INDIANAPOLIS — The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game is officially in the rearview mirror with Team Collier taking home the win, downing Team Clark with an eye-popping scoreline of 151–131. While the All-Star Game wasn’t necessarily competitive on the floor, there was plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding the night.
Here are some of the sights and sounds from inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Best fashion statement: The players donned warmup shirts that read “Pay us what you owe us” in a clear nod to ongoing CBA negotiations with the league, which met with more than 40 players on Thursday. The typically carefree and party-filled weekend was punctuated by discourse around the negotiations as the WNBPA looks for larger salaries and revenue share. The sartorial choice served as quite a statement during the WNBA’s marquee event. “We wanted to do something that was united and collective and I thought that it was a very powerful moment and got the point across,” Kelsey Plum said following the game.
Players wore "pay us what you owe us" shirts during warm-ups at the WNBA All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/gGx3Rt4sIU
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 20, 2025
It’s Phee’s world: Napheesa Collier set the all-time WNBA All-Star scoring record, finishing with 36 points, breaking the record previously held by Arike Ogunbowale with 34 points in the 2024 game. The effort earned Collier, her team’s captain, All-Star MVP honors. When it came time for WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to present Collier with the award, the Gainbridge crowd erupted in cheers of “pay them.” Brittney Sykes stood behind Collier with a “pay the players” sign.
“I want people to understand that we get a very tiny percentage of all the money that’s made through the WNBA, which is obviously through our entertainment … and so we want a fair and reasonable percentage of that,” Collier said after the game.
No Caitlin: Caitlin Clark was injured, and couldn’t participate in the game, but her presence was felt on the bench as team captain, and on the hardwood. The AT&T 4-Point Shot was introduced this year, with four logos painted onto the court beyond the three-point line, surely inspired by Clark’s propensity for deep shots.
More history made: Skylar Diggins became the first player to record a triple-double during the All-Star Game, and also now holds the game’s all-time assist record, logging 11 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists.
Mascot watch: Just before the start of the game, Scorch, the Mercury’s mascot, stood up on a table reserved for the media’s workspace. The purple-haired mascot danced on the fold-out desk as it wobbled, much to the fans’ delight. One wonders if the fame of the Liberty’s Ellie the Elephant has pushed the other teams’ mascots to pull out higher-stakes stunts. When shown on the Jumbotron throughout the weekend, Ellie elicited cheers that rivaled some that players received when their names were announced.
No defense necessary: As is customary during All-Star Games, defensive assignments were lax. However, at one point in the first half, Plum—ever the competitor—locked up A’ja Wilson, hugging her as the pair ran half the length of the court intertwined, smiling at one another. While the game wasn’t particularly competitive, Plum gets credit being a dog, even during a matchup that essentially means nothing.
It's all fair in friendship and basketball 🫂@ATT | #WNBAAllStar2025 pic.twitter.com/TfxSK6LF40
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 20, 2025
Halftime show: It’s rare that WNBA players get to take in the halftime performance during games, but Team Clark and Team Collier were on the floor during Glorilla’s set at the All-Star game. Sykes and Diggins, among others, danced while Courtney Williams filmed on her phone.
Our AT&T halftime performer GloRilla had the ladies turnt 😂 pic.twitter.com/pBeSstf1K3
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 20, 2025
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as WNBA All-Star Game Takeaways: MVPhee, Broken Records and a Call for Higher Pay.
