WNBA: 2023 All-Star Weekend Recap
LAS VEGAS — It was an exciting sold-out All-Star Weekend, Griner dunks, Team Stewie wins WNBA All-Star Game, and Jewell Loyd earned the MVP title. The sold-out crowd at the Michelob Ultra Arena had the stars come out, which included Dwyane Wade, Anthony Davis, Sue Bird and Sheryl Swoopes, Saturday's WNBA All-Star Game in prime time was a hit.
Photo Credit: WNBA
Team Stewart beat Team Wilson 143-127 in the home of the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. Jewell Loyd scored 31 points and won the new and improved All-Star Game MVP trophy after a stellar performance. Brittney Griner dunked twice and had a spectacular night. The Phoenix Mercury star was all smiles all weekend, and she reminded everyone she is certainly back. Griner mentioned she was honored that team captain New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart had chosen her first, and wanted to be sure she contributed to the victory. And she did exactly that as Griner finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. But it was certainly the dunks for me that stole the show. Griner is known for her explosiveness on the court and she quickly reminded us this weekend. Ace’s superstar A’ja Wilson knew what to expect heading into this All-Star game.
Photo Credit: WNBA
"The biggest thing is watch your head so you don't get dunked on," Wilson said of facing Griner. "That was the defensive assignment. Anytime you see BG in the paint, I think you should just move out of the way."
Move out of the way is right, but Griner wasn’t the only star this weekend. A standout performance during the All-Star Weekend included the one and only New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu. Ionescu makes history as she scored record 37 points to win WNBA 3-point contest. 37 points is insane. Ionescu's 37 out of a possible 40 points surpass the single-round record of 31 in the NBA (done by Stephen Curry in 2021 and Tyrese Haliburton in 2023) and 30 in the WNBA (Allie Quigley in 2022). The Golden State star Curry was impressed as he went to Twitter to express his respect for Ionescu's torrid shooting display, writing, "RIDICULOUS!"
Photo Credit: WNBA
It’s Sabrina Ionescu’s world — we’re just living in it.
