{"id":955155,"date":"2026-07-24T01:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T01:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/955155\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T01:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T01:00:18","slug":"wnba-live-fan-fest-to-host-30000-during-all-star-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/955155\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Live fan fest to host 30,000 during All-Star weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phil Cook couldn\u2019t have imagined four years ago what WNBA Live would become in such a short period of time.<\/p>\n

In 2022 at the last WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago, the league hosted its inaugural fan event that Cook, the WNBA\u2019s chief marketing officer, said was \u201cproof of concept.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cquite shallow.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s been a greater transformation in a four-year period than WNBA Live in any form of sport,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n

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2026 WNBA All-Star weekend is back in Chicago. Here\u2019s a guide to the events around the city this week.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As WNBA All-Star weekend returns to Chicago this weekend at Wintrust Arena and the United Center, the league\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s photo on it.<\/p>\n

Big brands such as Nike and Dick\u2019s have large setups. Nike\u2019s space features two walls of WNBA greats, a DJ and shoe displays for A\u2019ja 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.<\/p>\n

The WNBA Events app tracks all of the events and appearances.<\/p>\n

Cook said the brand spaces are \u201cbespoke experiences\u201d created specifically for the WNBA. He believes the event demonstrates the growth in interest in the league in recent years \u2014 both from a fan and brand standpoint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s what we\u2019ve always asked of our partners who join us. Help us grow the game together. Don\u2019t be a passive participant in the WNBA\u2019s growth initiatives. You can see how much they\u2019re investing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 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)<\/p>\n

WNBA Live continues a week of events leading up to Friday\u2019s 3-point and shooting stars contests at Wintrust Arena and the All-Star Game on Saturday at the United Center.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, many influential people in women\u2019s basketball gathered at the WNBA All-Star Media and Innovation Summit at the Obama Presidential Center\u2019s Home Court to address topics affecting the sport.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Parker and her fellow panel members \u2014 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 \u2014 wore T-shirts that read \u201cOnly 6% of sports science research focuses on women.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a kid growing up, I would have loved to have this information,\u201d Parker told the crowd. \u201cI\u2019ve 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\u2019s body and how it is different and it needs to be studied differently than men.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Chicago\u2019s WNBA All-Star week features \u2018welcoming\u2019 Line \u2019Em Up event in South Side\u2019s Foster Park<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Panels also focused on online safety for female athletes, the ways AI is driving innovation in women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The biggest \u2014 WNBA Live at McCormick Place \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

League officials are hoping many more will come through the fest as the weekend rolls on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so exciting because the talent was always here for our league, but there are more eyeballs and more fans,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd we want to cultivate that fandom and create lasting memorable experiences for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

WNBA All-Star weekend<\/p>\n

Friday<\/strong><\/p>\n