1 hour ago
If your perceptions of what nan WNBA is for illustration successful 2026 are mostly shaped by narratives derived from and driven by societal media, nan segment successful Chicago astatine WNBA All-Star Weekend would person proved a surprise.
The temper Friday greeting astatine nan Barack Obama Presidential Center was downright ebullient. And, sure, to a grade that was because No 44 himself clocked successful for astir an hr of practice. The erstwhile president concisely showed disconnected immoderate moves successful his jeans and loafers aft he was surprise-attacked by nan New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones.
But location was thing other successful nan air: everyone was conscionable excited to beryllium there. All-Star provides a little respite from nan slog of nan regular season, a mates of days of either full remainder for those who aren’t playing aliases nan chance to walk clip alongside friends they don’t usually play pinch for those who are.
Last year’s All-Star Game was held successful Indianapolis nether a unreality of tension. The players were preparing for what would beryllium to beryllium a months-long play spent negotiating position for a caller corporate bargaining agreement. Fans, who often get their WNBA news from societal media, made their support for nan athletes known; nan crippled ended pinch chants of “Pay them!” ringing retired successful Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
A twelvemonth later, nan CBA is done and players are getting paid, but nan weeks preceding this summer’s All-Star Game were filled pinch nary shortage of headaches and problems. An offseason taskforce designed to amended foul calls and officiating resulted successful changes successful argumentation and believe that are still being rolled out; incidences of hard fouls, specified arsenic erstwhile Alyssa Thomas accidentally pushed her fist into Caitlin Clark’s pharynx during a crippled past month, were handled done nan due convention channels but were inflamed online, by group genuinely invested successful nan convention but besides those who conscionable want to operation up problems.
And that’s not all: nan week earlier nan All-Star Game saw 2 incidents that went against nan tone of nan league’s “No Space For Hate” platform, which was unveiled past twelvemonth and “reflects nan WNBA’s unwavering committedness to protecting its players and upholding nan values of inclusion, respect, and unity”. The Toronto Tempo’s caput coach Sandy Brondello was caught connected a basking mic calling Atlanta Dream prima Angel Reese a “protected species”, and Indiana Fever defender Sophie Cunningham brazenly utilized transphobic connection successful an evident effort to take sides herself against nan nickname “Maga Barbie”.
Brondello issued a heartfelt apology to Reese and was suspended for 1 game. Cunningham told ESPN she wants to “protect young girls successful nan locker room” from “biological men” – a building that GLAAD has identified arsenic a dislike word – and past doubled down connected her stance.
Coverage of those events (and more) appeared to person reached moreover Obama himself. “You’re great. You’re fantastic. Don’t fto each this delirium get you down,” Obama told Clark. “To person that overmuch immersion successful delirium ... don’t suffer that joy. The game’s nan game, and you’re a hooper. You’re ever hooping, and you’re connected a bully small tally correct now.”
(“My hands were getting a small spot sweaty, and I don’t really get tense for anybody,” Clark told reporters aft nan interaction. “But that’s personification like, conscionable his beingness commands a room.”)
In different words, this year’s All-Star Game could person been messy. Instead, it was 1 of nan champion weekends successful convention history, and ended pinch a historical attendance (19,783 group showed up for nan crippled astatine United Center) and a bid of announcements from Commissioner Cathy Engelbert – including a replay halfway that should make for stronger officiating adjacent play – that bespeak things are only getting amended for nan WNBA.
Throughout nan weekend, players and coaches embraced nan occurrence of nan convention while acknowledging there’s room for more. Speaking to reporters Friday, Minnesota Lynx defender Courtney Williams emphasized staying affirmative erstwhile she can. “I thin into nan love, for sure. I consciousness successful nan W, arsenic opposed to men’s sports, there’s much unit to beryllium online,” she said. “I consciousness it conscionable depends connected who you are. If you for illustration to beryllium connected nan ’net, beryllium connected nan ’net. If you don’t for illustration nan ’net, get disconnected nan ’net.”
Las Vegas Aces caput coach Becky Hammon echoed that sentiment. When it comes to really stories astir nan WNBA resound done nan media and societal media, Hammon said: “I deliberation nan biggest correction is possibly nan group that talk nan astir cognize nan slightest connected immoderate of these topics. They don’t person a bully beat connected our convention astatine times.”
“Honestly, I don’t really salary attraction truthful overmuch to what everybody other is saying either. I’m engaged trying to triumph games … and put a awesome merchandise connected nan court,” she continued. “And, hopefully, arsenic galore group arsenic imaginable want to travel to spot awesome basketball.”
Not everyone successful nan convention is arsenic offline. The average property of WNBA players is astir 27; adults successful their 20s person nearly cosmopolitan net use. The StudBudz – nan duo of Williams and Seattle Storm defender Natisha Hiedeman – ran a 24-hour Twitch livestream of nan weekend’s events, and plentifulness of group usage Threads and Instagram to speak to and interact pinch fans. The net tin beryllium a acheronian place, but it’s besides 1 that tin beryllium a batch of fun.
“There’s a batch of awesome players present pinch different backgrounds, different stories,” Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard told nan Guardian connected Friday. Those differences only make nan convention stronger, she added.
after newsletter promotion
“I deliberation anytime you person diversity, anytime you person group who person different stories, it decidedly creates a bully environment,” Shepard said of nan league. “I deliberation besides for nan younger generation, it gives everyone personification to look up to that possibly has a akin communicative to them.”
That’s what “All-Star is really each about,” Las Vegas Aces halfway and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson told nan Guardian. “We travel together successful this place.”
If there’s 1 personification successful nan WNBA who can’t debar nan internet, it’s Engelbert. As nan caput of nan league, Engelbert bears nan brunt of joyousness and disappointment from fans, coaches, owners, and, astir importantly to her, nan players.
While addressing nan media connected Saturday, Engelbert admitted her activity could improve. She acknowledged location are “processes astir fines, suspensions, and investigations,” and dismissed nan thought that nan convention only looks into definite instances successful consequence to societal media outcry. The CBA negotiations were “contentious”, she added, but Engelbert said that this twelvemonth “we’re successful a really bully place.”
She besides explained subordinate information is perpetually apical of mind, and that includes what happens connected and disconnected nan court.
“The net is simply a very analyzable place,” Engelbert said, a condemnation that practically vibrates pinch relevance successful 2026. “And, personification gave maine this term, keyboard warriors are very, very adamant to get their messages done to our players, whether it’s done DMs, whether it’s done different means.”
One measurement Engelbert personally plays to proceed to nurture a safer situation for nan league’s athletes is to scope retired straight much frequently. The commissioner said she believed “players don’t want to perceive from america each nan time”, but learned astatine a gathering pinch nan WNBPA past week that important convention communications are often missed by players who didn’t person them aliases aren’t reference articles astir those announcements. When it comes to that two-way thoroughfare betwixt nan convention and players, “there’s nary uncertainty I request to beryllium better,” Engelbert said. “Everybody needs to beryllium amended astatine communication, I think, each nan time.”
The metropolis of Chicago and possibly moreover nan WNBA (including Engelbert, who oversaw it all) tin bask successful a occupation good done and a play wherever joyousness and ceremony of 30 seasons of WNBA was nan mission. The full convention gets backmost to activity this week, but will do truthful aft riding a very singular, and very special, benignant of high.
