WNBA Shooting Stars Competition Takes Center Stage at 2026 All-Star Weekend

The WNBA is gearing up to celebrate its 30th anniversary with a brand-new All-Star Weekend event, and it’s going to be a game-changer. Instead of the usual Skills Challenge, the 2026 WNBA All-Star weekend in Chicago will feature a ‘Shooting Stars’ competition that brings together three generations of women’s basketball.

Four WNBA legends will help the league celebrate its milestone anniversary in the event: two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne (representing Washington), three-time MVP Lauren Jackson (representing Seattle), five-time WNBA champion Rebekkah Brunson (representing Minnesota), and three-time WNBA champion Deanna ‘Tweety’ Nolan (representing both Dallas and Detroit since the original Wings franchise was the Detroit Shock).

Joining them are current WNBA players Mystics center Shakira Austin, Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson, Lynx guard Courtney Williams, and Wings forward Jessica Sheppard. The Nike EYBL participants have not been assigned a team yet, but they will be Jezelle ‘GG’ Banks, Ryan Carter, Tatianna Griffin, and Morghan Reckley.

Adding to the excitement are the honorary General Managers for the All-Star Game, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon, who will each serve as designated passers for two teams each. Here are the rosters so far:

Rebekkah Brunson

• Courtney Williams

• Lauren Jackson

• Flau’jae Johnson

Elena Delle Donne

• Shakira Austin

Washington

Deanna ‘Tweety’ Nolan

• Jessica Shepard

The event will have two rounds, with teams having 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court, ranging from a layup to a long-range 3-pointer. The two teams with the highest score in the first round will move on to the championship round.

Here are the rules in more detail:

How the Shooting Stars Competition Works

• The competition will feature four teams, each consisting of three players from different generations of women’s basketball.
• The teams will have 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court.
• The two teams with the highest score in the first round will move on to the championship round.

Since the Shooting Stars competition is new to the WNBA, there is no exact wording in the Collective Bargaining Agreement on how the prize money will be distributed. However, Front Office Sports reports that current players are expected to receive $7,500 for participating, and the winner will take home an additional $15,000, which is the same breakdown the CBA has for the Skills Challenge.

The WNBA’s 3-point contest will also take place on Friday night.

While this is the inaugural year for the WNBA Shooting Stars competition, the NBA introduced it to All-Star weekend in 2004 and ran it annually until 2015. Those original teams included one current NBA player, one current WNBA player, and one retired NBA legend representing a specific city. The power trio of Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins, and Swin Cash won it three consecutive years from 2013-2015.

After an 11-year absence, the league brought it back during the 2026 All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. This new version featured two current NBA players and one NBA legend on each roster.