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WNBA All-Star Game: Live updates, highlights as USA Basketball takes on Team WNBA for the Olympics

WNBA All-Star Game: Live updates, highlights as USA Basketball takes on Team WNBA for the Olympics

The WNBA All-Star Game is finally here, and Saturday’s event, as usual, features the WNBA’s best and brightest. But this year, with the Olympics starting next week, the U.S. women’s basketball team will be taking on the WNBA All-Stars in preparation for the Paris Games. Here’s how the teams match up:

WNBA Team: DeWanna Bonner (Connecticut Sun), Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks), Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun), Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty) , Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky)

Team USA: Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces) ), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)

Date: Saturday, July 20, 2024

Time: 8:30pm ET

Place: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ

TV channel: ABC

Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu

Follow Yahoo Sports’ Cassandra Negley for live updates and highlights as WNBA All-Star weekend continues on Saturday.

Live14 updates

  • All-Star veterans Ogwumike and Bonner enter the game early for Team WNBA. The first substitutions come at 5:37. BG and Wilson are on the court together for Team USA against Hamby and Ogwumike. Hamby said earlier that they would likely be “smart about this,” indicating she wouldn’t get much playing time. She’s on the USA 3×3 team in Paris.

  • Oh, how fitting. Diana Taurasi hits a 3 to open the scoring in the only place she’s ever played WNBA ball.

  • They love everyone here. Pac-12 country is coming for Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum. (Sorry to bring it up, everyone.) Phoenix stars Kahleah Copper and Brittney Griner are cheering loudly, as are the Team USA starters. But no one is getting more love than Diana Taurasi. It felt like a celebration of the GOAT here this weekend. It really feels like it could be her last Olympics and WNBA All-Star — but we’ve probably said that in years past, right?

  • Huge cheers indeed for Caitlin Clark, who is the first Team WNBA starter announced. But the noise continues for Arike Ogunbowale, DeWanna Bonner (two-time Phoenix champion!), Jonquel Jones (the crowd loved her 3-point performance), and Nneka Ogwumike.

  • One possible oddity tonight is the jersey numbers. Team WNBA players wear their jersey numbers, so Angel Reese and Dearica Hamby both wear number 5. DeWanna Bonner and Arike Ogunbowale both wear number 24.

  • Team WNBA? Yeah, they think about that sometimes.

    “We talked about it yesterday, and then we watched (Team USA) men play South Sudan today and it got really real, really real,” Team WNBA head coach Cheryl Miller said before the game. “So with that being said, I know the mentality of the players that I have the opportunity and honor to coach is that they want to win.”

  • This is only the second time that the All-Star game is being held between Team USA and Team WNBA. A unique situation for both parties.

    “We’re looking to understand how we want to play,” USA Basketball head coach Cheryl Reeve told reporters before the game. “We’re looking for lineups. We’re looking for coaches who understand players and how to get the best out of them. So we’re trying to accomplish a lot today in all the hoopla that’s going to happen.”

  • Team USA and Team WNBA announce their starters

    Team USA and Team WNBA have announced their starters, with rookie Caitlin Clark getting the start. Clark, Arike Ogunbowale, DeWanna Bonner, Nneka Ogwumike and Jonquel Jones starting for Team WNBA, with Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson starting for Team USA

  • Of course Jason Sudeikis is at the WNBA All-Star Game!

  • Two of the most-watched All-Stars tonight are Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The two rookies, who are both vying for the WNBA All-Star team, were already in the spotlight as they took pregame shots.

  • Debuting All-Star Angel Reese is ready for the game. The rookie arrived in one of her signature outfits and when reporters asked her how she was feeling, the Bayou Barbie answered with the truth: “Like a Barbie.”

  • The Indiana Fever All-Star trio arrived at the Footprint Center in vibrant colors:

    I love the WNBA jersey collection in Kelsey Mitchell’s outfit

  • The two teams took time to pose for a few group photos, with the WNBA All-Star team in their All-Star colors and Team USA in red, white and blue.

  • Team USA and the All-Stars have arrived

    The two teams arrived at the arena in style for the game, with both Team USA and the WNBA All-Stars arriving in style.

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