The WNBA All Star Game featured the USA Womens Basketball against Team WNBA last weekend. Team WNBA defeated USA Basketball 117-109.Team WNBA was led by Arike Ogunbowale with a WNBA All Star record 34 points. Ogunbowale was named MVP. Breanna Stewart led USA Basketball with 31 points and 10 rebounds.Caitlin Clark finished the game with 10 assists, one short of the WNBA record in an ALL Star Game held by Sue Bird. Angel Reese became the first WNBA rookie to record a double double performance in an ALL Star Game. The WNBA All Star Game drew a record number of viewers. Over 3.44 milion people watched the game. The previous record was set in 2003.
The WNBA embraced the history of the league in having Cheryl Miller, Hall of Fame Basketball player and WNBA legend coached Team WNBA. She invited Ann Meyers Drysdale to assist her when she spotted saw Meyers, a fellow Hall of Famer sitting in the crowd. This connected the current players to the previous generation that started the idea of the WNBA,
The top teams in the WNBA at the midway of the season are the New York Liberty,Connecticutt Sun,Minnesota Lynx,Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces. If the playoffs started right now,the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever would qualify. Imagine the first round ratings with Clark and Reese participating in seperate matchups.
The growth of interest in the WNBA has added endorsement opportunities. The players are now wearing design outfits, getting shoe deals and appearing in major periodicals. There will be a 3-on-3 league,founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier ,starting in January 2025. This will allow the players another option to playing overseas in the off season. Angel Reese has committed to playing in the league. The games will be played in Miami in a 10 week window. Several high profile investors are involved and the league will pay 6 figure salaries to the participants. The timing of the league is as the NFL is winding down and as March Madness is heating up.
Here is a clip about the new league.
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