WNBA All-Star Game Weekend: A Showdown In the Desert

With more eyes on the WNBA than before, the stakes of this year's All-Star game are just a little bit higher.

So far the this year’s WNBA All-Star weekend has had everything you could ask for as a fan.

You've got the feel good story as Diana Taurasi was honored during the unveiling of the Phoenix Mercury’s new state of the art practice facility, which would rightfully be named after her.

There's the return of a legend as Cheryl Miller hits the scene to coach Team WNBA and has many (me) begging her online to return to the league as head coach.

Money moves were made Friday night as Aflac put up instead of shutting up in regards to the prize pot for the winner of the skills challenge and the 3-point contest. As a result, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray made a cool $110K for winning both events and I'm certain drinks were on her at the after party.

But that brings us to main event, the actual game set to tip off at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC between the US National team and Team WNBA. Now any other year the primary objective of this annual exhibition game was to have fun, as seen with cutsie additions like the 4-point circle (R.I.P. though cuz nobody was have success with that one smh). This year, with more eyes on the league that before, the stakes are a just a little higher off the strength of the multiple agendas at play.

Team USA boasts the top players in the league, but Team WNBA has a few players that arguably had a case for being on that team set to head to Paris at the end of this weekend’s festivities. Miller said she was informed coming in, this year isn't an ordinary game.

“I was excited, like really, really excited, until I found out the team I'm coaching wants to beat the brakes off our Olympic team,” Miller said in her signature as animated style. “I was like ‘ok the pressure’s on’.”

In addition to that, Dearica Hamby still hates the Aces and there are four Aces in Team USA.

Former Lynx Aerial Powers, now of the Atlanta Dream, posted a vlog Friday night about how she found out her assigned seat on the flight to Phoenix was next to Lynx and Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve. For that's that don't know their lore lemme bring you up to speed. They do not like each other, at all. In the video Reeve literally switches seats to avoid sitting next to Powers. Powers was in attendance for the festivities Friday night and it is my hope and my hater’s prayer that she will be booing Cheryl Reeve and obnoxiously celebrating every Team WNBA highlight.

On a lighter note, tie your bandanas together folks, the Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark civil war is undergoing a truce for the weekend.

All in all, we're in for a show! Make sure to follow @NoCapSpaceWBB on Twitter (I'm not calling it X) as our own Tyler DeLuca will have exclusive coverage from start to finish!