G3 Projections WNBA All-Star Game Preview

No picks today - it’s exhibition basketball after all and I prefer to keep my money, thank you very much.

But All-Star Weekend deserves its own space, so let’s break down tonight and Saturday’s main event.

Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL - TV: ESPN

Two events tonight, back to back.

The Kia WNBA Shooting Stars tips off at 8:00 PM ET - a team relay format pairing a current player, a WNBA legend and a player from the Nike EYBL league, each shooting from progressively longer distances. This year’s field includes Shakira Austin paired with Elena Delle Donne, Courtney Williams teaming with Rebekkah Brunson, Flau’jae Johnson running alongside Lauren Jackson, and Jessica Shepard and Deanna "Tweety" Nolan rounding out the field.

There’s two absolute legends in this mix with Hall of Famer Lauren Jackson and future Hall inductee Rebekkah Brunson - it will be a fun one to watch!

The State Farm 3-Point Contest follows at 8:30 PM ET. Six shooters, two rounds, timed format with racks positioned around the arc - four regular racks worth one point per make, one “money ball” rack worth two. The field this year will see Bridget Carleton, Azzi Fudd, Natisha Hiedeman, Rhyne Howard, Marina Mabrey and Janelle Salaun all vie for the 3-Point trophy.

Fudd enters as arguably the most dangerous shooter in that group given her volume from deep with Dallas this season, but Mabrey has been money from three all year for Toronto and can’t be counted out.

United Center, Chicago, IL - Saturday 7/25, 8:30 PM ET - TV: ABC

The main event ditches the usual conference format entirely. Hall of Famers Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon served as honorary general managers this year, drafting their own rosters live from a 22-player pool as part of the league’s 30th season celebration. Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark topped the fan vote, so a coin flip split them onto opposite squads - Cooper won the toss and took Bueckers, leaving Weatherspoon to grab Clark with the next pick.

No East versus West here. Just two legends building rosters, playground style.

Team Coop starts Bueckers, and she’s been the story of Dallas’s second-half surge - 19.9 points and 5.9 assists a night, shooting a blistering 43 percent from deep with double-figure scoring in ten different games this season. She’s flanked by Kelsey Mitchell, who’s quietly been one of the league’s most consistent scorers all year at 19.2 points a game, and Breanna Stewart, an eight-time All-Star still putting up 20.4 points and 8.5 boards for a New York team fighting for playoff positioning. The bench is loaded with players having career years - Gabby Williams is averaging a career-high 15.9 points for Golden State, Angel Reese leads the entire league in rebounding at 11.8 a night (including 4.5 on the offensive glass) in her first season in Atlanta, and Marina Mabrey has been the engine keeping Toronto’s offense afloat all summer with her 17.5 points per game.

Becky Hammon, whose Aces sat atop the standings as of July 10, coaches this group.

Team Spoon counters with Clark, who’s putting together arguably her best statistical season yet - a career-high 21.2 points on nearly 40 percent from three, to go with 8.2 assists, tops in the league. Next to her is A’ja Wilson, the four-time MVP who leads the WNBA outright in scoring at 25.6 a game on 53 percent shooting, and still finds time to average 2.2 blocks and 10.4 rebounds. That’s about as dominant a two-way combination as this league has. The supporting cast is stacked too - Olivia Miles has been the best rookie in basketball this year, posting 19.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds a night as a floor general, and Jessica Shepard leads the entire league in triple-doubles while quietly putting up career-best numbers across the board (including nearly 11 boards a game) for Dallas.

Cheryl Reeve, who’s steered Minnesota to the league’s best record this season, coaches Team Spoon.

Stewart and Wilson each enter as eight-time All-Stars, the most selections of anyone on either roster.

This is Chicago’s second time hosting the event with the last time being in 2022.

Last year’s game saw Napheesa Collier set an All-Star scoring record with 36 points and securing the MVP trophy.