The 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend is finally here, and Friday night is packed with action. Before the main All-Star Game takes place on Saturday, the league is holding two major events: the 3-Point Contest and the brand-new Shooting Stars competition. Thanks to a new pay deal signed by the players and the league, the athletes are playing for much bigger prize checks this year. Here is a full look at how much money the players can win, how the games work, and how you can watch everything live from home.

How Much Prize Money Do the Winners of the WNBA 3-Point Contest and Shooting Stars Receive?

Winning during All-Star Friday night comes with a big cash reward. Under the league’s new rules, players who win these Friday night contests actually make more money than players who just play in the main All-Star Game.

For the 3-Point Contest, the single winner takes home a 20,000-dollar cash bonus. Every other player who takes part in the contest still gets 10,000 dollars just for showing up. For the Shooting Stars event, each member of the winning team gets a 15,000-dollar payout, while the players on the losing teams get 7,500 dollars each. To show how big these checks are, players in Saturday’s main All-Star Game get 15,000 dollars. That means winning the 3-Point Contest pays the biggest individual cash reward of the whole weekend, except for the All-Star Game MVP trophy, which also pays 20,000 dollars.

What Is the Format of the WNBA 3-Point Contest and Shooting Stars Competition?

The 3-Point Contest is a two-round event featuring six great shooters: Bridget Carleton, Azzi Fudd, Natisha Hiedeman, Rhyne Howard, Marina Mabrey, and Janelle Salaün. All six players shoot in the first round, and the two players with the highest scores move on to the final round. Players shoot from five different racks set up around the three-point line. Four of these racks have four normal balls worth one point each, plus one special money ball worth two points. The fifth rack is filled completely with money balls worth two points each, and each shooter gets to pick where that rack goes on the floor.

Shooters also get two extra deep shots from way behind the three-point line. These deep shots sit on stands and are worth three points each. The whole contest is timed, so players have to shoot very quickly before their time runs out. If players end up tied for the final spot or for the trophy, they play a short extra round to pick the winner.

The Shooting Stars contest is a new event that replaced the old Skills Challenge. It brings together three different generations of female basketball players on one court. There are four teams in the contest, and each team has three players: one current WNBA player, one retired WNBA legend like Elena Delle Donne, Lauren Jackson, Deanna Nolan, or Rebekkah Brunson, and one high school star from the Nike EYBL circuit.

During the game, each team has to make shots from seven different spots on the court, starting with a simple layup and going all the way out to a deep three-pointer. Teams get 70 seconds to finish all seven shots. Points are added as teams hit shots from further away. The two teams with the top scores in the first round move on to the finals. The team that hits all seven shots in the fastest time or scores the most points in the final round wins the trophy.

How Can Fans Watch the WNBA 3-Point Contest and Shooting Stars Live?

Fans can watch all the Friday night games live on July 24, 2026. The action starts at 8:00 PM Eastern Time, which is 7:00 PM Central Time and 5:00 PM Pacific Time. The event takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, where the Chicago Sky play their home games.

If you are watching on TV, the event will air live on ESPN. If you want to stream the competition online, you can watch it live on the ESPN app, ESPN.com, Disney+, or Fubo.