As the All-Star events rolled into town, Indianapolis decked up in a way people are going to have a hard time forgetting. Player posters draped the corners of the city, dozens of events livened up the streets, makeshift courts had people hooping endlessly, and basketball stars from both WNBA and NBA descended upon the city, making the event a spectacle. Though for some, there was also a downside.

For Caitlin Clark’s former Iowa Hawkeyes teammates, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, and Jada Gyamfi, it was supposed to be a well-needed reunion, a re-energizer of sorts, if you may. And for the most part, it was. Taking to Instagram a few hours ago, Marshall shared a carousel of photos—the first one rightly showing the trio posing for the camera lovingly alongside Clark. “Indy, you did not disappoint 🤩😍,” the caption read—the aftermath of which Marshall is surely feeling a bit too much.

On July 19, Marshall took to her Instagram Stories with a very vital (and personal) update: A screenshot of Whoop, a health app that “turns comprehensive health insights into daily action” showed that the 24-year-old’s HRV (Heart Rate Variability, or the measure of the variation in time between heartbeats) was lower than it should be. “Your HRV is 65% lower than usual,” read a message, while mentioning how it might have been due to “stress, dehydration or other lifestyle factors”. But exactly happened? Well, hear it from the Hawkeyes star.

Gabbie summed it up in just four words: “Indiana did me dirty.” Meaning? Marshall was seemingly functioning on just 33% sleep, 6% recovery and 4.4 strain. The basketball star’s sleep tracker showed that she had gone to bed at 4:26 am, and woken up 11:37 am. Well, looks like the night ran a bit too long, as the players did not hold back this All-Star weekend. And the Studbudz ensured we knew of that.

Right from the party, where we saw Cathy Engelbert dancing to Crime Mob’s “Knuck If You Buck” to the zero defense game on Saturday, the athletes would account it as a wild summer break. Moreover, the city, the Gainbridge Fieldhouse offered the players what every athlete dreams of.

In Kelsey Plum’s words: “It was an incredible weekend. This is my fourth time, and I thought by far it was the most packed, not just from the game standpoint, but 3-point contest, skills contest. The Orange Carpet was live. Every event that I saw that a player was doing was absolutely packed.” 

So the players danced, took a sip, let loose on the hardwood, and had the time of the season. But they ensured not to get lost in all the fun.

WNBA All-Star Weekend: Much Bigger Than Just Basketball

The WNBA All-Star weekends have always been about celebrating the best talent around the league. However, this time around, it was much more than the celebrations and the excitement. 

As the players walked out for their warmups, there was a strong message sent to the league — “Pay Us What You Owe Us.”

The CBA issue began when the WNBA players opted out of the current CBA deal last year. While both parties, the league and the players, have been in negotiations for a long time, no deal seems near. There was, however, hope for productive talks during the 2025 WNBA All-Star. But clearly, that did not transpire. Breanna Stewart described the nature of talks as a “wasted opportunity”. 

With numerous rounds of failed negotiations, the pressure is immense on Cathy Engelbert to find a solution and find a solution quickly. The last thing this booming league needs right now is a stoppage.