One of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert's goals during her tenure has been to establish the All-Star Game as an annual tentpole event for the league. That means holding the contest even in Olympic years, which is why there will be a game this summer.
The Phoenix Mercury will play host this year, with All-Star Weekend set for July 18-20. To capitalize on the Olympics, the format this time around will be Team USA vs. Team WNBA. The Olympic squad was announced Tuesday, and we'll soon know the competitors for Team WNBA.
How to watch Team USA vs. Team WNBA
- Date: Saturday, July 20 | Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Footprint Center -- Phoenix, Arizona
- TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Fan voting for this year's All-Star Game will begin June 13 and run through June 29. All active players on a roster can receive votes, including those selected to Team USA, and fans will vote for up to 10 players (four backcourt and six frontcourt). There will be three "two-for-one" days on June 16, 22 and 27 in which votes count twice.
As per usual, the All-Stars will be selected through a combination of fan, player and media voting. Fan tallies are given 50% of the weight, while player and media selections account for 25% each. While fans can vote once per day, each player and media member will have one singular ballot.
In recent years, the fans (and players and media) voted for the game's 10 starters and the coaches selected the reserves. The top-two vote getters were then named captains and picked their teams in a televised draft ahead of the event.
The process is not as straightforward this time. After the initial voting period ends on June 29, the top-10 vote getters will be automatically named to the All-Star Game. Any top-10 vote getter who is not on the Team USA roster will be assigned to Team WNBA. A list of the next 36 highest vote getters will then be provided to the coaches, who will fill out the 12-player roster for Team WNBA.
Starters for both teams will be decided by their respective coaching staffs.
