Vibes were high and defense was optional at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, when Team Collier shattered records as they routed Team Clark 151-131.
Captain and game MVP Napheesa Collier set a new single-game WNBA All-Star record by notching 36 points, surpassing the 34-point mark posted by Arike Ogunbowale last year, while teammate Skylar Diggins claimed the first-ever triple-double in All-Star history.
Even more, the 151 points put up by the Minnesota forward's team are the most in All-Star Game history, knocking down the 143 points from Breanna Stewart's 2023 squad to second on the all-time list.
Players made use of the game's special four-point shots, with Collier hitting four of five attempts while her team went 12-for-28 from well-beyond the arc.
"I'm just all four-point shots, four-point shots. More, more, more," honorary coach — and injured All-Star captain — Caitlin Clark said at halftime.
All-Stars make a statement amid CBA negotiations
While the game itself proved more congenial than competitive, the players didn't mess around about the current CBA negotiations between the WNBPA and the WNBA.
All participating All-Stars took the court wearing T-shirts showcasing the slogan "Pay Us What You Owe Us," visually responding to the weekend's two meetings between the union and the league.
"The players are taking this seriously," Collier said of the collective action. "We're standing really firm in certain areas that we feel really strong that we need to improve on."
"The players are what is building this brand and this league. There is no league without the players," Collier added. "We're the ones that have put in the blood, sweat, and tears for this new money that's coming in, and we feel like we're owed a piece of that pie that we helped to create."
Ultimately, though All-Star Weekend is all fun and games, players will keep placing the behind-the-scenes issues in the spotlight until the parties agree on a new CBA.
The WNBA has set the scene for this weekend's 2025 All-Star Game, laying out a handful of special rules meant to liven up the on-court action.
The game will introduce four major changes: a four-point shot, a 20-second shot clock, live-play substitutions, and automatic points for free throws.
While four-point shots aren't a new All-Star Game invention, last year's matchup between the WNBA All-Stars and Team USA did not feature them.
To sink a four-point shot on Saturday, the shooting player must have contact with one of the four marked circles on the court, located 28 feet from the rim.
With four seconds taken off the shot clock to speed up the game, All-Star squads will also be able to make a one-player substitution while the ball is in play — so long as the team in question has possession in their backcourt.
As for the "No Free-Throws" rule, free-throw shooting will only occur in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, plus the full length of any overtime period(s).
Prior to the final two minutes of regulation, players will be automatically credited the maximum available point(s) incurred by the foul.
How to watch the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will tip off in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.