"All-Stars don't really have a break" - Sabrina Ionescu thinks the All-Star Game would be more competitive if games did not resume immediately after the event

Yahoo

23-07-2025

"All-Stars don't really have a break" - Sabrina Ionescu thinks the All-Star Game would be more competitive if games did not resume immediately after the event originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Team Collier dominated the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game from start to finish and defeated Team Clark 151-131 on Saturday night at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Winning captain Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx set an All-Star game record with 36 points, breaking the previous mark of 34, which was set by Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings last year. Team Collier's 151 points were also the most points scored by a WNBA All-Star team in the history of the league's midseason classic.
Team Clark, which played without its injured captain Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, couldn't get going and allowed their opponents to put up 49 first-quarter points and build a 13-point lead they never relinquished.
After the game, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who won the previous day's 3-point contest, told reporters at the post-game press conference that the game could have been closer if they had not played on a tight schedule.
"I think it probably would have been more competitive if teams didn't play in such a short amount of days. And I think that's something as we're talking obviously into our CBA and understanding that All-Stars don't really have a break. We finish, we get on a flight the next day, we're here, jampacked weekend, wanting to pour into the fans, show up to events, do 3-point contests, skills contests and then play in a game and fly right back to practice and play in three days." Sabrina emphasized.
Only two days between the ASG and the resumption of the season
It can be recalled that 10 teams played on a five-game slate last Wednesday, July 16, including Ionescu's Liberty, which hosted the Indiana Fever.
Ionescu then had to fly to Indianapolis the following day and participate in Friday's events, including the 3-point contest, before playing 20 minutes in Saturday's showcase game.
The WNBA regular season resumes on Tuesday, with another five-game schedule that includes the Liberty hosting the Fever again at Barclays Center. Despite two days off between Saturday's All-Star Game and the Liberty's next assignment, Ionescu thinks the break is too short, not just for her but also for the other All-Stars who have to deal with a similar schedule.
"I think that's something obviously, as players, we wanna be able to come out during this time, put on a great show for the fans, but also take care of our bodies because we don't have time. We're entering a gruelling second half of the season and teams are trying to make playoff pushes, players are trying to get back from injuries, so obviously, that's something as players, we got to continue to stand on, is maybe try to get a few more days to where we can have a little bit more competitiveness in these games," she added.The NBA has one more day off than the WNBA
In comparison, the NBA had five regular-season games scheduled for Thursday, February 13, 2025. Then the NBA All-Star weekend ran for three days, beginning with the Celebrity Game and Rising Stars playing on Friday. Saturday saw the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest, while Sunday was for the All-Star Game.
Regular season games then resumed on Wednesday, February 19, but with only one game on the calendar. The game, however, was a make-up contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets for a January 9 schedule, which was moved due to the Los Angeles Wildfires.
So, in essence, the NBA resumed its season on Thursday, February 20.
But comparing their All-Star weekend activities, the WNBA only has a two-day event, while the NBA has a three-day affair. Also, the NBA held games the day before the All-Star activities began, while the WNBA had a one-day gap from the last regular season game to the start of the midseason festivities.
Still, the NBA had three off days sandwiched between the ASG and the resumption of the season, which is a one-day difference, in favor of the men.
Saturday night's WNBA All-Star game was only the third 20+ point blowout in the history of the women's midseason classic. But it's the second since 2022 and the third blowout game in the last four years. Prior to 2022, there were eight consecutive WNBA All-Star games decided by single digits.
Maybe the WNBA is starting to have the same problem that has been plaguing the NBA for quite some time now.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.