April 8, 2022
WNBA planning to hold WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago
By James Kay
Reigning champs to play hosts for first time in franchise history
Over the last year, the Chicago Sky have accumulated a lot of firsts. The franchise won its first championship, Kahleah Copper was named to her first all-star game and Courtney Vandersloot became the first Sky player to record a triple-double in the playoffs.
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Now, Chicago is planning to host its first All-Star Game, which will take place on July 10.
Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on April 7 that, while the details are still being finalized, it is expected that the All-Star Game is going to be played at Wintrust Arena. The Next received confirmation from a league source that the plan is to have the exhibition in Chicago.
Costabile mentioned that “plans are already in the works for venues to host parties and events, a source said, but companies are staying quiet about details until the league makes the game official.” The Next reached out to McCormick Place, which is located next door to Wintrust Arena, to see if it has started planning for the event. They did not respond by the time this article was published.
As for the festivities, the Sky had three players make the All-Star Game last year (Copper, Vandersloot and Candace Parker) while sharpshooter Allie Quigley took home her third three-point contest crown. After beating out Jonquel Jones in the final round, Quigley told a packed Michelob ULTRA Arena that this was going to be her final three-point contest appearance. After she considered retiring this offseason, Quigley signed a one-year deal with Chicago.
Las Vegas hosted the All-Star Game in 2019 and 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there wasn’t an All-Star game in 2020 when the league played in a bubble in Bradenton, Fla. This will be the 22nd WNBA All-Star Game in league history. While the league’s inception was in 1997, the WNBA didn’t have its first All-Star Game until 1999.
