WNBA Skills Challenge to feature All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot

NEW YORK – WNBA All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty, Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Courtney Vandersloot of the Chicago Sky headline the list of eight WNBA players who will participate in the 2022 WNBA Skills Challenge as part of the weekend-long series of events at AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022.

The WNBA Skills Challenge and the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest will air live on ESPN on Saturday, July 9 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT). Both events will take place inside McCormick Place in front of a special group of participants from the Nike Tournament of Champions and Nike Girls Nationals. The WNBA Skills Challenge and MTN DEW 3-Point Contest are closed to the public but can be seen at a special viewing party hosted by DJ Shale outside McCormick Place within the grounds of WNBA Live presented by U.S. Bank.

In addition to Ionescu, who on Wednesday tied a WNBA career record with her third triple-double, reigning Kia WNBA MVP Jones and six-time league assists leader Vandersloot, the five other WNBA stars who will be competing in the WNBA Skills Challenge are guard Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream, guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces, forward NaLyssa Smith of the Indiana Fever and forward-center Azurá Stevens of the Sky.

The Skills Challenge includes eight teams, each consisting of one WNBA player and one athlete from the Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) participating in the 2022 Nike Nationals. The teams will compete head-to-head in an obstacle course relay competition that tests dribbling, passing, agility and shooting skills.

“I’m really honored and excited to participate in the WNBA Skills Challenge,” said Ionescu.  “As a Nike EYBL alum, having the chance to now be paired with a young EYBL star in this event is extra special. I’m looking forward to everything that All-Star weekend has to offer.”

“It means a lot to me to have been chosen to participate in the AT&T All-Star Game, the MTN Dew 3-Point Competition and now the Skills Competition all in my first season,” said Howard. “Competing against the players I have looked up to for years on a stage like this is going to feel surreal, but I am excited to show the world what I can do.”

A three-round, bracket-style event, the Skills Challenge will feature two teams competing simultaneously on an identical course. The team that successfully completes the course first shall be deemed the winner of that matchup and advance to the next round of the competition. Following the first round, four teams will advance to the second round. The winners of the second round will advance to the championship round and compete for the title. In the event of a tie in any head-to-head competition, the tied teams shall repeat the course. (For additional information, refer to the Skills Challenge Flow of Play and Skills Challenge Rules documents.)

Below is the roster of WNBA players participating in the 2022 WNBA Skills Challenge: