| WNBA All-Star Game | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Annual |
| Inaugurated | 1999 |
| Most recent | 2025 (Indianapolis) |
| Previous event | 2024 (Phoenix) |
| Next event | 2026 (Chicago) |
| Participants | Eastern Conference andWestern Conference All-Stars |
| Organized by | Women's National Basketball Association |
TheWomen's National Basketball Association All-Star Game, commonly referred to as theWNBA All-Star Game, is the annualall-star game hosted each July by theWomen's National Basketball Association, showcasing the league's top players. It is the feature event of the WNBA All-Star Weekend, a three-day event which goes from Friday to Sunday in a selected WNBA city. The WNBA All-Star Game was first played atMadison Square Garden on July 14, 1999.
From 1999 to 2017, the WNBA All-Star Game featured star players from theWestern Conference competing against star players from theEastern Conference. Starters were selected by fan voting through internet ballots, while the remaining players were chosen by league personnel, including head coaches and media members. At the end of the game, the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) was named by a panel of media representatives.
In 2018, the WNBA introduced a new format for the All-Star Game, eliminating the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference structure in favor of a player draft.[1] In this new format, two captains – determined by the highest number of fan votes – draft their teams from a pool of players voted as All-Stars, regardless of conference affiliation. Voting for All-Star starters includes inputs from fans, WNBA players, and sports media members, with a weighted system (fans 50%, players and media 25% each). Reserves are selected by the league's head coaches.[2]
The All-Star Weekend also features a Three-Point Contest and a Skills Challenge. The Three-Point Contest consists of multiple round in which players compete to make the most three-point shots from various spots around the arc within a set time limit.[3][4] The Skills Challenge is a obstacle course designed to test players' abilities in key aspects of the game, such as dribbling, passing, and shooting. The player who completes the course in the fastest time in the final round is declared the winner.[5][6] Both competitions usually feature five players, selected based on their performance during the regular season.[7]
The inaugural WNBA All Star Game was played in 1999 atMadison Square Garden inNew York City, in front of a sold-out crowd.Whitney Houston performed the national anthem. The West Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 79–61 andLisa Leslie was named the first-ever All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) after recording 13 points and five rebounds for the West.[8][9]
In 2004,The Game at Radio City was held in place of a traditional All-Star Game due to the WNBA players competing in the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens, Greece. That year, theUSA national team defeated a team of WNBA All-Stars 74–58.[10][11] The game is officially considered to be an exhibition rather than an All-Star Game. The league also took a month-long break to accommodate players and coaches competing in the Olympic Games.
From 2008 through 2016, no All-Star Game was held during Summer Olympic years, continuing the tradition of taking a month-long mid-season break. In 2010, an exhibition game,Stars at the Sun, was played atMohegan Sun Arena, where Team USA defeated a WNBA All-Star team 99–72.[12]
Although the2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, no All-Star Game was played in that season. The 2021 season featured the firstAll-Star Game in an Olympic year since 2000, with a WNBA All-Star team facing the USA national team. The2024 game followed the same format and was also considered an official All-Star Game.
| Eastern Conference (4 wins) | Western Conference (10 wins) |
|---|
| Year | Result | Host arena | Host city | Game MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | West79, East 61[13][14] | Madison Square Garden | New York, New York | Lisa Leslie,Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2000 | West73, East 61[15][16] | America West Arena | Phoenix, Arizona | Tina Thompson,Houston Comets |
| 2001 | West80, East 72[17] | TD Waterhouse Centre | Orlando, Florida | Lisa Leslie(2), Los Angeles Sparks(2) |
| 2002 | West81, East 76[18] | MCI Center | Washington, D.C. | Lisa Leslie(3), Los Angeles Sparks(3) |
| 2003 | West84, East 75[19] | Madison Square Garden(2) | New York, New York(2) | Nikki Teasley, Los Angeles Sparks(4) |
| 2004 | The Game at Radio City | |||
| 2005 | West122, East 99[20] | Mohegan Sun Arena | Uncasville, Connecticut | Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets(2) |
| 2006 | East98, West 82[21] | Madison Square Garden(3) | New York, New York(3) | Katie Douglas,Connecticut Sun |
| 2007 | East103, West 99[22] | Verizon Center | Washington, D.C.(2) | Cheryl Ford,Detroit Shock |
| 2008 | No game due to the2008 Summer Olympics | |||
| 2009 | West130, East 118[23] | Mohegan Sun Arena(2) | Uncasville, Connecticut(2) | Swin Cash,Seattle Storm |
| 2010 | Stars at the Sun | |||
| 2011 | East118, West 113[24] | AT&T Center | San Antonio, Texas | Swin Cash(2), Seattle Storm(2) |
| 2012 | No game due to the2012 Summer Olympics | |||
| 2013 | West102, East 98 | Mohegan Sun Arena(3) | Uncasville, Connecticut(3) | Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks(5) |
| 2014 | East125, West 124 (OT) | US Airways Center(2) | Phoenix, Arizona(2) | Shoni Schimmel,Atlanta Dream |
| 2015 | West117, East 112 | Mohegan Sun Arena(4) | Uncasville, Connecticut(4) | Maya Moore,Minnesota Lynx |
| 2016 | No game due to the2016 Summer Olympics | |||
| 2017 | West130, East 121 | KeyArena | Seattle, Washington | Maya Moore(2), Minnesota Lynx(2) |
| 2018 | Team Parker119, Team Delle Donne 112 | Target Center | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Maya Moore(3), Minnesota Lynx(3) |
| 2019 | Team Wilson129, Team Delle Donne 126 | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Erica Wheeler,Indiana Fever |
| 2020 | No game due to the2020 Summer Olympics, which was later postponed by theCOVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021 | Team WNBA93, Team USA 85 | Michelob Ultra Arena(2) | Las Vegas, Nevada(2) | Arike Ogunbowale,Dallas Wings(2) |
| 2022 | Team Wilson 134, Team Stewart 112 | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois | Kelsey Plum,Las Vegas Aces |
| 2023 | Team Stewart 143, Team Wilson 127 | Michelob Ultra Arena(3) | Las Vegas, Nevada(3) | Jewell Loyd,Seattle Storm(3) |
| 2024 | Team WNBA117, Team USA 109 | Footprint Center(3) | Phoenix, Arizona(3) | Arike Ogunbowale(2), Dallas Wings(3) |
| 2025 | Team Collier151, Team Clark 131 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indianapolis, Indiana | Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx(4) |
| 2026 | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois(2) | ||
The Three-Point Contest, formerly referred to as the Three-Point Shootout, was held during the All-Star Game event from 2006 to 2010, and then again from 2017 to the present.
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active |
| * | Elected to theBasketball Hall of Fame |
| Player (#) | Denotes the number of times the player has won |
| Team (#) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
| Location (#) | Denotes the number of times a location has hosted the competition |
Three Point Contest champions by franchise
| No. | Franchise | Last win |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Chicago Sky | 2022 |
| 2 | New York Liberty | 2025 |
| 1 | Atlanta Dream | 2024 |
| 1 | Connecticut Sun | 2019 |
| 1 | Indiana Fever | 2010 |
| 1 | San Antonio Silver Stars | 2009 |
| 1 | Washington Mystics | 2007 |
| 1 | Houston Comets | 2006 |
The WNBA introduced the Dribble, Dish & Swish Challenge starting during the2003 WNBA All-Star Game.[26] It became renamed to the Skills Challenge was held during the All-Star Game event during 2006–2007, 2010, 2019, and 2022-2024.The most recent Skills Challenge rules were "a classic obstacle course format that will challenge players' abilities in each key facet of the game: dribbling, passing and shooting. In the first round, each player will maneuver around the course as fast as possible, and the players with the two fastest times will advance to the final round. There, they'll repeat the course, and the player with the fastest time in the final round will receive the trophy."[27]
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active |
| * | Elected to theBasketball Hall of Fame |
| Player (#) | Denotes the number of times the player has won |
| Team (#) | Denotes the number of times a player from this team has won |
| Location (#) | Denotes the number of times a location has hosted the competition |
