OVER A YEAR AGO, the Indiana Fever sought to set the standard on WNBA All-Star weekend. After a multiday whirlwind of community impact and highlight reels, both on and off the court, the bar has been set high for next year’s hosting team.
Speaking before Saturday’s All-Star Game, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert reflected on the success of the 2025 All-Star weekend.
“The growth of All-Star has been part of our strategy—to put on a league top-notch sports media and entertainment weekend—and I think we really got close this weekend with it hitting on all cylinders,” Engelbert says.
On-Court Results
While the All-Star game didn’t hold any major implications for players or the remainder of the regular season, the showcase was yet another example of not just the variety of players that infiltrate a growing league, but also their differing abilities on the court.
With Team Napheesa Collier coming away with the win in a 151-131 final over Team Caitlin Clark, the 151 points scored was a record-setting performance—the score broke the 2023 record set by Team Breanna Stewart with 143 points in that season’s matchup.
The combined score of 282 also broke a record previously held since 2023.
Furthermore, team captain and five-time WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier didn’t just finish with her first All-Star Game MVP award, but she also set a record for most points scored in the game by an individual player with a 36-point effort. followed by the first-ever triple-double by Indiana native Skylar Diggins and a stat line of 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists.
After the game, Collier discussed how her team’s success was orchestrated from the start.
“It’s so fun and by design, I try to make my team not have that many new players,” Collier says. “I’ve played with a lot of them, so it was good to get back with them, play with new players I haven’t before, and we set a lot of records.”
New York Liberty teammates Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud came away with bragging rights after Friday night’s events that saw them clinching the 3-point contest and Skills Challenge crowns.
CBA Negotiations
While community events, outfits, and skills were on full display throughout the weekend, the talk of the sports world revolved around the league’s owners and its negotiations with the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association over a new collective bargaining agreement.
With the current CBA set to expire on October 31 of this year, this weekend held a meeting between the two parties as the players’ union came to the table seeking an increase in wages and benefits. They currently earn just 9.3 percent of the total league revenue under the current CBA agreement.
Following the All-Star Game, WNBPA President and Seattle Storm All-Star Nneka Ogwumike reflected on what she and her fellow teammates are seeking in a new CBA.
“We see the growth of the league, and as it stands, the current salary system is not paying us what we’re owed. We want to be able to have that full share moving forward, especially as we see all of the investment going in, we want to be able to have our salaries reflect a structure that makes sense for us,” she says
For comparison, the NBA, NFL, and NHL all receive between 48 and 50 percent of all league revenue, which includes ticket and merchandise sales, and broadcast deals.
Recently, the WNBA garnered a multiyear broadcast deal of 2.2 billion dollars and will have expanded its market to a total of 18 teams by 2030 after the recent announcement that it will add new teams in Toronto and Portland in 2026, followed by Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030.
After Thursday’s league meeting with nearly 40 players in attendance, neither side was able to come to an agreement.
As an act of solidarity, the 2025 All-Stars took to warmups on Saturday in T-shirts with the message, “Pay us what you owe us,” emblazoned across their chests. To further illustrate the point, the fans in attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse chanted, “Pay them,” during the postgame speech by Engelbert.
During Saturday’s postgame presser, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell touched on the importance of their messaging during the All-Star game.
“I think the statement spoke for itself,” Mitchell says. “I think you heard the crowd in the game, and it’s no disrespect. You just want to make sure the statement is made clear about what we as players have grown to deserve.”
If sides are unable to come to an agreement by the October 31 deadline, a league-wide lockout will ensue.
Community Impact
From the promotion of health and wellness to the development of parks and recreation facilities, the WNBA and Indiana Fever found several ways to make their impact felt throughout the All-Star weekend.
For starters, the WNBA All-Star legacy project supported the community in a number of ways, including a two-day event with partner Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center to find a cure for breast cancer by hosting a breast tissue donation drive. The legacy project didn’t stop there, either, after the city unveiled the renovated basketball court at Al E. Polin Park. The WNBA All-Star 2025 host committee worked to develop an initiative that intersects sports, education, and wellness throughout the community.
Other notable events included:
- The 25 in 25 All-Star initiative in partnership with the Office of Minority and Women Business Development in Indianapolis to help entrepreneurs obtain women-owned business enterprise certifications
- The WNBA initiative, Line ‘Em Up, a campaign to paint a WNBA 3-point line on park courts throughout the country
- A partnership between the WNBA, Indy Hygiene Hub, and Project Period to distribute 25,000 women’s products to girls and women in need across Central Indiana
- Tamika Catchings’ Catch The Stars foundation back-to-school backpack giveaway that donated 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to local students
- The WNBA Legacy Project, which provided facility, playground, and outdoor upgrades to the Fletcher Place Community Center
