WNBA All-Star Game returns to Las Vegas for 3rd time
By MARK ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas will host this year’s WNBA All-Star Game for the third time since 2019, the league announced Thursday.
The game will be July 15 at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay. Players will take part in the 3-Point Contest and WNBA Skills Challenge on July 14.
The league will have a “WNBA Live” fan festival for the second year in a row. More information will be provided later.
Las Vegas also hosted the All-Star Game in 2019 and 2021. Last year’s game was played in Chicago, and the 2020 event didn’t take place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re excited to once again host the league’s signature showcase event in the sports and entertainment capital of the world,” Las Vegas Aces President Nikki Fargas said in a statement. “Las Vegas has showed up and showed out for the Aces and the WNBA since our first season, and we are looking forward to welcoming fans from around the world back to Michelob Ultra Arena for another incredible celebration of the best that women’s basketball has to offer.”
The Aces are the defending champions and they were prominent at last year’s All-Star Game. A’ja Wilson was a team captain, Kelsey Plum the game MVP and Becky Hammon the winning coach.
“The WNBA is thrilled to bring AT&T WNBA All-Star 2023, to Las Vegas, a city that showed such incredible support for the Aces and the WNBA throughout last season, especially during the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV when the Aces brought the city its first (major) professional sports championship,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
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