Team WNBA defeated Team USA decisively in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday night. But the true winner was the game’s format. Despite the 117–109 final score, this was a real game played like it counted, not an exhibition.
For Team USA, full of veteran stars, this was preparation for the Olympics with only one more exhibition against Germany before the Paris Games begin. For Team WNBA, this was an opportunity for players to show they could’ve been on the national team as well. Many of those players will be on Team USA four years from now.
One fan of the format is clearly Arike Ogunbowale. The Dallas Wings star won MVP honors with an All-Star Game record 34 points — all scored in the second half — with 8-for-13 shooting on 3-pointers, along with six assists. She also won All-Star Game MVP in 2021, the last time the All-Star Game was played with the WNBA versus USA format.
Ogunbowale was a notable snub from the women’s national team and sure played like she had something to say about that. After the Team USA roster was officially announced, Ogunbowale appeared on the “Nightcap” podcast to explain she withdrew from consideration when she could see that politics were playing a big role in choosing the team.
Everyone watching was an actual winner because this All-Star Game was a competitive contest. Stars played defense. Tough defense, even, with hard fouls. Passing lanes were jumped for steals. Team USA broke out a full-court press in the second quarter, providing their Olympic competition a sample of what might be in store.
Both teams ran actual offensive sets — with screens, pick-and-rolls, and post-ups — rather than taking turns trying to show off.
A’ja Wilson breaking down defenders from the perimeter and making 3s? She’s unreal.
Yes, there were occasional reminders that this was a showcase event for the WNBA. Fans gave huge ovations to rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, in addition to hometown favorites Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. Reese and Nneka Ogwumike were interviewed in-game from the bench. Breanna Stewart did a walk-and-talk with ESPN’s Holly Rowe out of the halftime locker room.
Most importantly, players were clearly having fun being on the court with the best in their sport and the spotlight squarely on women’s basketball.
“I’m having fun!” Team WNBA coach and women’s basketball icon Cheryl Miller said to her players in the huddle, picked up by ABC mics. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m having fun.”
Stewart led Team USA with 31 points and 10 rebounds, followed by A’ja Wilson’s 22 points and six rebounds. Taurasi added 14 points with six rebounds and five assists in front of her home Phoenix crowd.
Star rookies Clark and Reese also had a great showing. Reese scored 11 points with 11 rebounds, which probably shouldn’t be a surprise for the player who set a league record with 15 consecutive double-doubles this season. Clark nearly set an All-Star record with 10 assists, falling just short of Sue Bird’s 11. However, she got the most assists by a rookie in the All-Star Game.
These were the rosters for Team WNBA and Team USA:
Here is how the exciting action unfolded on Yahoo Sports’ live blog Saturday night with Cassandra Negley providing live updates and highlights. Thanks to everyone who followed along during the game.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER47 updates
Arike Ogunbowale is the 2024 WNBA All-Star MVP.
The All-Star scoring record is 33, set by Arike Ogunbowale after a masterful second-half performance to lift Team WNBA to a 117-109 win over Team USA. No need to panic about the US national team yet. Cheryl Miller said earlier this is a great test playing against the best in the world. Clean up the sloppy passes, hit some more shots, and this one looks different.
Record watch, via Across the Timeline:
— Ogunbowale holds the scoring record with 32 points, one more than Jewell Loyd last year. Stewart has 31.
— Allisha Gray’s five steals are one off tying the record of six set by Ruthie Bolton in 2001.
— Caitlin Clark’s 10 assists are one off tying Sue Bird’s record of 11 set in 2017.
There’s 30.6 on the clock in an All-Star game and Nneka Ogwumike is talking to the ref about why that was a foul. MVP chants ring out from an arena corner for A’ja Wilson shooting free throws.
At halftime, USA was 4-14 (28.6%) from 3 and WNBA was 3-17 (17.6%). They’re still shooting about the same percentages as each other (10-29 USA, 11-33 WNBA), but Arike going off tilted this game in the third quarter and USA couldn’t come back. Ogunbowale is 7-11 from 3 and 9-18 overall.
Notably, Clark is sitting at 10 assists, one shy of tying the WNBA record in an All-Star game set by Sue Bird, who is in attendance. Still 2:48 to play.
OH MY GOSH ARIKE, THEY HAVE FAMILIES
While Arike Ogunbowale looks to be on her way to winning WNBA All-Star Game MVP, some might be wondering why she’s not on Team USA. She says it’s about politics, not about a player’s game.
“I pretty much had an idea that I wouldn’t be on it,” Ogunbowale said on the “Nightcap” podcast. “I just felt the vibes. When it comes to that stuff, it really doesn’t have much to do with your game.”
Caitlin Clark vs Sabrina 1v1 is also fun. Clark beats her to the basket there and it’s an 11-point WNBA lead.
Arike Ogunbowale is certainly making a statement against Team USA. 21 points after 3 quarters!
On the broadcast, Caitlin Clark says Arike Ogunbowale is probably the best 1v1 player in the league.
Team WNBA mobs Kelsey Mitchell in the corner after her buzzer 3 puts them up, 88-79, heading into the fourth quarter. It is being reviewed.
Team USA playing a little loose with the ball. Really questionable passes leading to 11 Team WNBA steals. Six are in this quarter alone.
Probably shouldn’t keep letting Ogunbowale set up shop there. Or there. Crowd is up and loud after her fourth 3 on six attempts. Up to 17 points in a jiffy this quarter. Only Team USA’s Wilson and Stewie (18 each) have more total.
There is a small contingent trying to start “USA USA” chants behind the Team WNBA bench. Probably the line of people in USA jerseys sticking out in a wave of orange, white and No. 22 Clark jerseys.
Arike with the steal, but can’t hit the 3. Wilson scores in transition to snap the WNBA streak. Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner are out on the floor together again and guarding each other.
It’s WNBA 61, USA 56 coming out of this timeout. Was a 9-0 run for WNBA.
Team WNBA came out HOT, forcing Cheryl Reeve to take a Team USA timeout 90 seconds into the frame. Jones blocked Stewie, her Liberty teammate. Ogunbowale, the 2021 star against Team USA who took herself out of consideration this national cycle because of “politics,” gets on the board with five points, and Clark assists on three buckets for nine in the game. She’s three away from breaking the All-Star game record.
Team USA is led by A’ja Wilson (13p/4r/2a/2s, 5-7 overall with a 3) and Breanna Stewart (14p/5r/1a, 5-8 overall, 1-4 3FG). They are the new leading generation of the team. Taurasi has eight points shooting 3-5.
It’s Allisha Gray’s weekend, though. She leads Team WNBA with 12 points, but shooting 2-6. Clark has six assists and Reese has seven rebounds. The rooks doing their thing.
Neither team is shooting well from deep. The team that can start doing that should pull away in this one.
Team WNBA sets up for a deep Caitlin Clark 3 to end the half. Brionna Jones cleans up the miss and Team USA leads, 54-52, at the half.
Aliyah Boston over A’ja Wilson must make the South Carolina fans confused. And then Clark pulls up to attempt a 3, but decides against it. She appears to smile and mutter a, um, four-letter word.
The record for assists in an All-Star game (any format) is 11 set by Sue Bird in 2017 when it was Western vs. Eastern, according to Across the Timeline data. Bird (2009), Layshia Clarendon (2017) and Chelsea Gray (2019) have each notched 10.
Clark is at five with 2:16 until the half.
Clark has played 10:41, the most of any Team WNBA player, and has four assists. If you want to win — and everyone on Team WNBA has indicated this weekend they do — you keep Clark in so the ball keeps moving smoothly.
A’ja Wilson looks surprised her former South Carolina teammate and bestie Allisha Gray fell over on that foul and makes a little flop move afterward. From biggest cheerleader to hardest foe in 24 hours.
Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Ty Dolla $iGN, Sheryl Swoopes, Paige Bueckers among the highlighted attendees so far. Shannon Sharpe is also here sitting near the media side.
Napheesa Collier subs in, which is huge since she missed considerable time with the Minnesota Lynx recently due to injury. She came off the bench last Olympics and is expected to be a huge factor in Paris for USA.
Oh my goodness, Team USA pulling out the full court press. They score off a steal doing it.
Caitlin to Aliyah connection to start the second quarter. Then she finds Jones on the next possession. Quickly up to three assists.
And the “next generation of WNBA All-Stars” are here as part of the WNBA and NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.
1Q: Team WNBA 24, Team USA 23
The loudest in-game cheers are for Angel Reese coming in for that offensive rebound and waiting for it to drain through. It gives Team WNBA the slim lead.
Angel Reese with her first All-Star minutes here late in the first quarter. And pretty quickly Kelsey Mitchell and Kelsey Plum tangle up on the perimeter. Mitchell looked perturbed. Plum smiled it off. Mitchell scores off the inbound play.
WBL legends honored here at All-Star. It is so refreshing to see the league and women’s basketball as a whole lean into its history this weekend, particularly with so many fans new to the game (hi!). If you want to learn a little more about some of them, including Galloway McQuitter and Adrian Mitchell Newell, I highlighted the importance of remembering women’s sports history.
All-Star vets Ogwumike and Bonner coming up big early for Team WNBA. First subs come at 5:37. BG and Wilson are out on the floor together for Team USA against Hamby and Ogwumike. Hamby said earlier they would probably “be smart about this,” indicating she would not receive a lot of playing time. She’s on the USA 3×3 team in Paris.
Oh, how fitting. Diana Taurasi drains a 3 to open up the scoring here in the only place she’s every played WNBA ball.
They love everyone here. Pac-12 country coming in hot for Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum. (Sorry to bring it up, everybody). Phoenix stars Kahleah Copper and Brittney Griner pull big cheers, as do the Team USA starters. But no one receives more love than Diana Taurasi. It’s felt like a celebration of the GOAT here this weekend. Really feels like it could be her final Olympics and WNBA All-Star — but we’ve probably said that in prior years, too, haven’t we?
Truly massive cheers for Caitlin Clark, who is the first Team WNBA starter announced. But the noise continues for Arike Ogunbowale, DeWanna Bonner (a two-time Phoenix champ!), Jonquel Jones (the people loved her 3-point performance) and Nneka Ogwumike.
One potential quirk tonight is jersey numbers. Team WNBA players are wearing their jersey numbers, so Angel Reese and Dearica Hamby are each wearing No. 5. DeWanna Bonner and Arike Ogunbowale will each wear No. 24.
Team WNBA? Yeah, one thing on their mind.
“We were talking about [it] yesterday, and then watching the [Team USA] men today against South Sudan and it got real real, like real real,” Team WNBA head coach Cheryl Miller said pregame. “So with that being said, I know the mindset of the players that I have the opportunity and honor to coach in they they want to win.”
It’s only the second time the All-Star game is being held as Team USA vs. Team WNBA. Unique situation for both sides.
“We are looking for an understanding of how we want to play,” Cheryl Reeve, USA Basketball head coach, told reporters pregame. “We are looking for lineups. We are looking for coaches understanding players and how to bring out the best in them. So we’re trying to accomplish a lot today in all the hoopla that’s going to be happening.”
Team USA and Team WNBA announce their starters
Team USA and Team WNBA have announced their starters, and rookie Caitlin Clark is getting the start. Clark, Arike Ogunbowale, DeWanna Bonner, Nneka Ogwumike and Jonquel Jones are starting for Team WNBA, with Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson starting for Team USA
Team USA starters: Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson
Team WNBA starters: Caitlin Clark, Arike Ogunbowale, DeWanna Bonner, Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones
Of course Jason Sudeikis is at the WNBA All-Star Game!
Two of tonight’s most-watched All-Stars will be Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The two rookies, who are both competing for the WNBA All-Star team, already had the spotlight on them as they made shots pregame.
First-time All-Star Angel Reese is ready for the game. The rookie arrived in another one of her signature outfits, and when asked by reporters how she was feeling, the Bayou Barbie responded with the truth: “Like a Barbie.”
The Indiana Fever’s All-Star trio arrived at Footprint Center in living color:
Love the collection of WNBA jerseys in Kelsey Mitchell’s outfit
The two teams took the time to pose for some group photos, with the WNBA All-Star squad in their All-Star colors and Team USA decked out in red, white and blue.
Team USA and the All-Stars have arrived
The two teams have arrived at the arena ahead of the matchup, with both Team USA and the WNBA All-Stars arriving in style.
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