WNBA's Biggest All-Star Weekend Hits Amid Months of Controversy
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- WNBA hosted its 2026 All-Star Weekend in Chicago, with players like A'ja Wilson, Paige Bueckers and rookie Olivia Miles walking the orange carpet at McCormick Place while fans partied at venues like Whiskey Girl Tavern and the StudBudz streamed.
- Alyssa Thomas received a one-game suspension and death threats after video showed her pushing a closed fist against Caitlin Clark's throat during a June 24 Fever-Mercury game; Clark called the officiating a 'disservice' to the league while condemning the harassment.
- Sandy Brondello was suspended one game without pay after the Toronto Tempo head coach called Angel Reese a 'protected species' to a referee on July 17; Brondello publicly apologized, saying the phrase is common in Australian sports.
- Sophie Cunningham told ESPN on July 21 she supports barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports, then doubled down with 'I said what I said'; the Department of Education and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly backed her, and her exclusive Adidas colorway sold out in under an hour on July 24.
- Sports Business Journal reported on July 15 that NBA commissioner Adam Silver directed WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to suspend Thomas; the WNBA called the report 'absolutely false' and Silver declined to clarify at Fanatics Fest the next day.
- Chelsea Gray posted a screenshot of a racist social media comment she received after a July 12 Aces-Fever game; the man who made the comment was fired after fans, including Fever fans, reported him to his employer.
- Congressional representatives wrote a letter to Engelbert on July 8 saying Clark was receiving 'unnecessary physical hostility and violence' and demanded the league create a safe workplace.
- Chicago Sky season-ticket holder Jaye Williams told ESPN 'politics has killed my hobby' as she set up bingo sheets for an All-Star fan party, capturing the tension between the weekend's celebration and the months of controversy preceding it.
Why it matters: Four separate flashpoints — Thomas's suspension for striking Clark, Brondello's 'protected species' remark about Reese, Cunningham's transgender athlete stance and racist harassment of Gray — defined the run-up to the WNBA's biggest-ever All-Star Weekend, with season-ticket holder Jaye Williams summing up the mood as 'politics has killed my hobby' even as Engelbert celebrated a new CBA.
