Brittney Griner and Jonquel Jones headline participants for Friday events at AT&T WNBA All-Star 2024
NEW YORK – Phoenix Mercury center and 10-time WNBA All-Star selection Brittney Griner and 2021 Kia WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones of the New York Liberty each headline lists of five WNBA stars set to take part in special competitions on Friday, July 19, as part of AT&T WNBA All-Star 2024.
ESPN will broadcast the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge and the WNBA STARRY® 3-Point Contest from Footprint Center in Phoenix (6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET). The broadcast also will feature the debut of 3×3 basketball as part of AT&T WNBA All-Star when the 2024 USA Basketball 3×3 Women’s National Team takes on the USA Basketball 3×3 U23 National Team in a special exhibition.
Griner, a 6-9 center who will represent her hometown Mercury in the 2024 Kia WNBA Skills Challenge, will vie for the title of skills champion against a quartet of guards, including her Mercury teammate Sophie Cunningham, the Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, the Connecticut Sun’s Marina Mabrey, and the 2019 WNBA All-Star MVP Erica Wheeler of the Indiana Fever.
The five contestants in the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge will compete in an obstacle course that tests a variety of basketball skills: dribbling, bounce pass, chest pass and outlet pass, in addition to shots including an elbow jumper and three-pointers from atop the arc and the corner. Among the obstacles positioned along the course will be a 2025 Kia Sorento Turbo-Hybrid. The players will compete against one another to post the fastest time when running the course. The two players with the fastest times in the First Round will advance to the Final Round.
Jones, a 6-6 center, will face competition in the WNBA Starry 3-Point Contest from Washington Mystics’ center Stefanie Dolson, the WNBA leader in three-point field goal percentage this season (48.5 percent) and a trio of guards, including the Minnesota Lynx’ Kayla McBride, who is pacing the WNBA in made three-point shots (76), Atlanta’s Gray and Connecticut’s Mabrey.
The three-point shooters will compete in the two-round, timed competition with ball racks positioned at five main shooting locations around the three-point arc. Four of the racks contain four official WNBA game balls worth one point each and one “money” ball worth two points. The fifth rack will be a special “all money ball” rack with every ball worth two points. In addition, two ball pedestals will be positioned at deep shot locations called “The Starry Range.” Each pedestal holds one special ball known as the “Starry” ball; shots made with the special ball are worth three points. The two players with the highest scores in the First Round will advance to the Final Round.
The first 3×3 exhibition to be held at the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game will feature the USA 3×3 Women’s National Team which is set to compete at Olympic Games Paris 2024. That team’s roster is comprised of current WNBA players Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks) and Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), former WNBA player Cierra Burdick and current collegian Hailey Van Lith (TCU). They will compete against the USA 3×3 U23 National Team (USA U23), which is set to compete at the FIBA 3×3 Nations League tournament in Mexico City (July 22-28) with a roster that includes Christina Dalce (Maryland), Morgan Maly (Creighton), Cotie McMahon (Ohio State), Lucy Olsen (Iowa), Mikaylah Williams (LSU), and Serah Williams (Wisconsin).
In addition to the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge featuring WNBA stars, fans will have an opportunity to showcase their own basketball skills while participating in the 2024 Kia WNBA Skills Challenge Activation located at WNBA Live presented by U.S. Bank at the Phoenix Convention Center. The fan-friendly activation will give fans a chance to test their passing, dribbling and shooting skills like the pros. Fans will have 30 seconds to complete the obstacle course and receive some Kia WNBA Skills Challenge swag.
Starry also is inviting fans to WNBA Live presented by U.S. Bank, where they can enjoy the most refreshing experience at AT&T WNBA All-Star: STARRY AR3NA. Featuring an interactive court, a $25,000 prize pool, ice cold Starry, a chance to get inked up at A’JA’S HOM3COURT and some of the best athletes in the game, STARRY AR3NA will be the spot to check out for the on-court action and off-court culture that makes the WNBA the hottest league to watch this year.
Beginning on Friday, July 19 (11 a.m.-7 p.m. PT) and running through Saturday, July 20 (11 a.m.-7 p.m. PT), WNBA Live presented by U.S. Bank is a two-day, interactive fan festival that will celebrate the intersection of the WNBA, fashion, music, and culture.