Chicago will host the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time this summer.
The game will be played in the Wintrust Arena — home of defending national champions Chicago Sky — July 10. The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the news.
“The WNBA is excited to bring AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022 and an innovative new ‘WNBA Live’ event to Chicago, a city that showed such electric support for the Chicago Sky and the WNBA throughout last season and especially during the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “We are thrilled to turn AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022 into a weekend-long event that will give WNBA fans incredible opportunities to engage with our brand and partners who have stepped up to support the WNBA. We look forward to unveiling exciting details regarding ‘WNBA Live’ in the weeks to come.”
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“I look forward to welcoming the WNBA All-Star 2022 championship and festivities to our city,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “Chicago is a city of sports fans, and we’re thrilled to cheer on the Chicago Sky as they defend their title at Wintrust Arena. I’m grateful to AT&T and the WNBA for choosing Chicago for this exciting event as well as the Chicago Sky for continuing to represent the best of our city.”
“As we are continuing to grow the footprint of the Sky and the WNBA, there is no better way to do it than to have the great stars of our WNBA galaxy gathered in Chicago for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022,” said Sky President and CEO Adam Fox. “It’s great for the city, great for the league, and it further solidifies our place in the sports fabric here in the city of Chicago.”
The Sky are no strangers to the All-Star Games, as four players made appearances last season. Candace Parker, Kahleah Copper and Courtney Vandersloot earned All-Star status, while Allie Quigley won the three-point contest. Parker also is a 2013 All-Star MVP with the Los Angeles Sparks.
WNBA
All four players are on the Sky's roster heading into the 2022 season, which is scheduled to start May 6 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
The last two All-Star Games were played in Las Vegas at the Ace's Michelob Ultra Arena.
Chicago formerly hosted the NBA All-Star Game in February 2020, one month before the league’s pandemic-induced shutdown.