2026 WNBA All-Star Game Preview and How to Watch With Sling
The WNBA is revamping its All-Star Weekend to celebrate the league’s 30th season. Here’s the schedule, rosters, and how to watch with Sling.
The WNBA is marking its 30th anniversary this season, and the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game is taking a Paige from its history to celebrate. Instead of having the top fan vote-getters draft their own squads, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon served as honorary general managers, selecting the teams in a televised draft. WNBA stars Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark—who would have been the draft captains under the previous system—were pre-assigned to lead Team Coop and Team Spoon, respectively.
That’s not the only change coming to the WNBA All-Star Weekend in 2026. Here’s your complete guide to the festivities, which takes place in Chicago on July 24-25. To watch WNBA All-Star Weekend on ESPN and ABC with Sling, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Orange + Blue.
How to Watch the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game with Sling
The WNBA All-Star Game takes place Saturday, July 25 at 8:30pm ET. You can catch the action live on ABC with Sling Blue or Sling Select in select markets listed below:
The Shooting Stars Challenge and 3-Point Contest will air live on ESPN on Friday, July 24, at 8:00 PM ET. ESPN is available on Sling with a subscription to Sling Orange or Sling Essentials. To watch the All-Star events for the best price with Sling, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Essentials + Select.
2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend Schedule
https://youtu.be/CxiDT0TRRE8?si=EMhNfkomfZqNWmm4
The party gets started on Friday night with the Shooting Stars Challenge and 3-Point Contest. Those events air on ESPN at 8:00 PM ET from Wintrust Area, the home of the Chicago Sky and the DePaul women’s team. Here’s a look at the participants
State Farm WNBA 3-Point Contest
- Participants:
- Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire)
- Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings)
- Natisha Hiedeman (Seattle Storm)
- Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream)
- Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo)
- Janelle Salaün (Golden State Valkyries)
Kia WNBA Shooting Stars
This year’s Shooting Stars Challenge will feature four WNBA legends – Rebekkah Brunson, Lauren Jackson, Elena Delle Donne, and Deanna “Tweety” Nolan – teaming up with current WNBA All-Stars and “a standout high school player from Nike EYBL” in a “two-round, timed shooting competition in which teams have 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court.” While the high school players have yet to be assigned to a team, here’s a look at the announced participants:
- Participants:
- Team Minnesota - Rebekkah Brunson & Courtney Williams
- Team Seattle - Lauren Jackson & Flau’jae Johnson
- Team Washington - Elena Delle Donne & Shakira Austin
- Team Dallas/Detroit - Deanna “Tweety” Nolan & Jessica Shepard
The action moves to the United Center on Saturday, July 25 for the All-Star game, which begins at 8:30 PM ET on ABC. Here’s a look at the coaches (picked from the top two teams in the standings), starters, and reserves.
Team Coop
- Head Coach: Becky Hammon (Las Vegas Aces)
- Starters:
- Paige Bueckers (Guard, Dallas Wings)
- Gabby Williams (Forward, Golden State Valkyries)
- Kelsey Mitchell (Guard, Indiana Fever)
- Breanna Stewart (Forward, New York Liberty)
- Natasha Howard (Forward, Minnesota Lynx)
- Bench (Reserves):
- Angel Reese (Forward, Atlanta Dream)
- Kelsey Plum (Guard, Los Angeles Sparks)
- Jackie Young (Guard, Las Vegas Aces)
- Marina Mabrey (Guard, Toronto Tempo)
- Sonia Citron (Guard, Washington Mystics)
- Dominique Malonga (Center, Seattle Storm)
Team Spoon
- Head Coach: Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx)
- Starters:
- Caitlin Clark (Guard, Indiana Fever)
- A'ja Wilson (Center, Las Vegas Aces)
- Olivia Miles (Guard, Minnesota Lynx)
- Aliyah Boston (Center, Indiana Fever)
- Jessica Shepard (Forward, Dallas Wings)
- Bench (Reserves):
- Rhyne Howard (Guard, Atlanta Dream)
- Allisha Gray (Guard, Atlanta Dream)
- Jonquel Jones (Center, New York Liberty)
- Courtney Williams (Guard, Minnesota Lynx)
- Nneka Ogwumike (Forward, Los Angeles Sparks)
- Kiki Iriafen (Forward, Washington Mystics)
Who Got the Most WNBA All-Star Fan Votes?
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Perhaps surprisingly, third-year Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark did not receive the most fan votes for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game. With 1,023,321 fan votes, Clark finished second behind Dallas Wings guard and reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, who got 1,045,051 votes. After those two were named captains of their respective teams, Team Spoon GM Teresa Weatherspoon used her first selection to grab four-time MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, while Cynthia Cooper tapped two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with her first pick.
Other notable All-Star selections include 20-year-old Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga, whose inclusion makes her the third-youngest WNBA All-Star in league history, as well as L.A. Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike. By making her 11th All-Star team, Ogwumike tied Diana Turasi for the second-most All-Star appearances, trailing only WNBA legend Sue Bird, who was voted into 13 All-Star Games.
Other WNBA All-Star Weekend Storylines
In honor of the WNBA’s 30th anniversary, Team Coop will wear red uniforms, while Team Spoon will rock blue jerseys, replicating the league's original color scheme. The league has also introduced a $100,000 charity prize pool that will benefit Chicago-based organizations Angels Athletics (Team Coop’s charity) and Girls in the Game (Team Spoon’s charity). The winner’s charity will receive a $70,000 donation, with the runner-up getting $30,000. As for the halftime show, two-time Grammy-winner Tyla is scheduled to perform.
Check out the upcoming schedule of national-televised WNBA games below,