The WNBA goes on a month-long hiatus for the Summer Olympics, but not before they celebrate their All-Stars this weekend in Phoenix. On Friday night, there will be a skills competition and three-point contest, followed by the game on Saturday, which will have the women of Team USA facing the WNBA All-Stars.
Team USA is favored by 5.5 points, and is paying -240 on the moneyline. They are the best collection of women basketball players anywhere in the world, and are -1800 to win the gold medal in Paris.
Team USA hasn’t lost a single Olympic game in the last seven Olympics, and overall in the Olympic competition, Team USA is 72-3.
The WNBA All-Stars did beat the Olympic team in 2021, the first time the league featured this matchup on All-Star weekend, so the Olympians still need to be at their best.
Three-Point Contest Odds
Much to the disappointment of the fans and the league, Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu will not participate in the three-point shooting contest. Clark is third in the WNBA in made three-pointers, and Ionescu, who faced off against Step Curry at the NBA All-Star weekend, is second in the league in threes.
That leaves Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride at +100 as the favorite to win the competition, ahead of the recently traded Marina Mabrey (+380), Washington Mystics center Stefanie Dolson (+430), Liberty center and 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones (+500), and Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (+1200).
McBride leads the WNBA with 76 made three-pointers, and Dolson is second in the league in three-point shooting percentage (.485).
Skills Challenge Odds
The WNBA’s skill challenge will have five players competing in dribbling, passing, and shooting from a variety of places on the floor.
Fever guard Erica Wheeler, the All-Star Game MVP in 2019, is the favorite at +300. Mabrey is the second betting favorite shooting threes, and she is tied for the second betting favorite in the skills competition, paying +330. Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunnigham is also paying +330.
Gray is the longshot when shooting threes, but she’s +360 in the skills competition. And rounding out the field is Mercury center and 10-time All-Star Brittney Griner, paying +380.
Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese
One of the most interesting storylines for the weekend is the teaming up of the two top rookies in the league, Clark and Angel Reese. Clark just set the single-game record for most assists, and she is the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year, now paying -2000. Reese has also had a record-setting rookie season with the Chicago Sky (most consecutive double-doubles), and she is paying +700 to win Rookie of the Year.
Two-time league MVP with the Las Vegas Aces and member of Team USA, A’ja Wilson, is the favorite to be named the All-Star Game MVP. Her odds are +475. Ionescu, also on Team USA, is next at +700, and Clark is behind her at +1000. A bet on Reese will pay +2800.
Reese said of teaming up with her college and professional rival, “It’s gonna be really cool. I know so many fans are gonna come out to watch both of us. We’re gonna be playing together for a while. We’ll be All-Stars again. I know, hopefully, in 2028, we’ll be Olympians together.”
The WNBA All-Star team faces Team USA on Saturday at 8:30pm ET. The three-point contest and skills challenge are Friday at 9 p.m. ET.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
