Chicago to host WNBA All-Star Game for first time
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
Chicago will host the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time, the league announced Thursday.
The game will coincide with two major youth girls’ basketball tournaments being played in Chicago the weekend of July 10. The league will host a two-day “WNBA Live” event that weekend.
“We are thrilled to turn AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022 into a weekend-long event that will give WNBA fans incredible opportunities to engage with our brand and partners who have stepped up to support the WNBA,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “We look forward to unveiling exciting details regarding WNBA Live in the weeks to come.”
On July 9, the two All-Star teams will have practice indoors with participants from the Nike Nationals tournament in attendance. Later that day, the annual 3-point contest and skills challenge will also take place.
“As we are continuing to grow the footprint of the Sky and the WNBA, there is no better way to do it than to have the great stars of our WNBA galaxy gathered in Chicago for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022,” Sky president and CEO Adam Fox said. “It’s great for the city, great for the league, and it further solidifies our place in the sports fabric here in the city of Chicago.”
The All-Star game was held in Las Vegas in 2019 and 2021, although last season’s contest pitted the U.S. national team against a group of WNBA All-Stars as the Americans prepared for the Tokyo Olympics. There was no All-Star Game in 2020, when the entire season was played in a bubble in Florida.
The regular season tips off on May 6 and goes until the middle of August. The playoffs are set to begin Aug. 17.
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