The best of the WNBA’s stars have thronged McCormick Place in Chicago for the much-anticipated orange carpet event. Stars like reigning MVP A’ja Wilson were spotted during a photoshoot. Meanwhile, in another memorable moment, Paige Bueckers, Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banham, Courtney Williams, Natisha Hiedeman and others got together, and the league wasted no time sharing the clips.

“HEYYY, we’re getting the band back together 🤭,” read a post on the WNBA’s official Instagram account, posting about Banham and Co. getting back together. Even Minnesota Lynx Napheesa Collier, who just made her season debut in the Minnesota Lynx’s 88-76 win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, was also there.

Meanwhile, another post captured A’ja Wilson and a clip of her doing a photoshoot in a black dress. “She is beauty. She is grace. 🫴,” the league wrote in the caption.

Minnesota Lynx’s Courtney Williams and Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman, who are known as the Studbudz, kicked off the 72-hour WNBA All-Star Weekend live stream on Thursday, July 23, serving as the precursor to the larger WNBA Live fan festival, which will be hosted at the convention center. Superstars like Paige Bueckers, A’ja Wilson, and Angel Reese walked the runway to showcase their custom pregame tunnel styles.

Jordan Robinson and Ari Chambers hosted the 2026 All-Star Orange Carpet live stream, which was presented by Bumble.

The players were in their element as they enjoyed answering some off-beat questions. For instance, Lauren Betts was picked as the most well-dressed rookie by multiple players, while a consensus put Courtney Williams, Skylar Diggins and Alyssa Thomas as the best trash talkers in the league.

The orange carpet event will be followed by the WNBA Shooting Stars competition, which will feature a new three-generation team format this year, and the WNBA 3-Point Contest on Friday, to be held at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Rookie Olivia Miles certainly looked excited, making her first appearance at the All-Star event.

“I’m loving it. I’m having fun,” Miles said as per USA Today.

“That’s all I can really ask for. I’m healthy, I’m happy. I’m in a great situation. I have great (veterans), great coaching staff. Everything is aligned for me the way that it should be. And I’m just so grateful to be where I’m at.”

The fans are loving it as well, as the league has taken some special measures this year to celebrate this special All-Star week.

The WNBA Has Taken Special Measures To Celebrate Its 30th Anniversary All-Star Week

This is not an ordinary All-Star weekend for the W. The league is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and they have gone all in to celebrate this year’s events.

Instead of the standard captain-led teams, the league has handed the reins to two of its foundational icons, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon. They have been named honorary GMs to draft, build, and coach their respective All-Star squads, which are Team Coop and Team Spoon.

The league has introduced a new initiative where the All-Star teams compete directly for a $100,000 charitable prize pool, which will end up benefiting Chicago-based youth organizations.

Here, Team ‘Coop’ is playing to support Angels Athletics, a program that helps young girls develop confidence and skills. And Team ‘Spoon’ is playing for Girls in the Game, an organization providing leadership, sports, and health programming to Chicago schools and parks.

To honor the history of the game, the league has brought back some iconic elements by using throwback branding and vintage game balls, which will surely create some nostalgia among the fans. The three-point contest will feature special oatmeal-colored “money balls,” a direct throwback to the league’s original 1997-era orange-and-oatmeal game ball.

Then there is the league’s partnership with Nike to showcase the special 30th Anniversary ‘Court Origins’ gear, emphasizing the league’s original color palettes and retro logo.

The fans surely look forward to enjoying all this in the upcoming All-Star Game.