Caitlin Clark, of Team WNBA, dribbles the ball against Kelsey Plum, right, of Team USA, during the second half of a WNBA All-Star basketball game July 20, in Phoenix. Team WNBA won 117-109. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
By Mickey Shuey
Indiana Business Journal
Indianapolis has been tabbed to host the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend, according to news reports.
The selection, which could be formally announced as soon as Thursday, marks the first time the city has been chosen to host the event. The selection has been reported by ESPN citing anonymous sources. The game is expected to be hosted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and feature multiple days of events, including a skills competition and three-point contest.
Indianapolis hosted the NBA All-Star game in February, which would make the WNBA pick for next year’s event only the third time since the league’s founding in 1999 that a city has been named as host of both mid-season events in back-to-back years.
The Indiana Fever have been in the spotlight all season, after drafting Caitlin Clark No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft in April. The move has sparked immense interest in the franchise during the first half of the season, including numerous sellouts at home and on the road.
At least 38 of the team’s games this season will be televised, with 10 of those broadcasts during the first half of the season having already set WNBA viewership records.
Clark also has set records in her rookie season, with 19 assists in a single game and becoming the first rookie to notch a triple double (double-digit statistics in three categories). Clark also holds the record for the most turnovers in a single season.
The projected economic impact of the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend is not immediately clear.
Indianapolis being named host for next year comes on the heels of the July’s All-Star game between the Team USA and a roster of WNBA players including three Indiana Fever players in Caitlin Clark, Aaliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, which became the most watched WNBA All-Star game in history, drawing 3.44 million viewers. The previous record was 1.44 million viewers in 2003.
