The 2022 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game was a commemoration of the past and a celebration of the present.
Team Wilson came away with a 134-112 victory over Team Stewart but the lopsided final score was hardly the story. The game honored the final All-Star appearances of WNBA legends Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird while showcasing the league’s brightest stars.
One of the highlights of the game was Fowles’ one-handed throwdown late in the second quarter. The Minnesota Lynx center stole the ball and broke away for the jam, much to the delight of the crowd as well as players from both teams.
“I think I just heard my teammates and the crowd. And I was like okay, just go for it,” said Fowles who was named to her eighth All-Star Game.
🔨 SYLVIA FOWLES 🔨
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 10, 2022
The steal and the SLAM in her final #WNBAAllStar Game! pic.twitter.com/U5xfickXsN
“I can’t even say it. I was like holy —! That was crazy,” said Team Wilson teammate Kelsey Plum. “She got up and dunked it. And she pinned it on the backboard on the next play.”
Plum had a number of All-Star game moments too as she earned MVP honors. She scored 30 points, tying Maya Moore for most points scored in an All-Star Game. Last year’s Sixth Player of the Year is having a career season and she’s showing no signs of slowing down. Her comeback trail after suffering a devastating Achilles injury in 2020 just keeps getting better.
"I’m just grateful to be here. I’ve just been on a journey individually,” said Plum. “Just grateful to God, my family is here to support me, my amazing team. We get to honor Syl and Sue on their way out. Just been a great weekend.”
Kelsey Plum scores an All-Star Game record 30 PTS and is your 2022 @ATT #WNBAAllStar Game MVP! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/a81vWOXCQm
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 10, 2022
Along with Fowles, Bird was also celebrated in her last game as an All-Star. The two greats checked out late in the contest as the crowd gave a standing ovation.
“It’s been amazing,” said Bird who was named to her 13th All-Star Game, the most by any player in the league. “Both teams, it’s so much fun to be around these players. It’s really cool knowing that for Syl and I, yes we’re going out, but we’re obviously leaving the game with some amazing hands.”
Certainly, as the two standard-bearers are on their swan song this season, the W will not be short on star power. Reigning league MVP Jonquel Jones scored 29 points and Bird’s Seattle teammate Jewell Loyd notched 21. First-time All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu and Rhyne Howard had 19 and 13 points, respectively.
“It was like a show watching Arike (Ogunbowale) and Jewell late in the game,” Bird said. “Obviously, Kelsey getting MVP, we all knew that was going to happen. KP came out and did her thing. Sabrina hit those late 3s. We were trying to make a run and she hit those 3s. But seriously you can go down the list. Rhyne Howard, a first-time All-Star. It was amazing.”
For this season’s All-Star Game, the league added a few wrinkles to spice up the competition. There were four four-point spots on the court (two on each side of the court), to test the shooting range of the players. The shot clock was also reduced to 20 seconds from the original 24 to speed up the game.
There were also no free throw attempts awarded for shooting fouls except for the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. That meant when a player was fouled while taking a shot, two points were automatically awarded.
The All-Star Game was also a way to keep Brittney Griner at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Griner, who is still detained in Russia, was named as an honorary All-Star prior to the game. In the second half, all players came out sporting Griner’s No. 42 jersey. Griner’s wife, Cherelle, sat courtside along with a few family members.
#WeAreBG 🧡#WNBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/fiyI2Cc622
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 10, 2022
The 2022 WNBA All-Star game will best be remembered for the final appearances of Fowles and Bird as the league forges ahead with its new and young stars. It was also a way for the WNBA to come together, as they’ve done so many times before, for a common goal of bringing their fellow player Griner home.
