Phil Cook couldn’t have imagined four years ago what WNBA Live would become in such a short period of time.
In 2022 at the last WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago, the league hosted its inaugural fan event that Cook, the WNBA’s chief marketing officer, said was “proof of concept.”
In a parking lot near Wintrust Arena surrounded by a chain-link fence, six WNBA partners helped put on a fan experience that Cook said was “quite shallow.” There was a basketball shooting game, a retail store and some viewing opportunities. About 6,000 people attended the event, according to WNBA partnership director Erica Smith.
“I don’t think there’s been a greater transformation in a four-year period than WNBA Live in any form of sport,” Cook said.
As WNBA All-Star weekend returns to Chicago this weekend at Wintrust Arena and the United Center, the league’s fan fest has grown to a sprawling three-day event at McCormick Place. Standing in front of a full-size basketball court that will be the site of youth clinics throughout the weekend, Smith said the WNBA expects 30,000 fans to attend the fest that features 34 brands.
The fest includes a number of basketball games, including a 3-point competition, a Pop-A-Shot section and a Google Pixel court that involves a basket that moves up and down and an eventual cereal box with the user’s photo on it.
Big brands such as Nike and Dick’s have large setups. Nike’s space features two walls of WNBA greats, a DJ and shoe displays for A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark. Other brands, from Coach to Playa Society, sell merchandise. ESPN offers a SportsCenter experience. High-profile players, including Wilson, Clark, Paige Bueckers and Olivia Miles, will make appearances.
The WNBA Events app tracks all of the events and appearances.
Cook said the brand spaces are “bespoke experiences” created specifically for the WNBA. He believes the event demonstrates the growth in interest in the league in recent years — both from a fan and brand standpoint.
“We all want to serve the fans, and I think the partners who are investing in this event and the partners who are investing in the entire WNBA experience over the weekend are growing the game with us,” he said. “It’s what we’ve always asked of our partners who join us. Help us grow the game together. Don’t be a passive participant in the WNBA’s growth initiatives. You can see how much they’re investing.”
The WNBA championship trophy is on display at the league’s fan event at McCormick Place on Thursday, July 23, 2026, ahead of the All-Star Game Sunday at the United Center. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
WNBA Live continues a week of events leading up to Friday’s 3-point and shooting stars contests at Wintrust Arena and the All-Star Game on Saturday at the United Center.
Earlier in the day, many influential people in women’s basketball gathered at the WNBA All-Star Media and Innovation Summit at the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court to address topics affecting the sport.
Among the speakers, 2026 Hall of Famer inductee Candace Parker joined a panel with experts talking about how women are underrepresented in sports science research.
Parker and her fellow panel members — media personality Sarah Spain, Gatorade Sports Science Institute manager Dr. Kimberly Stein, Chicago Sky director of health and human performance Dr. Jessica Cohen and PepsiCo vice president of sports and entertainment Carolyn Braff — wore T-shirts that read “Only 6% of sports science research focuses on women.”
“As a kid growing up, I would have loved to have this information,” Parker told the crowd. “I’ve had 10 knee surgeries, two foot surgeries, shoulder. I think some of those probably would have been prevented had there been more information out there regarding a woman’s body and how it is different and it needs to be studied differently than men.”
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Panels also focused on online safety for female athletes, the ways AI is driving innovation in women’s sports and a wave of athlete sports team owners. Hall of Famers Sheryl Swoopes and Dawn Staley also were among those in the lineup that included league personnel, athletes, executives from a wide range of companies and media members.
The Obama Center also will host media day for the All-Stars on Friday, while various events around Chicago will be held to engage fans.
The biggest — WNBA Live at McCormick Place — had fans lined up ahead of its official opening at 5 p.m. Thursday as the WNBA also hosted its orange-carpet event in the middle of the fest.
League officials are hoping many more will come through the fest as the weekend rolls on.
“It’s so exciting because the talent was always here for our league, but there are more eyeballs and more fans,” Smith said. “And we want to cultivate that fandom and create lasting memorable experiences for them.”
WNBA All-Star weekend
Friday
- WNBA Live, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., McCormick Place
- Media day and practice, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Obama Presidential Center
- 3-Point Contest and Shooting Stars, 7 p.m., Wintrust Arena, ESPN
Saturday
- WNBA Live, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., McCormick Place
- All-Star Game, 7:30 p.m., United Center, ABC-7