following hour, looking over a court with a giant Kia SUV sitting at midcourt. Memorabilia was for sale at just about every corner.
At 7:47, a mascot for every team hit the court. At 7:49, out came the New York Liberty’s mascot, Ellie, to a big roar — bigger than the one sent to the host Chicago Sky’s mascot, Skye. They danced as a pregame show, and it was time for the Shooting Stars challenge.
Every team had a Nike EYBL standout, a WNBA player, and a legend. Team Washington was composed of Shakira Austin, Delle Donne and Jezelle “GG” Banks; Team Seattle had Flau’jae Johnson, Jackson and Tatianna Griffin; Team Minnesota was built with Courtney Williams, Rebekkah Brunson and Ryan Carter; and Team Dallas/Detroit had Jessica Shepard, Deanna “Tweety” Nolan and Morghan Reckley.
The standout round actually came first as Team Washington hit a high mark of 35. Each team shot from seven different spots on the floor, with each of the first six spots scored like normal: two points inside the arc and three points beyond the arc.
The final spot, the seventh, was worth four points. It was a logo three, and Team Washington was hot from far out. After their 35-point round, the group chest bumped in celebration at midcourt.
Team Seattle ranked second to reach the final with 26 points. Team Minnesota struggled from the four-point area, as did Team Dallas/Detroit. The latter two groups were eliminated.
The finals were set, but delayed by a halftime show featuring Skye the Lioness dancing. While this was an organized event, turning your head in any direction usually resulted in seeing a different WNBA mascot dancing in some way.
Team Seattle went first in the title round, but they struggled early. Even Jackson’s already minor jump shot lift wasn’t all there, as she was getting about four inches off the ground as the final round went on. Seattle finished with 24 points to set the mark for Washington to beat.
Team Washington was, once again, on it. Delle Donne was hot early. Their EYBL star Banks was… a star, hitting multiple 4-point shots including the clinching bucket. They won the Shooting Stars event and took both rounds. Delle Donne and Austin celebrated with their teammate at midcourt.
“The juices were flowing. We won a championship out there,” Delle Donne said after the event. “It’s great to be back [and] be around the game a little bit more.” All three participants were very happy with both their performance and their team camaraderie.
“I’m happy to be coming home with that money,” Austin added late in her post-event press conference.
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A brief, uneventful interlude followed as the arena flipped to prepare for the 3-Point Contest. That involved getting the SUV off the court, which took more than a dozen people and very unique equipment.
To kick off the event, players were introduced by running through a tunnel formed by Skye Dancers and the mascots. They were announced in the order of their participation: Natisha Hiedeman, Bridget Carleton, Azzi Fudd, Janelle Salaün, Marina Mabrey and Rhyne Howard.
Players were permitted to start from either side of the court. Hiedeman went first and began on the first side of the court. But her slow release was a hurdle as she barely got through all of her shot attempts. She finished with 17 points.
Carleton went second, and she was on fire to start things. From the left corner and wing, the Fire’s top talent couldn’t miss. She wowed the crowd and earned many ooohs and aaahs. 29 points later, she was in the lead.
So did Fudd, the next contestant. Her accuracy was more balanced before she got particularly on target from the right corner. The crowd loved her finish to the round, and Fudd’s quick release left her plenty of time on the clock.
Before Salaün stepped up to shoot, the crowd participated in a TikTok trend. Thanks to the jumbotron, a giant “Say the Word on Beat” challenge was possible. And of course, the mascots got involved.
After the break, Salaün stepped up for her turn but was cold. She put just 19 points on the scoreboard, then Mabrey followed that up with a similar 18. Those two were knocked out quickly.
Howard, a typically terrific shooter, came up just short with 20 points. As the competition went on, the pressure rose since the bar to move on was clearer. And for Howard’s round, several WNBA players surrounded the half of the court that the players were shooting on. Alysha Clark, for example, was about 15 feet from Howard but was supporting her teammate Fudd.
Clark got her wish. Fudd (24) and Carleton (29) were finals-bound. Clark was amped. But, of course, there was a halftime show first.
More dancing mascots? You bet, but this time it came with the lights off. And this interlude also featured a shooting contest between two fans, but both attempted halfcourt shots for 45 seconds. The winner would be whoever made more.
In the end, that was… neither. They both missed every shot. It was time for the finals.
Fudd went first this time, and she said after the event that going first was easier. She was less sweaty and didn’t have to think as much about her shots with no target score looming.
Her calm nature showed. She was, once again, on fire from the corners, hitting all of them from the left corner. She finished with 30 points, then broke out a huge smile. She received chest bumps from nearby fans, then the jumbotron camera cut to Flau’jae Johnson shouting “Oh my God!”
Carleton started hot in the final round, but struggled once she got to the top of the key. She scored just 19, making Fudd the winner. Fudd was mobbed by several other WNBA players before Carleton came over and gave her a big high five.
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Fudd plans to use her prize money for a vacation with her family once the season is over. “I should have made more,” Fudd joked of missing six shots in the final round. “[I was] just focused.”
In the house for the events: Jayson Tatum, Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Aliyah Boston, Alysha Clark, Raven Johnson, Jonquel Jones, Jake From State Farm, Makayla Timpson, Angel Reese, Kahleah Copper, Nneka Ogwumike, Paige Bueckers, Bree Hall, and other WNBA players.
