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The WNBA Needs Its Biggest Stars on the All-Star Stage
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Mark Gray says the WNBA cannot afford for its marquee All-Star shooting event to lack the recognizable stars fans expect to see.
The WNBA has spent years fighting for the respect, resources and visibility that its players have earned. That fight has produced real momentum, greater attention and a deeper appreciation for the quality of women’s basketball. But Mark Gray sees a troubling disconnect at the center of All-Star Weekend: a signature three-point contest without enough of the league’s signature names.
On OG Sports Rap, Gray’s concern was not that the announced shooters lack ability. It was that a showcase designed to attract casual viewers and reward committed fans is missing the players with the biggest profiles. For a league still building its broadest audience, he argues, that is a self-inflicted problem.
A Signature Event Needs Signature Names
Gray acknowledged the credentials of the players selected for the three-point competition. Marina Mabrey leads the league in made threes, Rhyne Howard is near the top of that list, Janelle Salaün has been efficient from distance and Bridget Carleton ranks among the leaders in total makes. Rookie Azi Fudd also brings a measure of curiosity to the field. None of that changes Gray’s fundamental question: who in the lineup moves the national needle?
His answer is blunt. The event needs players such as Kaitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride—established All-Stars whose names immediately tell fans this is something worth watching. Gray is not dismissing the selected players’ work. He is challenging the league to understand the difference between rewarding worthy shooters and producing a must-see television moment.
Fans Are Part of the League’s Future
Gray’s argument begins with a basic business reality: fans support a league with their time, attention and money, and marquee events are part of that relationship. The All-Star experience is supposed to deliver the stars people rarely get to see gathered in one place. When the most recognizable players opt out of a centerpiece competition, the event loses some of its purpose.
That does not mean players should be denied their right to set boundaries, protect their interests or pursue better compensation. Gray has consistently supported women athletes getting the money, media access and endorsement opportunities they deserve. Yet he believes empowerment also carries responsibility. If players want the game to reach a higher commercial level, they cannot treat the fan experience as secondary.
The NBA Already Shows the Risk
Gray framed the issue through the NBA’s own erosion of the dunk contest. In earlier eras, the event became appointment viewing because elite players embraced the risk. He recalled memorable contests involving Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and other high-level leapers, moments that gave the league cultural energy beyond the All-Star Game itself.
Today, Gray sees many NBA stars avoiding that same exposure, in part because social media makes failure instantly and relentlessly visible. He believes the WNBA should not repeat that mistake with the three-point contest. Women’s basketball does not need above-the-rim theatrics to be compelling, but it does need its best shooters willing to compete in the event most naturally suited to showcase them.
Protect the Game From Distraction
Gray also expressed frustration with outside political attention directed at the WNBA, particularly congressional criticism over the physical treatment of Clark. In his view, lawmakers have more urgent responsibilities than trying to referee professional women’s basketball. That intervention, he said, reflects a condescending impulse to regulate a sport rather than respect the athletes and the league’s ability to address its own issues.
The league does have real internal matters to solve, Gray argued. He pointed to travel disruptions that can postpone games, the ongoing collective bargaining conversation and the need to create stronger operational standards. Those are the areas where investment and leadership can help women’s basketball sustain its growth instead of allowing distractions to define the conversation.
What It Means
The WNBA does not need to imitate the NBA to justify its value. Its game stands on its own, and Gray’s appreciation for its skill, competition and tournament-level intensity is clear. But a league that wants to command more attention must make its most visible weekends feel essential, and its biggest names are the surest way to do that.
The larger lesson is not that players should surrender their voice or their leverage. It is that a growing league, its stars and its fans have a shared interest in making the game’s signature moments matter. If the WNBA can pair player empowerment with dependable star-driven showcases, it will give supporters more reasons to keep showing up—and fewer reasons to look away.
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