The WNBA All-Star game will be held in Phoenix this weekend. It is the most anticipated, if not the biggest WNBA All-Star weekend in history thanks to the wave of attention brought to the league by rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who both made the team in their first professional seasons.
Women's sports are in the middle of a boom and Clark is probably the single biggest catalyst of this movement. With that interest comes investment and you'll be able to feel it at WNBA All-Star weekend this year. What once felt like a quiet exhibition and snacks suddenly has a real party atmosphere like the annual NBA All-Star festivities.
On Wednesday afternoon ESPN's Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, LaChina Robinson and Sara Gaiero spoke to the media about All-Star weekend, the broadcast, the league's newest stars and how the festivities this weekend will be almost unrecognizable from what it was not so long ago.
According to Ruocco, who will call the action alongside Lobo and Holly Rowe on Friday and Saturday night, WNBA All-Star weekend did not always mirror its NBA equivalent. There were no parties except for a gathering held after the game that Ruocco called a "banquet."
"Now I have to debate whether or not I need to check a bag," said Ruocco. "I need outfit changes because of all the parties at All-Star, and I'm not getting the most invites. I can only imagine what it's like for Rebecca and LaChina. But it definitely speaks to the evolution of what a cultural, fun event it’s become. It’s become a place that people want to be, and you can feel that energy."
As for that so-called banquet? The thought of it drew laughter from everyone on the call. Lobo remembered it more as just appetizers with Ruocco conceding it was "finger foods and conversation." A far cry from everything we know about NBA All-Star weekend.
Robinson explained exactly why it felt so much bigger this year.
"I can remember going to an NBA All-Star in Charlotte," she said. "I don’t remember whenever that last was, and I was like, wow, is this what an All-Star experience feels like? Now the WNBA is really pushing in that direction of it feeling like a really big deal. It’s had everything to do with brand investments, and we have the players to thank for that because they bring their brands with them, and they’re creating opportunities at All-Star. But it feels like a much bigger deal now, and it’s all about investment."
"You can see that excitement from people who are there," said Gaiero. "The crowds that are coming, the fans. Like you just feel it, and that feels much more — it compares so well to other All-Star experiences, and that, again, just speaks to the level of where the game is at right now, and that’s what makes it fun. That’s my experience."
With more eyes on the All-Star game than ever before, ESPN hopes to meet the moment the way the league is. "We have full coverage on Friday night,'" Said Gaiero. "We’ve got ABC on Saturday, so for just three hours we can share WNBA with the world, and that feels so great because the investment that the cities and the league are making in All-Star is definitely a change, too, from the previous three, four years that I’ve seen."
WNBA All-Star weekend action kicks off on ESPN on Friday night at 9pm ET with the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge and the WNBA STARRY 3-Point Contest. On Saturday ABC will air WNBA Countdown Presented by Google at 8pm followed by the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at 8:30pm. You'll also be able to watch Pitbull's full halftime show performance on ESPN.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Ready for Biggest WNBA All-Star Weekend Ever.
