Your Full Guide to South Carolina’s Presence at WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago
Three former Gamecocks headline WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, but South Carolina’s footprint on the event extends well beyond A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston and Allisha Gray — with several future Gamecocks also getting their moment on the sport’s biggest offseason stage. Here’s everything to know about how to follow it all.
Friday: Panels, a new event format, and a glimpse at South Carolina’s future
The weekend kicks off Friday with Wilson appearing on a panel at the Chicago Theatre alongside Sue Bird, Alysha Clark, Dwyane Wade and Terri Carmichael Jackson, hosted by Ari Chambers and Sam Jay. That kind of cross-generational, cross-sport lineup — spanning multiple WNBA eras and even NBA royalty in Wade — reflects the scale of attention the league is drawing this year.
Friday night brings a notable format change: the WNBA has eliminated the Skills Challenge entirely in favor of a new Shooting Stars event, bringing together former, current, and potential future players in a single competition. While no former Gamecocks are participating in Shooting Stars, South Carolina’s recruiting future is well represented. Each team includes a standout high school player from Nike EYBL, and four of this year’s top prospects — Jezelle “GG” Banks, Ryan Carter, Tatianna Griffin and Morghan Reckley — are set to take part.
That group carries real recruiting significance. Banks, Griffin and Reckley all currently hold South Carolina offers, while Carter, though not yet offered, remains on the program’s radar. None of the four have been assigned to a specific team yet, but the four Shooting Stars rosters are set: Minnesota (Rebekkah Brunson and Courtney Williams), Detroit/Dallas (Deanna “Tweety” Nolan and Jessica Shepard), Seattle (Lauren Jackson and Flau’jae Johnson), and Washington (Elena Delle Donne and Shakira Austin). Having three legitimate South Carolina targets performing on a nationally broadcast event alongside WNBA legends is a meaningful platform for their recruitments, regardless of which team they land on.
Saturday: From a Gamecock-heavy panel to the main event
Saturday afternoon brings the “Queens of the Court” panel sponsored by Aflac, featuring both Dawn Staley and recently graduated South Carolina star Raven Johnson — a pairing that offers fans a direct look at both the architect of the Gamecocks’ dynasty and one of its most accomplished recent products, now just months into her professional career.
The night, of course, belongs to the All-Star Game itself, where Wilson, Boston and Gray will all suit up for Team Spoon. The team-selection process itself carried its own storyline. Honorary general managers Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon built the rosters, with the two leading vote-getters, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, assigned via coin flip rather than draft — Cooper won the flip and took Bueckers, leaving Clark to Weatherspoon’s roster automatically.
As the coin-flip loser, Weatherspoon received the first actual draft pick, and she didn’t hesitate: she selected Wilson, calling the choice “self-explanatory.” She followed by taking Boston with her third pick, explaining she wanted to add size and physicality alongside Wilson, before later adding Gray as a reserve. That sequencing — building a roster specifically around Wilson’s presence and then reinforcing it with Boston’s frontcourt strength — reflects just how central Wilson remains to how opposing team-builders think about roster construction, even in an exhibition setting.
A milestone year for South Carolina’s WNBA trio
This appearance carries extra significance in terms of accumulated history. Wilson is playing in her eighth career All-Star Game, while Boston and Gray are each making their fourth appearance. The three share a well-documented All-Star history together: they were teammates in 2023, when Wilson used her own captain’s pick to select both Boston and Gray onto her squad. In 2024, the format shifted to a US Olympic team (featuring Wilson) versus WNBA All-Stars (featuring Boston and Gray) setup, temporarily splitting them across the two sides. Last year, Wilson and Boston were paired together again, facing off against Gray, who was making her first career All-Star start — and who went on to sweep both the Skills Challenge and Three-Point Contest that year.
Full rosters
Team Spoon: A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray, Caitlin Clark, Olivia Miles, Jessica Shepard, Rhyne Howard, Jonquel Jones, Courtney Williams, Kiki Iriafen and Nneka Ogwumike.
Team Coop: Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, Gabby Williams, Angel Reese, Marina Mabrey, Dominique Malonga, Jackie Young, Sonia Citron and Kaleah Copper (a late addition replacing injured Kelsey Plum).
How to Watch
Friday, July 24 (Three-Point Contest, Shooting Stars) — 8:00 p.m. ET at Wintrust Arena, broadcast on ESPN.
Saturday, July 25 (All-Star Game) — 8:30 p.m. ET at United Center, broadcast on ABC.
For South Carolina fans, this weekend offers something for every era of the program — its most decorated professional alumnae taking center stage Saturday night, a recently graduated star sharing a panel stage with her former coach, and a handful of the program’s top current recruiting targets getting a national spotlight of their own on Friday.
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