While the WNBA’s best showed off their moves at WNBA All-Star 2024, the league also was making a number of big over the past week. Here’s the latest on the WNBA’s next media rights deals and other, new possibilities and partnerships:

Should the WNBA have secured a more lucrative media rights deal?

As part of the NBA’s recent negotiations for it’s 11-year, approximately $75 billion media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon, the WNBA has secured a new national media rights package worth $2.2 billion across 11 years with the three companies, allowing the league to earn approximately $200 million per year beginning with the 2026 season.

The WNBA’s current deals with Disney, Amazon, CBS and ION are worth around $50 million annually and will expire after the 2025 season. The next package could be expanded to include additional partners. According to The Athletic, the league expects to sell two more rights deals, which could result in around $60 million more annually. The prospect of the league bringing in approximately $260 million in rights fees per year far exceeds WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s stated desire to double to annual value of the current deal.

However, the WNBPA is, rightfully, not simply satisfied with the announced new deals, desiring to ensure that they appropriately and fully value the WNBA. Terri Jackson, Executive Director of the WNBPA, asserted:

We have wondered for months how the NBA would value the WNBA in its media rights deal. With a reportedly $75 billion deal on the table, the league is in control of its own destiny. More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA. We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at a $200 million valuation—if initial reports are accurate or even close. Neither the NBA nor the WNBA can deny that in the last few years, we have seen unprecedented growth across all metrics, the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand, and that the fans keep showing up. There is no excuse to undervalue the WNBA again.

At WNBA All-Star 2024, Cheryl Miller, who served as head coach of Team WNBA, was more blunt with her dissatisfaction with the deal, insisting, “That’s a lowball.” She continued, “Not enough, not even close,” implying that the value of the league as an entertainment product should approach $8 billion.

Engelbert on a 44-game season, expansion and more

At a press conference before Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert declined to elaborate on the details of the league’s forthcoming media rights deals, simply saying:

I think we’re going to do something historic. I think once we’re able to finalize those media deals, everybody is going to understand that this is a historic time for women’s sports and the WNBA will be leading that … our next round of media deals will allow us to continue to transform this league.

However, she did share other information about the direction of the league, suggesting that the 2025 WNBA season could feature 44 games, the most allowed under the current collective bargaining agreement. Engelbert said:

We’re looking at the footprint for next year. We don’t have an international competition like the FIBA World Cup or the Olympics next year, so we’ll be able to look at our footprint without any interruption or break, like we’re breaking this year.

The league also is looking at expanding its reach by holding exhibition games in Europe, Asia, Mexico City and the Middle East. Engelbert additionally indicated that the expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries likely will be held in December. She also reiterated that the league intends to expand to 16 teams by 2028.

Lakers hire Harding

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Lindsey Harding, the G League Coach of the Year with the Stockton Kings, will join head coach JJ Redick’s staff. Harding overlapped at Duke with Redick before she became the No. 1 pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft.

Mercury open practice facility, introduce Diana Taurasi Courts

On Thursday, the Phoenix Mercury officially opened the team’s sparkling new practice facility. Mercury star Kahleah Copper, in attendance for the unveiling of the $100 million facility, shared her first impression with ESPN, saying, “Oh, my jaw drop. Like, [be right back], about to go cry. How the heck did I fall into this? Is this like, am I dreaming? … Get into just the details, it’s crazy. We blessed.”

The grand opening also included a ceremony celebrating the two practice courts named for franchise legend Diana Taurasi.

WNBA connects with Bumble

Bumble, the women-first dating app, has become the WNBA’s first-ever official dating app partner, with the goal of creating spaces for women to forge meaningful connections over a shared love of the game.

The partnership launched on Thursday when Bumble served as the presenting partner of the Orange Carpet at WNBA Live, where All-Stars like the Seattle Storm’s Nneka Ogwumike showed off their most fashionable fits.

WNBA teams with New Balance

On Tuesday, the WNBA and New Balance announced a multi-year partnership, with the sportswear brand becoming an official league marketing partner. Now able to feature WNBA logos and branding, New Balance intends to create original content around Los Angeles Sparks rookie, and New Balance athlete, Cameron Brink.

WNBA partners with DraftKings

Bet on women. (But in this case, only if you have sufficient financial security and reside in a state with legal sports betting.)

Announced on Thursday, the partnership between the WNBA and DraftKings, now the league’s Official Sports Betting and Daily Fantasy Partner, is a reflection of the exponentially increasing popularity of women’s basketball and sports betting. WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, a DraftKings Talent Ambassador, said of the collaboration:

Having worked alongside both DraftKings and the WNBA, I am thrilled to see these innovative brands come together and further enhance excitement and visibility around women’s sports. The WNBA is rapidly expanding its reach and DraftKings has an unmatched ability to further generate additional fan engagement. I am looking forward to seeing DraftKings elevate the WNBA’s fan experience in the midst of this record-breaking season.

It was a competitive game between the best women’s basketball players on the planet on Saturday night in Phoenix, AZ, as Team USA faced off against Team WNBA. The game was an even contest up to the halfway mark, but thanks to Arike Ogunbowale going nuclear in the second half, Team WNBA came out on top, winning 117-109.

Ogunbowale was a star among stars, scoring all 34 of her points in the second half. The key to her huge turnaround after halftime? Breathing. “She (Team WNBA coach Cheryl Miller) just told me to take a deep breath and play my game,” Ogunbowale said in the postgame presser. Maybe we should all take a deep breath before it’s time to go to work.

After the win, it was clear the All-Star MVP would belong to Ogunbowale.

It took more than a masterclass by the Dallas Wings guard to get the win, as other WNBA All-Stars stepped up. Nneka Ogwumike had 14 points, three rebounds, and two assists; she was the only other Team WNBA starter in double figures. Allisha Gray, who won both the Skills Challenge and the 3-Point Contest on Friday, kept her successful weekend in Phoenix going with a team-high 16 points off the bench.

Angel Reese added another double-double to her resume, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Caitlin Clark was quiet, scoring just four points, but she was an elite distributor with 10 assists. Kelsey Mitchell also had a double-digit performance for Team WNBA, scoring 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field.

For Team USA, Breanna Stewart did everything to try to secure the result, scoring 31 points, grabbing three rebounds and passing out three assists. A’ja Wilson was also dominant with 22 points and was showered with “MVP” chants while she took free throws late in the game. The local legend Diana Taurasi had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists, but the best America has to offer wasn’t enough to beat the best players in the WNBA.

The outcome might cause some fans to be concerned that the women are unprepared for the Olympics, but remember that Team WNBA likely is better than any team Team USA will play in Paris. The last time Team USA played Team WNBA in preparation for the Olympics, the result was similar, with Team WNBA winning 93-85. And Team USA still easily won the gold medal.

The WNBA All-Stars now will begin their Olympic break, and Team USA will turn this loss into a lesson as they head to London.

How Team WNBA got it done

The game started well for Team USA, as they went on a 6-0 run. Team WNBA quickly responded, and we had a competitive game with five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, with Team USA up 14-9. Ogwumike started off hot with eight points on 4-for-5 shooting for Team WNBA. After a 3-pointer by Kayla McBride, a pull-up jumper by Mitchell and another bucket by Reese, Team WNBA held a one-point advantage after one quarter of play.

The rest of the first half was fairly balanced, as neither team could create any significant separation. Clark was distributing the ball well for Team WNBA, and Stewart and Taurasi were players Team USA could go to for a basket. Brionna Jones scored a buzzer beater for Team WNBA to make it 54-52 at the break, with Team USA leading by two points.

Team WNBA switched jerseys at halftime and came out roaring, starting the third quarter on a 9-2 run. Thanks to Ogunbowale, they kept that momentum throughout the quarter. She had 21 points in the third quarter alone and helped extend the lead to six with under two minutes left in the third. Team USA couldn’t close the gap and Team WNBA took a nine-point advantage into the fourth.

Both teams exchanged baskets to start the closing quarter as Team WNBA maintained their advantage over Team USA. Midway through the quarter, Team WNBA continued its dominance and began distancing itself. Following a Gray steal and basket, the lead ballooned to 15 points, part of a 10-0 run that all but sealed this result. Reese scored a basket near the rim to get into double digits, and Ogunbowale was hitting one-legged jumpers, putting this game out of reach. Ogunbowale hit another 3-pointer and walked back on defense with the biggest smile on her face.

Team USA made a late surge, but it wasn’t enough as they lost the game and will head overseas with work to be done as they prepare for the Paris Olympics.

Key takeaways

It might sound like a cop out, but women’s basketball won this weekend. Arenas were sold out. Gray shined on Friday. And on Saturday, Team WNBA showed that, while Team USA may be the most dominant country in this sport, this league is in a different stratosphere.

This is precisely what you want an All-Star weekend to be: dream scenarios becoming reality as players give a competitive effort.

We saw Clark passing to Reese, Ogunbowale dominating and Team USA testing themselves. Everything was positive, and now the only question that remains is where the WNBA All-Star will go next. Given how successfully Phoenix hosted this event, 2025 will have a high standard to reach.

The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 20 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ (ABC), when the 12 WNBA All-Stars will meet the 12 members of Team USA.

TEAM WNBA: 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), Dianna Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)

In 2021, the first time a team of WNBA All-Stars faced off against the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, the All-Stars refused simply to salute the red, white and blue, as MVP Arike Ogunbowale scored a game-high 26 points to lead the All-Stars to a 93-85 victory. Jonquel Jones added a double-double of 18 points and 14 points for the All-Stars.

Ogunbowale and Jones again are suiting up for the All-Stars against the American Olympians, and they likely are intent upon achieving a similar result. Soon after the members of Team USA were revealed, Ogunbowale shared that she decided to withdraw from consideration for the Olympic team, an expression of her frustration with the what she saw as a political, rather than meritocratic, selection process. Ever a competitor with a penchant for playing her best when the lights are brightest, Ogunbowale surely will be motivated to remind all that—gold medal or not—she is among the game’s elite. Nneka Ogwumike, herself an Olympic snub for the 2020 Games, likely sympathizes with Ogunbowale. Caitlin Clark’s legions of fans, most of whom believed the rookie belongs on Team USA, likewise hope she also shows the national team what they’re missing.

Fellow rookie standout Angel Reese, 3×3 Olympian Dearica Hamby and DeWanna Bonner consistently play with the kind of fire that suggests they’ll be ready to take it to Team USA. Add in the steady presences of Aliyah Boston and Brionna Jones, the sharpshooting of Kayla McBride and Kelsey Mitchell and the grit of Allisha Gray. The All-Stars have the attitudes and abilities to again defeat the Olympians.

Will Team USA aim to ensure that their quest for an eighth-straight gold medal is preceded by an All-Star Game triumph, playing with the requisite intensity and intentionality? Or, will preserving their energies for the upcoming Olympics be the priority, resulting in the team operating in second gear for much of the game? Let’s hope it’s the former, with the Olympic squad seeing the game against the All-Stars as an ideal tune up for Paris.

If that’s the case, the game could be close down the stretch of the fourth quarter, meaning who finishes for each squad—rather than who starts—will matter the most. For Team USA, three players stand out as almost guaranteed closers: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Chelsea Gray. Wilson and Stewart are the world’s best players, while Gray’s control in the clutch is unparalleled. In the backcourt with Gray, Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve must choose between Jewell Loyd, Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Plum, Kahleah Copper and Dianna Taurasi. Yeesh. The frontcourt decision might be even more difficult. Does Reeve go even bigger with the rim protection of the 6-foot-9 Brittney Griner? Would she favor the versatility of Napheesa Collier or Jackie Young? Or, would she simply opt for the all-round force of Alyssa Thomas?

Women’s basketball legend Cheryl Miller will be making the difficult decisions as head coach of Team WNBA. Miller will have to rediscover the touch and tactics that resulted in her leading the Phoenix Mercury to 70 wins across 122 games (1997-2000) as the franchise’s first head coach.

Cheryl vs. Cheryl. All-Stars vs. Olympians. Black, orange and pink vs. red, white and blue. As long as everyone escapes injury-free, we’re all winners.

Game information

Team WNBA vs. Team USA

When: Saturday, July 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ

How to watch: ABC

The WNBA All-Star Game is on Saturday night, but Friday still features plenty of fun events. The main attractions were the Kia Skills Challenge and STARRY 3-Point Contest. Before the event, Aflac stepped up by providing a $55,000 bonus for the winner of each event. The WNBA also chipped in $2,575 for each winner.

It turns out all the prize money went to the Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, who won both events and will be taking some hardware home, along with a grand total of $115,150; that’s a pretty cool night in Arizona.

Gray’s first win came in the Skills Challenge, when she defeated the Phoenix Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham in the final round. Cunningham set the time to beat at 34.2 seconds. Gray was able to just edge that out with a 32.1-second performance.

Before the main attraction of the 3-Point Contest, we had the first-ever USA Basketball 3×3 Challenge, where Team USA met the U23 Team. The competition wasn’t just a novelty; Team USA is preparing for the Olympics and wanted to use this as a tune-up for that competition. The four Olympians are the Dream’s Rhyne Howard, the Los Angeles Sparks’ Dearcia Hamby, former WNBA player Cierra Burdick and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith. The U23 roster featured Christina Dalce of Maryland, Morgan Maly of Creighton, Cotie McMahon of Ohio State, Lucy Olsen of Iowa, Mikaylah Williams of LSU and Serah Williams of Wisconsin.

Hamby kicked off the scoring for Team USA, and they quickly took a 5-3 lead. The U23 team settled down, and soon the game was even at 10. The U23 team took the lead at 13-11, but then Howard evened things for Team USA with a 3-point shot, which is worth two points in 3×3. Still tied at 15 with 93 seconds left, Team USA did just enough to get the win, with Howard hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to give Team USA the three-point win, 19-16.

In the 3-Point Contest, Gray scored 23 points and the New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones scored 25 points to advance to the final round. Gray went first and scored 22 points. Jones gave her a run for her money with 21 points, falling just short by missing her final shot.

With these two victories Gray became the first player to win both the 3-Point Contest and the Skills Challenge. It was an incredible moment and a reminder for those who are new to the WNBA that there are a lot of highly-talented players that the casual fan might not have heard much about.

Gray has been a sensational guard since entering the league in 2017, but it’s never too late to appreciate someone’s talent and give them there flowers. On Friday, in front of all the biggest stars in the WNBA, it was Gray who shined brightest.

When basketball player Sue Bird, soccer player Alex Morgan, snowboarder Chloe Kim, swimmer Simone Manuel and former Head of Content of Player’s Tribune Jessica Robertson decided to join forces to form TOGETHXR, one of their goals was to put a brighter spotlight on women’s sports. As fans of women’s sports, you’re well aware that the coverage it receives is insufficient. The company’s website tells it bluntly, in all capital letters:

WOMEN MAKE UP 44% OF ALL PARTICIPANTS IN SPORT YET ONLY RECEIVE LESS THAN 16% OF SPORTS MEDIA COVERAGE.

The Golden State Valkyries have yet to make their WNBA debut, but we can already get familiar with their game, as they become the first-ever WNBA team to collaborate with TOGETHXR on an “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.” shirt in the team’s signature color, “Valkyrie Violet.”

The shirt will be available beginning Friday, July 19, at shop.valkyries.com. Starting Tuesday, July 23, fans can purchase it in the Team Shop outside Chase Center in San Francisco.