Historic Moments and Rising Stars: A WNBA All-Star Weekend Recap

This month, the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Mercury hosted the 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend. On July 19th and 20th, the WNBA and its partners put together a stellar collection of events that brought together fans, players, celebrities, and basketball legends to showcase the best of the WNBA and send off this year’s Olympic squads.
WNBA Live: An Interactive Playground for Any Hoops Fan

The festivities kicked off with WNBA Live, a two-day extravaganza at the Phoenix Convention Center. This free event was the largest WNBA investment and participation from brand partners, as noted by the Phoenix Business Journal. Over 20 brand partners, including Nike, AT&T, ESPN, Mielle Organics, American Express, RISE, U.S. Bank, and Wilson, set up activations and exhibits to bring the WNBA experience to life.

WNBA Championship Trophy on display at WNBA Live.

Credit: Jarrett Smith, LOOP

Check out our LOOP Report feature on WNBA partner, RISE.

Fans were treated to dozens of appearances by WNBA All-Stars, Olympians, and rising stars in the women’s game, along with immersive experiences that catered to all ages. The festivities started on the WNBA’s orange carpet, followed by a youth basketball clinic led by UConn All-American Paige Bueckers. Across the million-plus square foot conference floor, fans had the opportunity to visit AT&T’s WNBA-inspired nail salon — with a surprise Saturday visit from 2-time WNBA Champion and MVP A’ja Wilson, taste La Crema wine samples with 6-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird, a Q&A session with Wilson’s signature athlete, Caitlin Clark, conversations with reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson, and other exciting activities to learn more about the WNBA, its players, and its partners.

Allisha Gray’s Historic All-Star Friday Night

All-Star Friday Night set the tone for the biggest weekend the WNBA has seen. Allisha Gray made history, becoming the first woman to win both the Skills Challenge and the 3-Point Contest in the same night and the third to win both contests in their career — joining Becky Hammon (2007, 2009) and first-time Olympian Sabrina Ionescu (2022, 2023). Gray outpaced highly-skilled challengers in All-Star Kelsey Mitchell and hometown heroes Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham, followed by taking down league sharpshooter and former league MVP Jonquel Jones to claim her second piece of hardware of the night.

All-Star Friday night also featured a 10-minute exhibition match between USA’s 3x3 National Team and its U23 Team before the senior team heads to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games. Los Angeles Sparks’ Dearica Hamby, Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard, recent TCU transfer Hailey Van Lith, and 7-time gold medal-winner Cierra Burdick led the senior team to victory over the U23 team in the contest.

LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson and New York Liberty All-Star forward Breanna Stewart talk to fans at Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Ballers Park at WNBA Live.

Credit: Jarrett Smith, LOOP

Arike Ogunbowale and WNBA Rookies Spoil Team USA’s All-Star Sendoff in Record-Breaking Fashion

A WNBA All-Star record 16,000 fans journeyed through the scorching Arizona heat to Footprint Center to experience what became one of the most competitive All-Star games in recent memory— in any sport. For the second consecutive Olympic year, the WNBA pitted the U.S. Olympic team against Team WNBA, selected by a combination of fan, player, and media voting, for their All-Star showdown. In a back-and-forth battle highlighted by an electrifying third quarter from both teams, Team WNBA defeated Team USA 117-109. Team WNBA’s Saturday night victory over the Olympians improved their head-to-head record to 2-0 after downing Team USA in 2021 before the Tokyo Olympic Games. Arike Ogunbowale was named the All-Star Game MVP, scoring all of her WNBA All-Star Game record 34 points in the second half to go along with 6 assists, 8 made 3-pointers, and the victory. Allisha Gray also completed her solo All-Star sweep, contributing 16 points and 5 steals as a backup guard for Team WNBA.

Ubiquitous All-Star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese also showed up and delivered for Team WNBA. Angel Reese achieved the first double-double by a rookie in an All-Star game with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes of play. Blossoming superstar Caitlin Clark delivered an impressive ten assists and 2 steals, coming only one assist shy of Sue Bird’s WNBA All-Star Game assist record— who will have to hold tight to that record with Clark hot on her heels. Clark’s most notable assist was her slip screen-and-roll assist to Angel Reese to put Team WNBA up 9 in the fourth quarter. Despite the lingering animosity between the two rookies’ fan bases that dates back to their stellar college careers and has escalated into a heated Rookie of the Year debate, the Phoenix crowd erupted in response to the play as the two young stars exchanged an on-court handshake while hustling back on defense.

New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart led Team USA with a team-high 31 points.

Nielsen reported that Saturday’s ABC broadcast set a new All-Star Game viewership record with 3.4 million viewers tuning in, shattering the previous 1.4 million set in the 2003 All-Star Game. ESPN PR also reported that this year’s All-Star Game saw a 305% increase in viewership from last year’s exhibition, largely thanks to the recent surge of WNBA fans supporting its young stars.

Dallas Wings All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being presented the All-Star Game MVP Trophy as Team WNBA takes down Team USA 117-109.

Credit: Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Stars Light Up Footprint Center On and Off the Court

The weekend attracted notable attendees, further illuminating the star-studded atmosphere. Among the celebrities and sports figures in attendance were Phoenix Suns guards Grayson Allen and Damion Lee, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Aubrey Plaza (who unfortunately tore her ACL in a fierce game of knockout with Bird and Rapinoe at the Mercury practice facility), Shannon Sharpe, Ty Dolla $ign, Fabolous, Vanessa Bryant and the Bryant family, Baron Davis, Paige Bueckers, Jason Sudeikis, Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison, Jr., Ronnie 2K, Wanda Durant, Flau’jae Johnson, Martha Stewart, Sam Jay, and pioneers from the Women’s Professional Basketball League, which preceded the WNBA from 1978 to 1981.

The WNBA continues to surge in popularity, and All-Star Weekend did not disappoint. The players delivered, which has been a pain point for fans’ expectations of professional athletes’ effort and participation in exhibitions. The league delivered as resources continued to flow in the league’s favor. And most importantly, the WNBA maintains its unprecedented popularity, engagement, and viewership growth.

League wins like this are critical leverage points in brand value conversations and only strengthen the league’s marketing position as WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is adamant about growing the league beyond its 12 (soon to be 14) teams. As the league entered its Olympic break period last week where regular season games are on hold until mid-August, the WNBA announced Wednesday a 'landmark’ 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBCUniversal beginning in the 2026 season. This is capitalizing on momentum at its finest.

The anticipation is that this momentum will carry through the Olympics and into the second half of the WNBA season and playoffs to finish what has been a historic 2024 for the league.

Just like the many of us wondering what new excitement next year’s All-Star Weekend will bring — we will have to wait and see.

Caitlin Clark stops to meet Arizona Girl Scouts at WNBA All-Star Friday Night.

Credit: Jarrett Smith, LOOP