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After three years away, the WNBA All-Star Game is back in Chicago. The Windy City will play host to All-Star Weekend for the second time, and it's expected to be a premier event as the league celebrates its 30th anniversary season.
Stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers and A'ja Wilson, among many others, are set to take the court to show off their skills. Before that can happen, however, a few other key events will kick off the weekend.
With WNBA All-Star Weekend just around the corner, here's everything you need to know about the festivities.
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place Saturday, July 25. That's the latest date the event has been held since 2019, when the game was played in Las Vegas on July 27.
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place at the United Center in Chicago. It marks the second time Chicago has hosted All-Star Weekend, but the first time the All-Star Game will take place at the United Center. When the All-Star Game was held in the city in 2022, the game was held at Wintrust Arena, where the Chicago Sky play their home games and where Friday's Skills Night will take place.
The United Center — where the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks play — is more than twice as large as Wintrust Arena, with a capacity of over 23,000 fans.
The league will also hold media availability and practices at the new Obama Presidential Center, which opened in June.
While the actual game will occur on Saturday, WNBA All-Star Weekend will feature a number of events. Here's a schedule of the entire weekend:
Thursday, July 23: WNBA Live, a fan festival, will take place at McCormick Place in Chicago from 4-8 p.m. ET.
Friday, July 24: WNBA Live will continue from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Skills Night will begin at Wintrust Arena. Skills Night will feature both the WNBA Shooting Stars event and the 3-point contest. Participants have not been announced for either event yet.
Saturday, July 25: WNBA Live will once again take place from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. At 6:30 p.m. ET, the WNBA All-Star Game will begin at the United Center.
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game functioned a bit differently this time around. Two honorary captains were selected to draft each team. Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon were tabbed general managers for the event.
Since they were the top two vote-getters, Clark and Bueckers were assigned to different teams based on a coin flip. Cooper and Weatherspoon then drafted the rest of their rosters.
Here's how those rosters shook out after the draft:
Starters:
Reserves:
Starters:
Reserves:
The league has yet to announce prize money for 2026. Last year, however, players received $2,575 for participating in the game, per Front Office Sports. Additionally, the MVP of the contest received $5,150 for her performance. Winners of the skills competitions also received $2,575.
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will air on ABC and Disney+. WNBA Countdown will air on ESPN and ABC a half hour before game time. Both networks will also carry a postgame show.
Continue reading...
Stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers and A'ja Wilson, among many others, are set to take the court to show off their skills. Before that can happen, however, a few other key events will kick off the weekend.
With WNBA All-Star Weekend just around the corner, here's everything you need to know about the festivities.
WNBA All-Star Game 2026 date
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place Saturday, July 25. That's the latest date the event has been held since 2019, when the game was played in Las Vegas on July 27.
WNBA All-Star Game 2026 location
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place at the United Center in Chicago. It marks the second time Chicago has hosted All-Star Weekend, but the first time the All-Star Game will take place at the United Center. When the All-Star Game was held in the city in 2022, the game was held at Wintrust Arena, where the Chicago Sky play their home games and where Friday's Skills Night will take place.
The United Center — where the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks play — is more than twice as large as Wintrust Arena, with a capacity of over 23,000 fans.
The league will also hold media availability and practices at the new Obama Presidential Center, which opened in June.
WNBA All-Star Game 2026 schedule
While the actual game will occur on Saturday, WNBA All-Star Weekend will feature a number of events. Here's a schedule of the entire weekend:
Thursday, July 23: WNBA Live, a fan festival, will take place at McCormick Place in Chicago from 4-8 p.m. ET.
Friday, July 24: WNBA Live will continue from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Skills Night will begin at Wintrust Arena. Skills Night will feature both the WNBA Shooting Stars event and the 3-point contest. Participants have not been announced for either event yet.
Saturday, July 25: WNBA Live will once again take place from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. At 6:30 p.m. ET, the WNBA All-Star Game will begin at the United Center.
WNBA All-Star Game 2026 rosters
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game functioned a bit differently this time around. Two honorary captains were selected to draft each team. Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon were tabbed general managers for the event.
Since they were the top two vote-getters, Clark and Bueckers were assigned to different teams based on a coin flip. Cooper and Weatherspoon then drafted the rest of their rosters.
Here's how those rosters shook out after the draft:
Team Cynthia Cooper
Starters:
Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx
Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries
Reserves:
Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream
Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo
Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm
Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks
Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics
Team Teresa Weatherspoon
Starters:
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings
Reserves:
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty
Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx
Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
Nneka Ogumike, Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA All-Star Game 2026 prize money
The league has yet to announce prize money for 2026. Last year, however, players received $2,575 for participating in the game, per Front Office Sports. Additionally, the MVP of the contest received $5,150 for her performance. Winners of the skills competitions also received $2,575.
How to watch the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will air on ABC and Disney+. WNBA Countdown will air on ESPN and ABC a half hour before game time. Both networks will also carry a postgame show.
Continue reading...
