WNBA All Star Basketball

Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings became the first rookie to win the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest, scoring 30 points in the championship round. The No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft hit her first six shots in the finals to get into rhythm. She edged Bridget Carleton, from the expansion Portland Fire, who had 29 points in the opening round. Carleton got off to a slow start in the finals and couldn’t recover, finishing with 19 points. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and high schooler Jezelle Banks led team Washington to the Shooting Stars championship to tipoff the Friday night festivities. The trio scored 31 points to edge Seattle’s three in the finals, with Banks hitting two of the 4-point shots from just inside halfcourt to put the team over the top.

The WNBA has never been bigger. More people are watching. More are investing. Salaries for many players are higher than ever. With the attention, scrutiny of some of the league's biggest challenges has intensified: race, gender and sexuality. Mounting turmoil and discord has accompanied this transformative period for the WNBA that has featured a landmark collective bargaining agreement, league expansion and skyrocketing player recognition. It seems to have reached a new flashpoint as the league approached the halfway point of its 30th season. Race-driven conversations resurfaced after an incident between Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, while players have voiced frustrations with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and leadership.