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WNBA All-Star Game: Top matchups, snubs and why Team USA could go down

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The 2021 WNBA All-Star Game proceedings have been unique at every level. With the game a week away, we’ve taken some time to digest the competitive voting process and roster selections and offer our thoughts on the matchup pitting the U.S. women’s national team against the best of the rest in the league.

For the first time, the WNBA is holding an official All-Star Game the same year as the Olympics. Team USA faced a group of WNBA All-Stars in an exhibition during the 2004 Olympic year, and the “Stars at the Sun” showcase in 2010 featured the same matchup, but neither was considered a WNBA All-Star Game.

This year, every player selected to represent the U.S. in Tokyo earns 2021 All-Star accolades. That meant voters faced the challenge of identifying the 10 best WNBA players (six frontcourt and four backcourt) who are outside of the Team USA roster.

The selection process consisted of 50 percent voting by fans, 25 percent by current WNBA players and 25 percent by the media. WNBA head coaches then determined the 12 All-Stars among the top 36 vote-getters, with the caveat that coaches couldn’t vote for players on their own teams.

The 17th WNBA All-Star Game will take place at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas next Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Here’s what you can expect from the unprecedented event.

The newbies

This year’s WNBA All-Star squad features seven first-timers: Kahleah Copper, Dearica Hamby, Brionna Jones, Betnijah Laney, Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally and Courtney Williams. With them, the WNBA All-Stars have a legitimate chance to beat Team USA.

Those seven players combine for over 110 points per game and an efficient 48 percent field-goal percentage. In addition to the sheer offensive firepower of the group, these first-timers bring energy and will be hungry for a win. Combine that with the veteran All-Star returners who might have a bit of a chip on their shoulder after not making the U.S. Olympic team, and we could be in for one of the most competitive All-Star Games in the league’s history.

The matchup

In years past, the All-Star Game was an opportunity for the WNBA to showcase its top players and for the athletes to mingle and celebrate their accomplishments in a light-hearted event. It was a chance for the majority of the league to get rest while the All-Stars enjoyed themselves, playing the game cautiously enough to avoid injury.

This year, Team USA will be in the middle of its training camp in Las Vegas, tasked with building chemistry, competing and preparing to win their seventh gold medal in Tokyo. The team has pre-Olympic tune-up games against Australia and Nigeria, but neither opponent is as deep and talented as the 2021 All-Star Team.

If Team USA and the WNBA All-Stars both compete at 100 percent, it is a coin flip as to who wins. Each team has the offensive talent to score points, so whichever side goes in with a better defensive game plan will have the upper hand.

Here’s who I would start on each team:

Team USA

Sue Bird PG
Jewell Loyd SG
Ariel Atkins F
Breanna Stewart F
Sylvia Fowles C

WNBA All-Stars

Courtney Vandersloot PG
Arike Ogunbowale SG
DeWanna Bonner F
Candace Parker F
Liz Cambage C

I like this WNBA All-Star group because Courtney Vandersloot, Candace Parker and DeWanna Bonner are veteran leaders who will value defense while Arike Ogunbowale and Liz Cambage are offensive threats who have the potential to put Team USA on their heels early. The All-Stars have a slight edge over Team USA in rim protection, with Jonquel Jones’ ability to secure rebounds and guard the paint.

I’m also eyeing the Candace Parker-Breanna Stewart matchup. Watching arguably two of the best point-forwards and competitors in the world going toe-to-toe is a basketball lover’s dream.

Historically, Team USA has prevailed over the WNBA All-Star team, but we have yet to see a matchup like this one under these circumstances.

My pick: Call me crazy, but for all of those reasons, I’m going with the WNBA All-Stars.

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Nneka Ogwumike, who's recovering from an injury, was left off of both teams. (Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images)

Biggest snubs

It’s hard to argue with any of the All-Star selections, but the most glaring absence to me is that of Nneka Ogwumike.

It was surprising, first of all, that Ogwumike didn’t earn an All-Star nod with Team USA. The forward was left off the Olympic roster after a successful year with the national team in which she was the second-leading scorer and MVP of the 2020 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Ogwumike, who won WNBA MVP in 2016, is the only former MVP never to make a U.S. Olympic roster.

Ogwumike has played in just five games this WNBA season because of an injury. In those games, she averaged 16.4 points and seven rebounds per game on 59 percent shooting from the field. Despite the small sample size, the six-time All Star deserves to be in the conversation because of the sheer impact she makes for the Sparks, accounting for close to 25 percent of their scoring and rebounding when on the court.

Jackie Young is another player who had a strong argument to make the All-Star roster. Young is the fourth-leading scorer for the top-ranked Aces, averaging 12.8 points per game on an efficient 48 percent shooting from the field. The third-year guard is an X-factor for Las Vegas as she continues to stretch opponents defensively, shooting a career-best 39 percent from the 3-point line. Young has been a steady force on both ends of the floor, playing the most minutes (32.7 per game) and putting up the best numbers of her career.

Then there’s Marina Mabrey, the Dallas Wings guard who has emerged as a top early candidate for Most Improved. Mabrey is currently in the top 20 in the league in scoring at 14.8 points per game, including seven 20-plus point performances in the Wings’ 19 games.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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