The WNBA is always looking to mix things up during All-Star weekend to keep things fresh.
This year, the league is tossing the Skills Challenge and is implementing Shooting Stars in its place for Friday’s WNBA All-Star 2026 festivities (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here’s what you need to know about the competition, as well as who might win. In the comments, tells us which team you think will shoot for the stars.
So, what is the Shooting Stars competition?
Shooting Stars will be a four-team competition.
Each team will represent a city, and the quartet selected
is Minnesota, Seattle, Washington, and Dallas/Detroit. Detroit and Dallas are combined to recognize both the current Wings and the original Shock.
This competition will not only celebrate these regions, but also the past, present, and future of the WNBA.
The WNBA Shooting Stars competition is a two-round, timed shooting competition. Each team will have 70 seconds to score as many points as possible by shooting from seven locations around the court. They must shoot in order, starting at one and ending at the seventh location.
The two teams posting the highest scores in the opening round advance to the championship. In the last round, the team that scored the lowest of the two still standing will shoot first. Just like the first round, the winner will be whoever scores the most.
Who are the Shooting Stars competitors?
Each team will have a legend, a rising star and a standout high school player from Nike EYBL.
The legends are:
- Elena Delle Donne (Washington Mystics)
- Lauren Jackson (Seattle Storm)
- Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx)
- Deanna Nolan (Detroit Shock)
The current WNBA players involved are:
- Shakira Austin (Washington Mystics)
- Flau’jae Johnson (Seattle Storm)
- Courtney Williams (Minnesota Lynx)
- Jessica Shepard (Dallas Wings)
The Nike EYBL players have not officially been assigned a team, but the players will be Jezelle Banks, Ryan Carter, Tatianna Griffin and Morghan Reckley.
The honorary general managers, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon, will serve as designated passers. They will split the duties, with each passing to two different teams.
Which Shooting Stars team is going to win?
When trying to pick a winner, the biggest question mark is the legends.
Which ones are still shooters? Who will catch a rhythm and get hot? I think the team with the legend who is ready to hoop will be the one that wins the contest. Although, the Nike EYBL players are also X-factors. They’ve played in high-pressure games in high school and with Team USA competitions, but this is a big stage and not a traditional game.
All the teams have a great chance, but watch out for Washington. I’m confident that Delle Donne can still shoot, and Austin is a force as well.
