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Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
WNBA All-Star is coming up. Here's how to vote for your favorite players
INDIANAPOLIS — WNBA All-Star weekend is just over a month away, and Indianapolis is deep in preparations to host the game. Starting Thursday, fans will have a big part in deciding who will take the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19. Fan voting for WNBA All-Star runs from June 12 to 28, and the All-Stars will be announced in early July. Here's how voting for All-Star works. The WNBA selects All-Stars from a combination of fan, player, media and coach voting. Fans account for 50% of the initial vote, while player and media selections account for 25% each. The league will then combine all of those scores, and the four frontcourt players and six guards with the top combined votes will become the All-Star starters. The coaches will then vote to select the 12 total reserves. They are required to vote for three guards and five frontcourt players, then can vote for four players regardless of position. They cannot vote for players on their own team. Relive Caitlin Clark's rookie season with our collector's book The 22 All-Stars will be selected regardless of conference affiliation, and the All-Star game will not be played as a competition between conferences. The 2024 season saw 12 All-Stars, selected similarly to the 2025 process, play Team USA before they headed off to the Paris Olympics. This season will mark the return to two full All-Star teams. The two All-Star starters that have the most fan votes will become the two captains, and they will be part of a draft to pick their respective teams. They will first pick from the remaining pool of eight starters, then from the 12 reserves. ESPN will broadcast the results of the draft during an edition of WNBA Countdown at 7 p.m. July 8. The coaches for the teams will be determined by the two coaches in the league that have the best record through July 4. The coach with the best overall record will be paired with the captain that has the most fan votes. Fans can submit one full ballot of up to 10 players per day, starting June 12 and ending June 28. All active WNBA players on rosters will be able to receive votes. Fans can vote through or the WNBA App. There are three 2-for-1 days on June 14, 20, and 27, when fans' one ballot will count twice. 'So far so good': 2 weeks after ankle injury, Fever's Sophie Cunningham hoping to be cleared The WNBA All-Star weekend is in Indianapolis for the first time in league history. It will be the second straight year that the city has hosted an All-Star weekend, though, as the NBA came to Indianapolis in February 2024. Five players on Indiana's roster have been All-Stars at least once, whether it be with the Fever or on another team. DeWanna Bonner, a 15-year veteran of the league who is in her first season with the Fever, has been an All-Star six times: three with the Phoenix Mercury (2015, 2018-19) and three with the Connecticut Sun (2021, 2023-24). Natasha Howard has been an All-Star twice: 2019 with the Seattle Storm and 2022 with the New York Liberty. Both Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston have two All-Star appearances in their career, both in 2023 and 2024 with the Fever. Boston was an All-Star starter as a rookie in 2023. Caitlin Clark started the All-Star game as a rookie in 2024, and she has one All-Star selection so far in her young career. Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@ or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's 2025 preseason debut nets 1.6M viewers, more than the average regular-season WNBA game
It doesn't matter when she plays, people just want to watch Caitlin Clark. The Indiana Fever phenom drew significant ratings during the team's WNBA preseason game against the Brazilian National Team on Sunday. The contest drew 1.6 million peak viewers. That figure was 13% higher than the average regular-season WNBA game that aired on ESPN last season. ESPN's presentation of Sunday's preseason #WNBA matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Brazilian National Team averaged 1.3M viewers 🏀 Peak 1.6M 🏀 Up 13% from last year's reg. season avg. on ESPN — ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 6, 2025 WNBA Countdown saw an even larger increase in its audience before the contest. The program drew 571,000 viewers, up 71% compared to last year's average. Clark didn't disappoint during the contest, which saw her return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time since she left Iowa. Clark dropped 16 points in the 108-44 victory, many of which came from way beyond the arc: Caitlin Clark from DEEPER than her 22 logo on the floor at Carver-Hawkeye Arena 🤯 — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 4, 2025 The game marked Clark's 2025 WNBA preseason debut. She sat out during the Fever's first preseason contest due to a leg injury. While Clark proved to be healthy during the team's game vs. the Brazilian National Team, she also got plenty of time to rest her leg. With the Fever up big, Clark and a number of the team's starters sat out the fourth quarter. All told, it was quite the return for Clark, and a great way for her to make her 2025 preseason debut. It was also a reminder of how much fans want to watch Clark dominate the competition. It didn't matter that it was a preseason game, or that the Fever weren't playing another WNBA team. If Clark is involved, people will pay attention.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's 2025 preseason debut nets 1.6M viewers, more than the average regular-season WNBA game
It doesn't matter when she plays, people just want to watch Caitlin Clark. The Indiana Fever phenom drew significant ratings during the team's WNBA preseason game against the Brazilian National Team on Sunday. The contest drew 1.6 million peak viewers. That figure was 13 percent higher than the average regular-season WNBA game that aired on ESPN last season. WNBA Countdown saw an even larger increase in its audience before the contest. The program drew 571,000 viewers, up 71 percent compared to last year's average. Advertisement Clark didn't disappoint during the contest, which saw her return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time since she left Iowa. Clark dropped 16 points in the 108-44 victory, many of which came from way beyond the arc. The game marked Clark's 2025 WNBA preseason debut. She sat out during the Fever's first preseason contest due to a leg injury. While Clark proved to be healthy during the team's game vs. the Brazilian National Team, she also got plenty of time to rest her leg. With the Fever up big, Clark and a number of the team's starters sat out the fourth quarter. All told, it was quite the return for Clark, and a great way for her to make her 2025 preseason debut. It was also a reminder of how much fans want to watch Clark dominate the competition. It didn't matter that it was a preseason game, or that the Fever weren't playing another WNBA team. If Clark is involved, people will pay attention.
Irish Daily Star
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Star
Chiney Ogwumike shares 'biggest goal' as WNBA off-court plans stepped up
Chiney Ogwumike could be ticking off one of her "biggest goals" soon, thanks to ESPN's increasing commitment to women's basketball coverage. While she hasn't officially hung up her sneakers just yet, the 33-year-old's shift toward being an on-screen talent for ESPN has been evident. As a co-host on 'WNBA Countdown' with Andraya Carter and Elle Duncan, as well as appearing on ' NBA Countdown,' Ogwumike, a former pro with the Los Angeles Sparks, hit the headlines after her live reaction to a jibe from Shaquille O'Neal. Even as playing takes a backseat, it's evident that Ogwumike's passion for elevating women's basketball remains strong. In a discussion with Front Office Sports (FOS), she expressed her enthusiasm for what's ahead, particularly with ESPN's backing: "I'm excited about everything that's to come," she shared. Read More Related Articles FOX star left baffled by Caitlin Clark snub as he makes stance perfectly clear Read More Related Articles Los Angeles Sparks knew Sarah Ashlee Barker was perfect WNBA Draft pick after NCAA moment "There's been a lot of rumblings about, 'We need a women's show,' something daily. To me, that's been the biggest goal of mine. Things happen in the WNBA and women's college basketball. "Making sure we have a platform to story-tell those moments and also our own platform so we can give our own history. Having a show like that would show that we've arrived." These remarks align with hints dropped by Hilary Guy on what ESPN might be planning for the future of WNBA coverage. When asked about the potential for a standalone 'WNBA Today' show, ESPN's Vice President of Production for WNBA Studio and NBA Studio, Guy, expressed confidence in its viability and hinted at exciting developments to come. "I can't reveal all right now," Guy shared with FOS. "We will at some point be announcing our plans for the full season and they are very exciting. But I will say from an 'NBA Today' perspective, which I also oversee, we have a 'WNBA Today' segment that we do all the time, and I only see that growing within that show itself. There's more on the horizon as well." Chiney Ogwumike, Elle Duncan and Andraya Carter have won over fans with their own spin on covering the WNBA (Image: Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) As enthusiasts eagerly anticipate ESPN's strategy to integrate the WNBA further into its programming, especially with Ogwumike's involvement, the ex-WNBA champ is zeroing in on her role in promoting women's hoops. She made her intentions clear on the 'Locked on Women's Basketball' podcast. Discussing her dual focus on broadcasting and playing careers, Ogwumike remarked: "Understanding the impact that I have in the space that I occupy, particularly with broadcasting, that's where my energies are right now. "So I would never say never, but right now, I've been called to do a lot of great things. And I want to make sure I spend my energy where I feel like I can make the most impact. And right now, that's TV."
