WNBA: Indy showed up, showed out during All-Star Weekend

It was more than an exhibition basketball game featuring the best women’s professional basketball players. The WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis marked a milestone moment.

The city really went all out to ensure the players and fans enjoyed their weekend, from local community events to the Orange Carpet to pick-up games for local youth teams outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. ESPN and Good Morning America pulled out all the stops from a media standpoint. Major corporate sponsors also helped out with marketing and promotion.

The attendance for Friday night’s event (15,000) and Saturday’s game (18,000) was a testament to the growth in popularity of women’s basketball.

In addition, the players made themselves heard with a not-so-subtle message to the WNBA and Commissioner Cathy Englebert by donning “Pay Us What You Owe Us” shirts prior to tip off of the All-Star Game. This sartorial statement comes in the context of the ongoing CBA negotiations, as the 2020 agreement will expire at the end of this year. Players have indicated that they are in favor of going on strike if they don’t get what they want.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reiterated her commitment to getting a deal done, saying:

Just want to say I really respect the players. We’re listening. They’re listening to our owners. We’re kind of in the middle as the league trying to make sure we’re setting this league up for success for decades. That’s the goal, to have a fair CBA for all.

Ultimately, the game featured Team Collier taking on Team Clark. It ended up being a blow out, with Team Collier winning by a lopsided margin of 151-131. In the process, both teams put up the most points scored in a WNBA All-Star Game with 281.

Collier won MVP honors for her superb performance. She finished with 36 points and nine rebounds. Skylar Diggins of the Seattle Storm also set the record for the most assists in an All-Star game with 15.

As for the players, they never let up with their fun loving nature throughout the weekend. Nobody exemplified that spontaneous joy more than Courtney Williams and her hilariously iconic Stud Budz livestream.

Among the celebrities in attendance were WNBA legends Lisa Leslie and Dawn Staley. GMA host Robin Roberts was courtside, along with rapper Common and singer-turned-talk-show-host Jennifer Hudson. If that wasn’t enough, former baller and comedian Leslie Jones was living it up. Rapper Piles, a prominent fan of South Carolina women’s basketball, was the special guest of Staley’s.

NBA legend Pau Gasol was there, as well as the Miami HEAT’s Bam Adebayo and Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton, who was featured on the jumbotron and received a roaring applause.

At halftime, GloRilla gave the crowd a stirring performance as the players were vibing along.

All in all, the weekend encapsulated the current state of affairs in the WNBA. A league that is on a rapid trajectory and looking towards the future. A future in which the financial security of the players isn’t forgotten. Brittney Sykes made that evident when she held up a sign saying “Pay the Players” during the MVP ceremony.

To apply the famous saying from Field of Dreams, “If you built it they will come,” to Indianapolis for WNBA All-Star 2025, they built it and they came.