July 15 marked the WNBA All-Star Game. The teams were led by reigning MVP A'ja Wilson and New York superstar Breanna Stewart. On top of Wilson serving as team captain, and Becky Hammon serving as a team coach, there was an additional Vegas connection with the city serving as the location of the game. Oakland-born singer Kehlani was also announced as the halftime show headliner.
While there was little in the way of surprises come the all-star voting, there was one major headline. 2023 first-overall pick Aliyah Boston was named as an all-star starter. That made Boston the eighth rookie, and first since 2014, to start in the all-star game. At the time of writing, Boston is averaging 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. The All-Star weekend got off to a phenomenal start, with New York's Sabrina Ionescu absolutely destroying the three-point challenge. Ionescu set a new event record with 37 points knocked down.
Kehlani Headlines High-Scoring All-Star Game
The game itself more than lived up to its primetime TV slot. Team Stewart gained early control in the game but lost the lead as the second quarter began. However, they didn't trail for long and were able to keep building a lead as halftime approached. When the buzzer sounded, Team Stewart led by 10, 73-63. The court was turned over to Kehlani, The two-time Grammy nominee absolutely slayed with a handful of their most popular hits. Coming out of the break, Team Stewart continued to run up the score on their opponents. At several points in the second half, the eventual winners led by as much as 20 points. The game ended with a 143-127 victory for Team Stewart.
The biggest star of the show for Team Stewart was Seattle's Jewel Loyd, who put on a shooting clinic with 31 points. Napheesa Collier also hit 20 points coming off the bench. Brittney Griner, who hit a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, also threw down a dunk in her return to the All-Star event. Kelsey Plum led Team Wilson with 30 points of her. Plum also absolutely ate on the red carpet, going shirtless under a cream suit jacket and satin pants. Team captain A'ja Wilson also dropped 20 points in the loss.