Clark sits out All-Star | Team Collier gears up | Sab eyes 3-Point history

Welcome to JWS' 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend newsletter takeover, your one-stop-shop for all things All-Star — including that Orange Carpet drip.

Roster shakeups hit Team Clark

Team Clark will tip off WNBA All-Star Weekend without its namesake captain, after superstar Fever guard Caitlin Clark announced she’ll be sitting out both the 3-Point Contest and the All-Star Game due to a lingering groin injury.

• “I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I’m looking forward to helping Sandy [Brondello] coach our team to a win,” Clark said in a statement.

• Mystics guard Brittney Sykes and Dream forward Brionna Jones were tapped to replace Clark and previously injured Satou Sabally, while Clark’s fellow Fever guard Lexie Hull will take over for her in the 3-Point Contest.

• After a recent knock to the wrist, Aces star A’ja Wilson’s availability is also “to be determined,” with no replacement player announced as of this morning.

Big picture: Team Clark’s lineup might look a little different than expected, but they’re still stacked with serious talent.

• Aliyah Boston (Indiana), Sabrina Ionescu (New York), and 2024 MVP Wilson (Las Vegas) will start, with Brondello set to name two additional starters.

• Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana), Gabby Williams (Seattle), Sonia Citron (Washington), Kiki Iriafen (Washington), Jackie Young (Las Vegas), and Kayla Thornton (Golden State) headline the named reserves.

At the helm: Liberty boss Sandy Brandello will lead Clark’s side, with the 2024 WNBA champion coach anticipating a little intra-team strife back in New York.

• “I’m going to trap [Ionescu],” Team Collier forward — and Liberty star — Breanna Stewart joked earlier this week. “Full-court press on Sab in the All-Star Game.”

Takeaway: Injuries take their toll, but it would be unwise to count out a roster as young and hungry as Team Clark.

Tune in: The WNBA All-Star Game tips off on Saturday at 8:30 PM, live on ABC.

Team Collier comes to play

Team Collier is expected to hit the WNBA All-Star court locked and loaded tomorrow, with captain Napheesa Collier heading up a roster stocked with talent from first-place Minnesota.

• The Lynx star will start the game alongside 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart (New York), Allisha Gray (Atlanta), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle), and rookie phenom Paige Bueckers (Dallas).

• Team Collier’s bench showcases a balanced group of Courtney Williams (Minnesota), Skylar Diggins (Seattle), Angel Reese (Chicago), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix), and Kelsey Plum (LA)

• Kayla McBride (Minnesota) will also join the squad, replacing injured Rhyne Howard and boosting the team’s Minnesota contingent to three.

Big picture: Collier’s Minnesota manager Cheryl Reeve will serve as coach, after she and Brondello featured in a draft-day swap between the two squads.

• “I’m just glad people are understanding Phee’s greatness,” Reeve said of the All-Star captain. “There’s nothing else you can say at this point.”

Bottom line: With a steady front and backcourt presence, Team Collier has experience on their side — but do they have the spark needed to get the job done?

Sab shoots for 3-Point Contest glory

Even with sharpshooter Caitlin Clark sidelined, Friday’s 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge will heat up the competition before the WNBA All-Star Game even tips off.

• Single-round record holder Sabrina Ionescu (New York) and reigning champion Allisha Gray (Atlanta) headline the 3-Point Contest, with Kelsey Plum (LA), Sonia Citron (Washington), and Caitlin Clark replacement Lexie Hull (Indiana) rounding out the bill.

• Gray will also defend her Skills Challenge title, joined by Natasha Cloud (New York), Skylar Diggins (Seattle), Erica Wheeler (Seattle), and Courtney Williams (Minnesota).

Big picture: Players are shooting for more than just bragging rights tonight, with Aflac boosting prize money for the second year in a row.

• Aflac will award $60,000 to the 3-point Contest winner and $55,000 to the Skills Challenge champ, topping off the WNBA’s $2,575-per-winner payout.

• With big money on the line, both Gray and Ionescu are battling to become just the second WNBA player to win multiple 3-Point Contests, after retired Sky guard and four-time event champion Allie Quigley.

Tune in: WNBA All-Star Weekend’s 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge start tonight at 8 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Just Women’s Sports is taking over Indianapolis for WNBA All-Star, with a live recording of Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie presented by Eli Lilly and Company.

Join us at 110 S Pennsylvania Street this Saturday from 3 PM to 4 PM for an exclusive podcast taping featuring interviews with Napheesa Collier, Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Mitchell, and Lexie Hull.

Be there: Check out full event details and lineup here.

All-Star spotlight: Mystic rookie hits the court

Team Clark has youth on their side, as Mystics rookie Sonia Citron gears up to hit the WNBA All-Star court alongside fellow Washington recruit Kiki Iriafen.

• “I was not expecting this at all,” Citron told WNBA legend Lisa Leslie on Between the Lines last week, referencing her surprise All-Star call-up. “I think I’m still in shock — I don’t really think it’s hit me yet.”

• “We’re young, we’ve got a bunch of shooters, a little bit of everything” she said of Team Clark’s lineup.

• That’s not Citron’s only weekend assignment, with the All-Star debutant also set to compete in Friday’s 3-Point Contest.

Big picture: Washington’s star is on the rise, exceeding expectations this season behind first-year firepower and sending three players to this year’s All-Star Game.

• Citron is currently averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game for the Mystics while shooting 45% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc.

• “[The rookies] have really played a key piece in our success this season with us being so young, but also them being so adaptable,” second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards told Leslie in an earlier episode. “And they're runners for Rookie of the Year, so why not only have one when you can have two? I'm just loving it.”

CBA talks heat up in Indy

This year’s All-Star action extends beyond the court, as more than 40 players — including All-Stars, executive committee members, and WNBPA Representatives — met with the WNBA in Indianapolis yesterday for the second CBA negotiation of 2025.

• “I’m encouraged. I’m just so inspired by the amount of players that showed up, the engagement that was there,” WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told the AP after Thursday’s session drew the largest turnout in union history.

• “It was something that was very informative for me. First time being able to see and hear the wording from both sides,” Chicago Sky star Angel Reese added. “I was really eager to know and understand what was going on.”

Big picture: With revenues booming, both players and the league are struggling to settle issues surrounding payouts, revenue sharing, and the salary cap ahead of the current CBA’s October 31st expiration.

• “This business is booming — media rights, ratings, revenue, team valuations, expansion fees, attendance, and ticket sales — are all up in historic fashion,” the WNBPA wrote in a statement sent after Thursday’s meeting. “But short-changing the working women who make this business possible stalls growth. The only thing more unsustainable than the current system is pretending it can go on forever.”

What’s next: While negotiations continue, the union indicated that players are open to a work stoppage should they fail to reach a new deal by the end of this season.

Question of the day