Another All-Star weekend is in the books – after a weekend celebrating the joys of women’s basketball and another drama-filled Studbudz stream, Chicago’s streets are quiet and the airport is busy. Not all All-Star experiences were fruitful, though, so we’ve compiled a list of winners and losers of the weekend.
Winner: Azzi Fudd
After coming 4th in the fan vote and 28th in the player vote, “the People’s Princess” Azzi Fudd fell short of making the All-Star roster this year. This comes after a slow start to the season, averaging 13.2 PPG across all games so far this year, though she’s gained a reputation for being a lockdown defender, ranking #5 in the league so far in steals this season.
The number one draft pick seemed to take the snub personally going into the 3-point competition. While she sat in 2nd place after the first round, her shot turned lethal in the second round, draining 21 of 27 attempts to beat out Bridget Carleton for the $70,000 total prize payout. Fudd is the first-ever rookie to win the 3-point competition, and this showcased her extraordinary shooting talent. This year, the win for her looked like proving herself as a rising star in the league, and we believe there are certainly several All-Star nods in her future.
Loser: Team Coop
The most obvious loser of the weekend is Team Coop, who fell to Team Spoon in the All-Star Game 129-122. Captained by Breanna Stewart, Team Coop featured league standouts like Jackie Young, Paige Bueckers, Kahleah Copper, Angel Reese, and Gabby Williams. Team Coop had some impressive plays, including Marina Mabrey’s iconic long 3-pointers, but they weren’t able to overcome the early lead created by some early 3s by Team Spoon, which was captained by Caitlin Clark and featured A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, Jessica Shepard, and Olivia Miles.
Points leaders for Team Spoon were Jonquel Jones (22), Allisha Gray (19), and Caitlin Clark (17), while Team Coop’s points leaders were Kelsey Mitchell (28), Marina Mabrey (23), and Gabby Williams (18).
Winner: Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm Center
This was 20 year-old Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga’s first All-Star nod, after an impressive Unrivaled season with Breeze BC and career-high 37 points back in June. When Malonga dunked in the second quarter of the game, the crowd at the United Center was electric, as she became the youngest player to ever do so in an All-Star game.
Malonga set another record this weekend, becoming the youngest player to ever make a double-double in the game, notching 12 points and 13 rebounds. The crowd’s love for Malonga was palpable, and she proved she has an incredibly high ceiling. While this was her first All-Star game, it will almost certainly not be her last.
Loser: League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert
Cathy Engelbert has had a bruising year. After MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier blasted “the worst leadership in the world” after escalating in-game physicality led to an injury that forced Collier to sit out for the first half of the 2026 season and loud boos at the presentation of the 2026 Commissioner’s Cup, Engelbert couldn’t seem to be in a tougher spot.
This All-Star Weekend, though, proved that things could get worse for the WNBA’s commissioner, when four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson answered a reporter that her “only relationship with Cathy is when she hands me awards” – an embarrassing answer from one of the league’s biggest stars.
The crowds erupted in boos toward Engelbert during both the 3-point competition and the All-Star game while she was presenting awards, proving that not only is she unpopular with the league’s stars, but fans of the W as well. We doubt Cathy Engelbert wil be the league commissioner come next All-Star Weekend, unless she can turn it around.
Winner: Jonquel Jones, NY Liberty Center
As of All-Star Weekend, Jonquel Jones has won all four major MVP honors: regular season MVP with the Connecticut Sun in 2021, the Commissioner’s Cup MVP with the New York Liberty in 2023, the WNBA Finals MVP with the New York Liberty in 2024, and now All-Star MVP with Team Spoon in 2026. This makes Jones the first player to win all of these accolades in WNBA history.
Jones’ win this year was a meaningful one for the Bahamian-Bosnian star, as her aunt passed away recently and Jones missed the memorial with her family’s blessing in order to attend All-Star Weekend. The 6’5″ center opened up during the post-game presser, getting teary as she described the impact that her aunt had on her family and on her personally, and it’s clear this win meant a lot to Jones.
Loser: Basketball (the sport)
Paige Bueckers said it best when she called last year’s All-Star play a “disturbing demonstration of basketball” – and the same held true this year at the game in the United Center. The defense was nearly nonexistent, and both teams earned over 120 points in the game.
WNBA Player’s Association president Nneka Ogwumike noted that the competitiveness and quality of play in the All-Star game was likely very different than it could’ve been. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified this year guarantees that participants on both All-Star teams receive the same payout, regardless of win or lose, which differs from the MNBA’s payout structure in which winners earn more. Additionally, the All-Star break was only 5 days, prompting concerns about the amount of rest players are getting as well as injuries. If quality of play is a concern, the scheduling, as well as future CBAs, should reflect that.
Winner: Basketball (the culture)
All-Star Weekend proved that what the WNBA has been working to build for the last 30 years is paying off. The All-Star game at Chicago’s United Center was the highest-attended of all time, with 19,783 fans in attendance, more than this year’s MNBA’s All-Star game, the first time in history this has happened.
The culture outside of the official WNBA-sponsored events themselves was also stronger than ever this year. With events sponsored by Coach, DoorDash, JP Morgan, Aveeno, and other major brands, it’s clear that the WNBA is now mainstream in a way it hasn’t been for much of its storied 30-year history. Fans had the ability to participate in panel discussions, podcast recordings, and brand activations centering the sport and players they love, marking the start of a bright new era for this league.
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