All articles tagged with #all star weekend
Monica McNutt pushed back on Caitlin Clark’s claim that surrounding narratives aren’t real or that she’s fearful, arguing Clark should show more accountability and self-awareness within the WNBA, support fellow players amid threats, and use her platform to help unify the league rather than fuel external debates during All-Star weekend coverage.
Azzi Fudd became the first rookie to win the WNBA All-Star Three-Point Contest, Dominique Malonga dunked in the All-Star showcase for Seattle, and Jonquel Jones earned All-Star Game MVP with a 22-point, 13-rebound, 8-assist performance as Team Spoon beat Team Coop 129-122; the weekend also featured behind-the-scenes StudBudz coverage from Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman.
Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd became the first rookie to win the WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest, scoring 30 in the final round and sharing a hug with Paige Bueckers after the final shot. Her total matched Sabrina Ionescu’s winning score from last season. Fudd earned a $20,000 winner’s bonus (plus $10,000 for all contestants) and additional prize money from Aflac as Bueckers prepares for the All-Star Game.
Azzi Fudd, the Dallas Wings’ No. 1 pick, became the first rookie to win the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest, scoring 30 points in the finals to beat Portland’s Bridget Carleton. Carleton opened with 29 in the first round but scored 19 in the finals. Fudd’s 30 ties Sabrina Ionescu for the second-highest finals total behind Ionescu’s 37. She even teased a rematch with Steph Curry. The weekend also featured the Shooting Stars competition, and prize money under the new CBA boosted winnings, with Fudd taking home $40,000 for the 3-point title.
Jonquel Jones delivers a historic All-Star MVP performance in Chicago as Team Spoon upset Team Coop 129-122. Azzi Fudd wins the 3-point contest as a rookie, Dominique Malonga dunks to become the youngest All-Star dunker, and Elena Delle Donne returns to help Team Washington win Shooting Stars. The Sky become the first host franchise with no players in All-Star events, drawing boos for commissioner Cathy Engelbert and underscoring ongoing growth and challenges for the league.
Angel Reese debuted a Barbie doll modeled after her, featuring her No. 5 jersey, leg sleeve and headband, ahead of the WNBA All-Star Weekend. The release marks a commercial milestone as Reese prepares to play in the All-Star Game, and she hopes the doll inspires young girls to pursue their dreams with confidence.
Sabrina Ionescu refutes social-media claims that she declined to participate in the WNBA 3-point contest during All-Star weekend, calling the post a lie after she wasn’t named to the 2026 All-Star game. The Liberty star, an all-time 3-point contest scoring leader who won last year, is not on the All-Star roster this season. The Chicago 3-point contest lineup reportedly includes Azzi Fudd, Marina Mabrey, Rhyne Howard, Bridget Carleton, Natisha Hiedeman and Janelle Salaün.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, shooting a career-best 43.7% from three and ranked second in the league, was left out of the All-Star Weekend 3-Point Contest as the six-player field was announced. Cunningham responded sarcastically on X about the snub after a recent 20-point, 6-of-7 night from deep, while Caitlin Clark reportedly declined the invite again, meaning no Fever representative will participate in the event despite the Fever’s high-scoring season.
Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride declined invitations to the 2026 WNBA 3-point contest, thinning the field even as Azzi Fudd, Marina Mabrey, and four others join to expand the event; the piece notes All-Star Weekend’s status as an economic engine and suggests top players’ packed schedules and injuries are contributing to the reluctance, raising concerns about the contest’s appeal and its future if marquee stars continue to skip.
Caitlin Clark declined the WNBA 3-Point Contest for All-Star Weekend, with Sabrina Ionescu also passing and several other top shooters missing from the field. The league had built much of the event and ESPN’s broadcast around Clark’s logo-three shots, so her absence is viewed as a major setback for viewership and marketing, marking another chapter in Clark’s pattern of not competing in the contest during her three-year WNBA career.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend adopted a Team USA vs. World format with four one-quarter games, and it earned an A+ as players bought in and delivered competitive, entertaining hoops led by Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards (who claimed the MVP trophy). Lillard capped Saturday with a 3-point contest win, while Keshad Johnson won the Slam Dunk Contest; the championship game ended on a lower note due to fatigue, suggesting the format could work long term with tweaks and sustained player buy-in.
All-Star Saturday at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome drew a sparse crowd despite a reported sellout, as an early 2 p.m. start and bright sun kept fans away and traffic lingered; attendance hovered around 15,067 of 18,300 capacity, with the stands filling only later for the dunk contest. The weekend’s ticketing dynamics—scarce face-value seats, high resale prices, and owners relying on resale portals—underline accessibility issues even as Sunday’s USA vs. World game offered more competitive excitement.
All-Star Weekend TV ratings have fallen and tanking remains a controversial issue, while Commissioner Adam Silver gave a tightly controlled press conference with limited accountability or concrete solutions. Observers question whether his leadership can revive a league whose engagement and attendance are waning despite lucrative media deals and ongoing format experiments, with players like LeBron James offering skeptical takes on the new directions.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown criticized Beverly Hills police for shutting down a pop-up panel he hosted at a private residence during All-Star Weekend, saying the event lacked a permit and was costlier than expected; the city says a permit request was denied due to prior violations at the address, while Brown questioned why the event was targeted and suggested possible discriminatory motives.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver used All-Star Saturday to acknowledge rising tanking concerns and hint at potential changes to the draft lottery, note fines for teams that rested players, and discuss expansion prospects to 32 teams with possible new markets like Seattle and Las Vegas. He also touched on the Clippers salary-cap investigation and ongoing gambling probes, referenced near-term WNBA bargaining, and said NBA Europe is on track for a 2027-28 start with arena infrastructure plans.