The WNBA will head into its monthlong Olympic break following this weekend’s highly anticipated All-Star festivities in Phoenix.
The Olympic team’s Saturday matchup with Team WNBA, which features standout rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, will potentially be one of the toughest games the American squad will play over the month.
In 2021, the WNBA All-Star team beat Team USA behind the performance of most valuable player Arike Ogunbowale. It was the only loss the Americans had en route to winning their seventh straight gold medal.
“We will not forget that,” U.S. Coach Cheryl Reeve said of the loss in 2021. “We will see what we can do, given the challenges of time. They don’t have time together, either. There’s a lot of talent over there, and it should be an incredible game.”
Ogunbowale is back for this year’s All-Star Game, as is Jonquel Jones. Both played on that winning team in 2021. Jones remembered there was a tone before the game from the All-Stars that was different than other exhibition contests.
“It felt more serious at the start, like we’re going to go win this,” Jones said. “It definitely had more of that ’real game' at the beginning, versus that fun you expect to see at All-Star.”
The weekend could have more intrigue if Clark and defending 3-point champion Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty enter Friday night’s skills competition. The league hasn’t announced the participants yet.
Ionescu, who set a record in the contest last year, hitting 20 straight shots en route to scoring 37 of a possible 40 points, said she hasn’t decided yet whether she'll compete.
“First off, I have a lot going on. The one I had at the WNBA All-Star, not sure I’m ever going to top that,“ she said. ”That’s one of those moments in sports where you are like I can’t believe that happened. Every time I see that video, it brings me back to that time.”
New York remains in the top spot in this week’s AP WNBA power poll, with Las Vegas moving back into second place. Connecticut, Seattle, Minnesota, and Indiana were the next four. Phoenix and Chicago were seventh and eighth. Washington and Los Angeles followed. Atlanta and Dallas rounded out the poll. Each team had one game left before the break.
Clark’s streak of double-figure assists ended at five games, but the Indiana Fever still beat the Minnesota Lynx for their fourth win in the past six games. Clark now leads the league in assists per game at 7.8. Before the All-Star weekend festivities, the Fever close out the first part of the season in Dallas on Wednesday.
Rookie Rickea Jackson continues her strong play with Los Angeles. She had a season-best 23 points in the Sparks’ 87–81 win over Dallas on Saturday. Jackson was averaging 11.2 points while shooting nearly 46 percent from the field before Tuesday’s game against Seattle.
A'ja Wilson earned AP Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. The Las Vegas forward continued her dominating play as she averaged 28.3 points, 18.3 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks to help the Aces go 3–0. Ionescu also received votes.
