CHICAGO — Caitlin Clark tried. She really did. The Indiana Fever star scored the first bucket off Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game off a steal. An actual, real-life display of extra effort. And Clark didn’t let up, darting around the backcourt like a pest as the opposition brought the ball up the United Center floor, not doing too much as much as trying to do something.
She even made a plea before the teams returned to the locker room at halftime, telling ESPN’s Holly Rowe that the fans paid a lot of money to get in the building, and maybe all the players could do a little more than just walk around. A bit of a won’t-somebody-think-of-the-children request, made with the best intention.
And then, in the third quarter, after that clarion call? The most interesting thing to happen on the court was Clark stopping by courtside seats to dap up actor Jason Sudeikis’ daughter. “I want to put a great example of what the game is, for the fans and young people that come to watch,” Clark said. “That’s really important. I take that seriously, so hopefully we did that in a decent manner.”
Alas, another All-Star exhibition came and went as just that: A facsimile of real basketball, an exercise in fun and camaraderie, with a dash of moment-making and leg pulling along the way. Team Spoon held on for a 129-122 victory over Team Coop before a WNBA All-Star Game record crowd of 19,783. So it goes. The problem of non-competitive midseason spectacles lives on for another group to try to solve.
New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones led Team Spoon with 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, taking home MVP honors and making her the only player in history to be MVP of the league, the WNBA Finals, the Commissioner’s Cup and the All-Star Game. Jones dedicated the night to her recently deceased aunt, whose memorial service was Saturday, and said she consulted with her family before deciding to play through the heaviness of the day and the weekend as a whole.
“Basketball has just always been a way for me to escape,” Jones said. “It’s always been the thing I run to when things get tough, always been the thing that gives me comfort. No matter what mood I’m in, basketball can pick me back up.”
Engelbert booed at 2026 WNBA All-Star Game
Annie Costabile
Clark added 17 points — 11 of which she scored in the first five minutes — and Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles posted an 11-point, 12-rebound, eight-assist effort. The Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell led Team Coop with 28 points, so at least Indiana fans were rapt start to finish. Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey, meanwhile, added 23 points and, during a sizzling 17-point first quarter, looked like she might challenge Napheesa Collier’s All-Star scoring record of 36 points, set just last summer.
“I got to see a few go down early,” Mabrey said. “That’s kind of like my thing. Get them up when they’re going in.”
If there was any moment that might linger in perpetuity, it occurred midway through the second quarter: Dominique Malonga sprinted down the floor in transition, Angel Reese found her with a pass from the wing and the 6-foot-6 Malonga rose for a one-handed dunk that created some welcome delirium.
It was the fifth dunk in WNBA All-Star Game history, and the first since 2022. Malonga became the youngest player to record a double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) in the event. “She makes it look easy,” said Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, one of Malonga’s Team Coop teammates.
The first half indicated how this would go: The teams combined for 145 points and shot a combined 71 3-pointers before the break.
The general ennui continued, with Jackie Young and Bueckers getting shots up during replay reviews and timeouts in the third quarter. Before a fourth quarter that might have seen the intensity ramp up, there was Courtney Williams, dancing on the court, a turn of events that was hilarious and a sure sign that things weren’t about to get overserious.
Caitlin Clark set a tone for Team Spoon in the All-Star Game win. (Sage Zipeto / Getty Images)
There were three blocked shots recorded, total, in the game. One of which was credited to Aces star A’ja Wilson… who more or less apologized for it after the fact.
“A’ja was not supposed to do that,” the four-time league MVP said. “I do not like to block shots during AS games, because what am I doing?”
(Wilson also conceded that she convinced Cheryl Reeve, the head coach for Team Spoon, to challenge a call not because she thought she was right but because she “needed a break.”)
There was some chatter during and after the game that some financial incentive might increase the competitive level – All-Star guard Kelsey Plum, who sat out the game with an injury, said as much during the broadcast – but that runs aground given the compressed WNBA schedule.
Starter Aliyah Boston, in fact, requested a minor role on Saturday due to the Fever’s quick turnaround into a three-game road trip. Players, understandably, want to save their best selves for games that matter.
“If we’re doing that, we need to put in more rest time,” said Nneka Ogwumike, the president of the WNBA Players Association, on the subject of increasing a winner’s purse for an All-Star event. “A lot of us play on Tuesday, a lot of us play on Wednesday. It’s a break for everyone who’s not playing in the game.”
So, in the end, commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the floor to hand over the MVP award, was drowned out in a wave of boos, and everyone left to get on with the rest of the season. The WNBA’s players have put in exhausting effort to affect meaningful change within their league over the past couple of seasons.
Fixing All-Star Games, one presumes, can be someone else’s problem.
“Safe travels,” Clark said in a sing-song voice, as she left the interview room. “See you guys on Tuesday.”
