WNBA All-Star Weekend Delivers Drama and Star Power in Chicago

So much fun at WNBA Allstar Weekend here and there was so much to see. We had a whole lot of fun. It started in a gorgeous setting. No better place than Chicago and taking a boat ride. But it's also about the fashion. Oh my gosh. Top tier. Stunning. And I love uh Slash told us that she wanted to mix it up. And then look at our guy. The next morning at practice, former President Barack Obama, he surprised the all stars. A visit, Madame President and Mr. President catching up. And then of course the Stub Buds live stream of Allstar weekend. Yes. Every moment, the wonderful, the messy, the recovery, the recharge was all documented. And then we got to the action on the court, which started

on Friday night where we saw a Bud become the first ever rookie Monica to win the three-point contest. She only missed like two shots. I got to shout out Jana cuz she called this one. Thank you. You did, sister. You got it right. And this stroke just looked so automatic. Pure. literally replicated it time and time again to get that great number. So, the People's Princess adds another crown to her achievement list already. And this moment was so beautiful, celebrating the legends. Legends celebrating legends. And then we got to

the All-Star game. Caitlyn Clark pulling from deep early here. Shanette. No surprise there. That shot right there is her layup. And that's what I love. The first time they're playing against each other, her teammate. And of course, WE GOT SOME COOL HIGHLIGHTS from everyone. I mean, the ball was being shared and Marina had herself a first quarter. For a while, we thought the Marina Mabry might be the all-star game MVP, but this may have been the highlight of the night. Throw. That was a softball throw right there.

Oh, that was It was nice. Nice little spin to hype woman like Angel Reese. She was so hype. I love that. And then right here, we saw a little bit of history from none other than Neca Agum. Yeah, Neca Big Sis passed Maya Moore for most points in an allar game. All I saw every day she wakes up, she makes some kind of history. She said, "I'm very well seasoned at this point." Yeah, NECA history of gum. But it was Jquel Jones that ended up putting on the MVP performance of the night here, Monica. Yeah, and JJ is sort of under with her Liberty squad, but as the All-Star game, rightfully so, hoisting the hardware post game and shared a great message when she won this.

So, it was Team Spoon that took home the win and was able to make a donation for the charity of their choice. And then the other team was able to make a smaller donation as But Monica, now that you've had a little bit of time to process, maybe not sleep, but process what we were able to see and experience at WNBA All-Star weekend. What stood out to you the most? Man, if I'm honest, Malikica, we were setting up for the show today and I'm like, "Oh, wait. We also have a game on Tuesday. We got to do something about the length of the break." But that aside, I just think for me it was the

culmination of the past, the present, and the future. I love the addition of the high school players that participated in the Shooting Stars challenges on Friday night. And of course, just the energy around celebrating year 30. I mean, Cynthia Cooper and Theresa Weatherspoon joined us on the desk and just to hear them say how appreciative they are to be celebrated as foundation layers in this league. It was also beautiful. When I think of the WNBA, I think of a song and I'm sorry cuz we're coming off a wall allar and my voice is crazy, but you're always with the song. I'm every woman, right?

You're not going to go for the it's all in me. Absolutely. Oh, hey sis. The beauty of Allstar weekend is you get to see every woman on, you know, display, their personality, their character, their love for the game, the joy, and then it also gets translated onto the court because you see people that are teammates that are going up against each other. Dominique Malanga's dunk to me did it because this was in the same uh vicinity of Lisa Lesley as he's, you know, just passing of the baton. It's full circle to me. That's just beautiful. And yes, we're talking so much this weekend, Jesse, but just we were sitting on the court in the United Center, which has a capacity of 20,000 people and it was full. And I've covered

a lot of All-Star games in my career, and I had never seen an energy and an excitement and a support quite like that. You've covered so many as well. What do you think makes this WNBA All-Star different? And what does it say about this moment that we're at in women's sports? I would say the fun, honestly. Like, you're watching it and you feel like you're a part of this party. And honestly, I've been a part of so many all-star games that it feels like work a little bit. Like you get the feeling

like these dudes just want a break and they're showing up and they're having some fun. You see some personality, which is so important. But I'm telling you, and this is from afar. I didn't get to be in the party, but I felt like I was. And honestly, every player looked like this is where they want to be. That is the place that you want to be invited to. And I'll tell you what, most All-Star games do not have this vibe. It is short-lived. And it was not just talent on display, but it was the personalities that you always get to see. The personalities dancing joining us on set trying to make us push my 9:00 bedtime to 9:45. And that's what was so much fun about all of this is getting to see all of these women being able to let

their hair down a little bit and take a little bit of a break. And well, the season is flying. Allstar weekend has come and gone. And the second half of the WNBA season is quickly approaching. We're talking Tuesday. So games are really right around the corner. Chenet Monica, it's time to take a little stock, a little inventory. And a great way to do that, maybe a lens to do it through, is to look through the lens of the best to ever do it, Asia Wilson. Because her trophy case, it is getting crowded, especially after she cleaned up in the awards last year where she took home a record fourth MVP trophy last season. She was named co-defensive player of the year. And then she took home that third trophy, the big one, and then the finals MVP award as

well after leading the Aces to a third championship. Booja. So stacked. It's getting full. Monica, let's start right at the top. Right. If somebody is going to stop Asia Wilson from winning defensive player of the year again, who would it be? All right. I have a candidate out in Golden State and that would be one G Oh, I know. That's right. We got questions. Gabby Williams. Let me explain why. She's one of the most versatile defenders in the league and when she is the primary defender, she's holding folks to the league lowest in terms of percentage. Here she gets into position versus the aforementioned and taller

Asia Wilson. Does a great job of bodying her up and then you complete a defensive possession by what? Making sure that the rebound ends up with your team. Okay. So then she's off to the races, showing the versatility of her game. Taking opportunity to be poised here, able to line up, get ready to knock down this three ball. the Golden State Valkyries. They were an upstart team, if you will, as one of the best expansion teams in terms of showing you how to do it last year. This year, they pick it up, and their defense as a collective is the best in the league. Here, Gabby Williams tracking the ball, y'all. She was over here, now she's over here. She goes to the basketball to the player

as well, and is able to come up with the steal, pushes ahead, great assist. This is how Golden State likes to play, which is why I think they are a legitimate threat to be a contender this year. And of course, Gabby Williams should be on your radar for defensive player of the year. Yeah, we were talking about whether or not the Golden State Valkyries were a mirage, but after what we saw last year, setting the blueprint really for what we should be seeing from an expansion team, they have proven that they are a force to be reckoned with. But that's not the only trophy of course that Asia Wilson has in her case. So, if we are going to see a different MVP this year, Chenet, who might be a challenger to Asia?

Okay, she's not just a human highlight reel. She also is turning the tides of their franchise. Paige Buckets. Paige Becker is currently number two in the odds and this is what she does. You know the song closing time, right? That's it here because she's able to knock it down. I'm always going to sing. She's a certified closer. If you look at the time and score, it's under a minute or so and they needed the bucket. She hit the three, but this is her money shot right here. Many defenders for Seattle are guarding her. Nice little give and go cuz they want her to have the rock again. Nine, eight, SEVEN. DOES NOT MATTER THAT this young, talented front court is in front of her. turn around

mid-range behind the basket, you know, type of or behind the back type of shot. The pureette is beautiful by Paige. But these numbers, these are crazyers. Okay, first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter, you can even add OT, her percentages go up, not just in points per quarter, but how she shoots the ball. 48, 50, 46, and then 61%. When you need a bucket and the big bucket to win, she has been the determining factor. I think their surge from tied for worse to now fourth in the WBA has largely been because the universe revolves in Dallas around Paige Bucket. Yeah, she gets better as the game goes on. They call her Paige Buckets for a reason. But Monty, you guys are hoopers. There's only one

trophy that ultimately everybody cares about and that is the big one. And so if there is going to be a challenger to the Aces to win the title this year, who squad are you looking at? All right, so we've had this conversation and I got to get Jana. She called it out. He's been going a lot lately. the Minnesota Links and similar to what Dallas has done, they've got a point guard that you have to reckon with. But you got to talk about the links, not just because of this point guard, but also with an MVP candidate returning to the fold in Collier. But we got tape on Olivia Miles that we're going to go to because she's only coming to the league

as a wrecking ball in her rookie season. Rookie of the year. Lock that up. We don't even have need to have a conversation about that. Here she is coming off of a screen here. But y'all, this is nasty, right? Left hand. So much momentum. Shoulder. J is a good defender, baby. And she sent my girl Millie. Do you see this moving girl through here? Can get through here. Anyway, but when she does this, she begins to set up the five or so assists, almost six assists that she's averaging the league because you have to play her and respect that three-point ball. Even though it's not necessarily her bread and butter, you have to respect it.

Defense bites. She's in the lane drawing defenders and the eyes, whether it's the ones in front of her eyes, the spectacles. Let me clear it up. whether they're in front of her face or in that front or whether she's creating one because this is a spectacle. This is something to be seen what we're do what we're seeing here from Olivia mouth. Monica any breakdown that combines hoops and horses that is that is the breakdown for me. We're going to