The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game may have been held in Indianapolis for the first time, but Team Napheesa Collier wasn’t going to let Team Caitlin Clark reign victorious in front of a sold-out crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Team Collier recorded the most points ever scored in a WNBA All-Star game with a dominant 151-131 defeat of Team Clark on Saturday. Team Collier was led by an MVPhee performance from the captain, who scored 36 points with nine rebounds to break Arike Ogunbowale’s previous WNBA All-Star game scoring record (34) set in 2024. Collier’s extensive bag was on display and she dropped multiple 4-point shots deep from the logo. (It’s worth noting there wasn’t a 4-point shot in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.)
Collier was named the WNBA All-Star MVP. She credited her ‘amazing teammates.’ Collier used her MVP speech to highlight the importance of the upcoming CBA negotiations. ‘I see a bunch of strong women who aren’t going to back down and fight for what we want. … I couldn’t do it without them,’ Collier said.
2025 WNBA ALL-STAR FRIDAY RESULTS: Sabrina Ionescu wins 3-point contest; Liberty sweep
Team Collier dominated from the 4-point line, one of four special rules in play for the All-Star game. Allisha Gray added 18 points for Team Collier, while Kelsey Plum and Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points. Skylar Diggins recorded the first triple-double in a WNBA All-Star game, finishing with 11 points, 15 assists (the most in a WNBA All-Star game) and 11 rebounds.
Diggins said she was inspired by her last-place finish in the WNBA Skills Challenge on Friday. ‘I was pissed I got last in the skills challenge. … I knew I wanted to leave here with something.’
Clark didn’t participate in the matchup after suffering a right groin injury in the Fever’s win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, but she coached alongside New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello and was vocal from the sideline. Kelsey Mitchell had a team-high 20 points for Team Clark, while Brittney Sykes and Gabby Williams added 16 points each.
USA TODAY Sports recapped the 2025 WNBA All-Star game. Here’s what you missed:
WNBA All-Star Game highlights
Crowd chants ‘Pay Them!’
The crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse booed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert and chanted ‘Pay Them! Pay Them!’ as she presented the All-Star MVP trophy to Napheesa Collier at the conclusion of the game.
Stud Budz are the WNBA All-Star’s real MVPs
INDIANAPOLIS — Walking the halls in the bowels of Gainbridge Arena before the the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman is omnipresent.
One half of the the ‘Stud Budz,’ Hiedman and her Lynx teammate Courtney Williams — who both have pink hair — started a live stream on Twitch a couple of months ago and have spent All-Star weekend giving the fans a behind the scenes look at W. Their Twitch bio describes the steam as ‘just two Stud Budz who hoop and live our best life.’
‘It really started off as two friends, we knew about twitch, and said, ‘Let’s just start streaming,” Hiedeman said, not pausing the stream to do an interview with USA TODAY Studio IX. ‘It’s a platform that’s unique, that really no one in the W has touched, so we was like, ‘Let’s be the first ones.” — Heather Burns
End of Q3: Team Collier 119, Team Clark 95
Team Collier has a 24-point lead heading into the fourth and final quarter, led by 30 points and six rebounds from team captain Napheesa Collier. Kelsey Plum added 16 points, while Kayla McBride and Nneka Ogwumike have 11.
Team Collier has knocked down 10-of-23 shots from a designated “AT&T 4-Point Shot” area, while Team Clark has shot 4-of-24 from the 4-point areas.
Kelsey Mtichell and Kayla Thornton lead Team Clark with 13 points each. Brittney Sykes has 12 points and Brionna Jones added 11 points.
Halftime: Team Collier 82, Team Clark 60
Napheesa Collier is putting on an MV-Phee performance. The All-Star team captain has a game-high 18 points at halftime as her team leads 82-60. Collier is getting it done at all levels, scoring in the paint and even knocking down two shots from the 4-Point range. Her teammate Kelsey Plum added 14-points off the bench, while Nneka Ogwumike added nine points.
‘We want to blow them out,’ Plum said. ‘We’re a lot better than them. I hate to say it.’
The difference in the game has been the 4-point shot, which Team Collier has capitalized on. Collier’s team is shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc through two quarters.
‘We haven’t made as many as them. You don’t realize how fast 4-point shots add up. We didn’t take that into account. They’ve made quite a few. (Napheesa Collier), (Kayla) McBride. We got to slow them down,’ Clark said. When asked about what halftime message she has for her team down 22 points, Clark said she has none. ‘We’re going to listen to Glorilla and get a drink… of Gatorade.’
Kayla Thornton has a team-high 10 points off the bench for Team Clark. Kiki Iriafen has nine points, while Gabby Williams and Sabrina Ionescu each have eight points.
Defense has been nonexistent in the first half, but will surely pick up in the second half. The record for the most points scored in a single WNBA All-Star Game belongs to Arike Ogunbowale, who scored 34 points en route an MVP award in the 2024 All-Star Game.
Where is the 2026 WNBA All-Star weekend?
The location for the 2026 WNBA All-Star game has not been unveiled yet.
Veteran Nneka Ogwumike sets WNBA All-Star record
Nneka Ogwumike continues to climb up the all-time lists. The Seattle Storm forward earned her 10th All-Star selection, joining Sue Bird (13), Diana Taurasi (11), Tamika Catchings (10) and Brittney Griner (10) as the only players in WNBA history to receive 10 All-Star nods. Ogwumike said accomplishments like this one ‘hits me a little bit more when I see the company that I am surrounded by in whatever stats people throw at me.’
Ogwumike is up to 11 points in the All-Star game, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and 1-of-1 from three. She made her 55th career field goal in an All-Star Game, officially passing Maya Moore for the most field goals made in WNBA All-Star history.
Tyrese Haliburton, Lisa Leslie in the building
The star-studded crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday includes Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who has been a mainstay at Fever home games. The crowd also includes Hall of Famers Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley and Tamika Catching, in addition to Robin Roberts, Flau’jae Johnson, rapper Plies and Bam Adebayo.
End of Q1: Team Collier 49, Team Clark 36
Team Collier’s Kelsey Plum has a game-high 12 points off the bench as Team Collier has a 49-36 lead over Team Clark through the first quarter. Paige Bueckers of Team Collier got the scoring started at the 2025 WNBA All-Star game with a 4-point shot.
Speaking of the 4-point shots, Team Clark’s Sabrina Ionescu picked up right where she left off. One night after winning the WNBA All-Star 3-point competition, Ionescu knocked down two 4-point shots from the “AT&T 4-Point Shot” area on the court, totaling a team-high eight points in the first quarter. ‘I feel like I tried to in the regular season… might as well go for it,’ Ionescu said during a game break.
WNBA four point shot explained
The 4-point shot is back. The 4-point shot was first implemented at the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game and made an appearance at the 2023 edition, before going on hiatus in the 2024 WNBA exhibition game between the U.S. women’s national team and Team WNBA ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Each player will have the opportunity to score four points by shooting at a designated “AT&T 4-Point Shot” area on the court, made up of four circles placed 28-feet from the rim, six feet further than the 3-point line. For every 4-point shot successfully made, AT&T will donate to a foundation selected by the WNBA and players.
When is the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game?
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game between Team Clark and Team Collier tips off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
Bia, Glorilla: Meet WNBA All-Star performers
Rapper Glorilla is set to headline the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game halftime show on Saturday. Fellow rapper Bia kicked off the festivities with a performance of ‘We On Go’ during All-Star player introductions.
WNBA All-Star Game MVP, by year
2024: Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings (Phoenix)
2023: Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm (Las Vegas)
2022: Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces (Chicago)
2021: Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings (Las Vegas)
2019: Erica Wheeler, Indiana Fever (Las Vegas)
2018: Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx (Minnesota)
2017: Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx (Seattle)
2015: Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx (Connecticut)
2014: Shoni Schimmel, Atlanta Dream (Phoenix)
2013: Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks (Connecticut)
2011: Swin Cash, Seattle Storm (San Antonio)
2009: Swin Cash, Seattle Storm (Connecticut)
2007: Cheryl Ford, Detroit Shock (Washington D.C.)
2006: Katie Douglas, Connecticut Sun (New York)
2005: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets (Connecticut)
2003: Nikki Teasley, Los Angeles Sparks (New York)
2002: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks (Washington D.C.)
2001: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks (Orlando)
2000: Tina Thompson, Houston Comets (Phoenix)
1999: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks (New York)
How to watch 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
All-Star weekend concludes Saturday with the marquee event, a showdown between Team Clark and Team Collier.
Date: Saturday, July 19
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Streaming: ESPN+, Disney+, Fubo, Sling
WNBA All-Star players wear T-shirts that say ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’
All of the players came out onto the court for in black warmup shirts that read: Pay Us What You Owe Us. The shirts are a call out to the league during what has been contentious CBA negotiations, including a meeting Thursday that 40 players attended, many of whom said after that no progress was made.
Caitlin Clark: WNBA All-Star break needs to be longer
Caitlin Clark: WNBA All-Star break needs to be longer
WNBA All-Star team captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier are both prioritizing fun in the 2025 WNBA All-Star game, which caps off the first-ever All-Star weekend in Indianapolis on Saturday. The second half of the season promptly starts on Tuesday, offering All-Stars little to no time to regroup and recover from the festivities.
“We joke about winning but at the end of the day, it’s not that serious. We’re going to have a fun time,” coach Clark said ahead of the game. Collier added, “I wasn’t telling (my team) anything about preparing for the game. We were preparing to be on ‘StudBudz’… This is supposed to be our break. We all play Tuesday.”
Last year, WNBA teams got nearly a month off after the 2024 All-Star game between Team WNBA and the U.S. women’s national basketball team to accommodate for the 2024 Paris Olympics. With no Olympics on the schedule for this year, the All-Star ‘break’ is less than a week. The Indiana Fever, for example, played their last game on Wednesday and will open the second half of the season against the New York Liberty on Tuesday.
“We would appreciate a longer break,’ Clark added.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert says rev share offered
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert was peppered with questions about the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the league’s meeting with more than 40 players on Thursday, which did not yield progress.
One question centered on why offering rev share to players was not on the table. Englebert said it is.
‘We’ve been talking about diff ways to do rev sharing,’ she said. ‘There is rev sharing in our existing CBA that is expiring after this season. But we were at a very diff place in 2020 than we are in 2025. …It’s a balance between those twos. There is a proposal on both sides on revenue sharing.’
Caitlin Clark, WNBA All-Stars arrive
Caitlin Clark is in the building. Clark, who is set to captain her All-Star team alongside New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello, arrived to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday wearing a black blazer over a Prada shirt. She paired the look with a pair of black shorts and pumps.
Arrivals started pouring in ahead of game time. USA TODAY Sports is tracking every fashionable entrance here.
Is Caitlin Clark playing in the All-Star game?
No. Clark will not participate in the All-Star Game due to a right groin injury. She also sat out of the 3-point contest on Friday.
‘I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate in the 3-Point contest or the All-Star Game. I have to rest my body.’ Clark said. ‘I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I’m looking forward to helping Sandy (Liberty coach Brondello) coach our team to a win.’
Paige Bueckers highlights first-time WNBA All-Stars
The 2025 WNBA All-Star game features six players making their All-Star debut:
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (Team Collier)
Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams (Team Clark)
Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton (Team Clark)
Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes (Team Clark)
Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen (Team Clark)
Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron (Team Clark)
WNBA All-Star Game roster: Team Caitlin Clark
Clark didn’t appear to have much of a strategy heading into the WNBA All-Star draft, saying, ‘I’m going on vibes. I’m picking whatever comes to mind. We’re just having fun. My team is going to be fun. You get to be in front of the home crowd in Indianapolis.’ However, Clark had a game plan to select her teammates. She’ll now help coach her team after being ruled out (right groin).
Starters
Aliyah Boston, Center, Indiana Fever
Sabrina Ionescu, Guard, New York Liberty
A’ja Wilson, Forward, Las Vegas Aces
* Kelsey Mitchell, Guard, Indiana Fever
* Jackie Young, guard, Las Vegas Aces
*Selected to replace Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally in the starting lineup
Reserves
Brionna Jones, Forward, Atlanta Dream
Brittney Sykes, Guard, Washington Mystics
Gabby Williams, forward, Seattle Storm
Sonia Citron, Guard, Washington Mystics
Kiki Iriafen, Forward, Washington Mystics
Kayla Thornton, Forward, Golden State Valkyries
WNBA All-Star Game roster: Team Napheesa Collier
Napheesa Collier had a clear cut strategy heading into the draft — shoot for current and former teammates. ‘I feel like got to try to get some of my (Unrivaled) Owls girls on here and got to try to get some of my (UConn) Huskies girls on here, so I’ve got an agenda,’ Collier said during the 2025 WNBA All-Star draft show.
Starters
Napheesa Collier, Forward, Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart, Forward, New York Liberty
Allisha Gray, Guard, Atlanta Dream
Nneka Ogwumike, Forward Seattle Storm
Paige Bueckers, Guard, Dallas Wings
Reserves
Courtney Williams, guard, Minnesota Lynx
Skylar Diggins, Guard, Seattle Storm
Angel Reese, forward, Chicago Sky
Alyssa Thomas, Forward, Phoenix Mercury
Kelsey Plum, guard, Los Angeles Sparks
Kayla McBride, guard, Minnesota Lynx
Replaced Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard
WNBA All-Star game format: Special rules in play
On Wednesday, the WNBA announced four special rules will be in play at the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to provide ‘added entertainment and an enhanced pace of play’ for one night only on Saturday. The changes include a four-point shot deep from the logo and live-play substitutions similar to hockey.
AT&T 4-Point shot: Each player will have the opportunity to score four points by shooting at a designated “AT&T 4-Point Shot” area on the court, made up of four circles placed 28-feet from the rim, six feet further than the 3-point line.
Live-play substitutions: Team’s will be allowed to make hockey-like player substitutions while the ball is in play, but only under certain conditions. The team on offense is the only one permitted to make a live-play substitution and only one player is allowed per possession.
20-second shot clock: The shot clock will be shortened from 24 to 20 seconds. Following an offensive rebound, the shot clock will be reset to 14 seconds.
No free throws: Anytime a player is required to shoot a free throw, they will ‘automatically be credited with the maximum available point(s) given the situation,’ the league explained. Free throws will only be in play in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and in overtime.
Who won the 2025 WNBA 3-point contest?
New York Liberty superstar Sabrina Ionescu remains the queen of the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest.
Ionescu, who holds the 3-point competition record in both the WNBA or NBA after scoring 37 of 40 points in 2023, took down defending champion Allisha Gray of the Atlanta Dream Friday night in the 3-point contest final with a score of 30 points. Ionescu became just the second WNBA player to win the 3-point contest multiple times, joining four-time winner Allie Quigley.
‘It means everything. The last time I was here in (Indianapolis) against Steph (Curry), I lost, so I feel like I had to come back and redeem myself,’ Ionescu said, referring to the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-point challenge during the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, where she went head-to-head with Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry. ‘I feel like we put on a great show.’
Who won the WNBA skills challenge?
The 2025 WNBA Skills Challenge came down to the final second … literally. New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud finished the obstacle course with 1.1 seconds to spare, narrowly defeating Seattle Storm guard Erica Wheeler for the title.
Cloud becomes the second Liberty player to win the skills challenge, following Sabrina Ionescu’s win in 2022. Cloud said she’s going to use her $55K prize money from Aflac to put a down payment on a house with her girlfriend, Liberty teammate Isabelle Harrison.
‘(Harrison) told me to go win this money for a home and that’s what it’s going down too,’ Cloud said after her win. ‘I’m really grateful for where our journey’s have brought us and our career have brought us. This is just the next step. It’s going be money well spent.’
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