WNBA Shooting Stars joins All-Star Weekend in anniversary twist
The WNBA is replacing its Skills Challenge with Shooting Stars, a new Friday event pairing legends, current players and top high school talent.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The WNBA Shooting Stars competition is coming to All-Star Weekend in Chicago, with the league using its 30th anniversary celebration to swap out the usual Skills Challenge for a new Friday night shooting event.
The WNBA announced the competition will be held at 8 p.m. ET on All-Star Friday Night. Four teams will feature three tiers of women’s basketball: a retired WNBA great, a current WNBA player and a high school standout from Nike EYBL.
The league is also keeping the weekend’s long-range theme intact. The WNBA 3-point contest is scheduled for the same night.
What is the WNBA Shooting Stars competition?
Shooting Stars is a timed team shooting contest built around different spots on the court. According to the WNBA, teams will have 70 seconds to pile up points from seven locations, starting with a layup and stretching out to a long-distance 3-pointer.
The event has two rounds. The top two scoring teams from the opening round will advance to the championship round, the league said.
Who is taking part?
The legend group gives the event its anniversary shine. Elena Delle Donne will represent Washington, Lauren Jackson will represent Seattle, Rebekkah Brunson will represent Minnesota and Deanna “Tweety” Nolan will represent Dallas/Detroit, according to the WNBA.
The Dallas/Detroit tag nods to the history of the Wings franchise, which began as the Detroit Shock.
The current WNBA players announced for the teams are Mystics center Shakira Austin, Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson, Lynx guard Courtney Williams and Wings forward Jessica Shepard.
The Nike EYBL players selected for the event are Jezelle “GG” Banks, Ryan Carter, Tatianna Griffin and Morghan Reckley. The WNBA has not yet assigned those players to specific teams.
- Minnesota: Rebekkah Brunson, Courtney Williams, Nike EYBL player to be announced
- Seattle: Lauren Jackson, Flau’jae Johnson, Nike EYBL player to be announced
- Washington: Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin, Nike EYBL player to be announced
- Dallas/Detroit: Deanna “Tweety” Nolan, Jessica Shepard, Nike EYBL player to be announced
Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon, the honorary general managers for the All-Star Game, will also be part of the event. The WNBA said each will work as a designated passer for two teams.
How much prize money is involved?
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement does not spell out prize money for Shooting Stars because the event is new to the league.
Front Office Sports reported that current players are expected to get $7,500 for taking part. The winner is expected to receive another $15,000, matching the Skills Challenge prize structure in the CBA, according to the report.
Has Shooting Stars been used before?
The format is new for the WNBA, but not for pro basketball All-Star weekends. The NBA introduced Shooting Stars in 2004 and used it each year through 2015.
Those NBA-era teams were built around cities and included one active NBA player, one active WNBA player and one retired NBA legend. Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash won the event three straight times from 2013 through 2015.
After an 11-year break, the NBA brought Shooting Stars back during the 2026 All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles with a different roster setup: two current NBA players and one NBA legend per team.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.