Indianapolis, IN
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A year after hosting the NBA All-Star game, Indianapolis will host the 2025 WNBA All-Star game, according to an ESPN report.
The Indiana Fever, anchored by back-to-back No. 1 overall picks Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, are the biggest draw in the WNBA, selling out arenas and shattering TV viewership records.
In the 25-year history of the WNBA All-Star game, Indianapolis is one of four cities with a WNBA franchise that has never hosted All-Star weekend, joining Atlanta, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
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ESPN says an official announcement is expected later this week. A Fever spokesman declined to confirm the report, but telling IndyStar, “Indianapolis has a great history of hosting events.”
“Obviously, Indiana is known as a big basketball state, and Hoosier state, so I think having the All-Star Game here for the NBA is awesome,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said back in February. “I’ve been experiencing Indiana, and other than the snow yesterday, it’s amazing. The city, from when you land at the airport, the branding when you drive here from the airport, when you arrive at your hotel, the branding I think has been impeccable. Certainly, in my four years at the league, it’s amazing.”
The Fever had three All-Stars this season (Clark, Boston and Kelsey Mitchell) and sit in seventh place in the WNBA standings, hoping to snap a 7-year playoff drought.
At the mid-season break, the Fever were the league’s most-viewed team with 10 broadcasts that broke viewership records. The Fever saw a 264.6% increase in ticket sales (year over year). Indiana is the top WNBA team in total home and away attendance.
The WNBA All-Star game is yet another major sporting event for the city’s downtown, following the NBA All-Star game and U.S. Olympic swim trials. Add it to the Big Ten Championship game staying through 2028, Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments returning and future men’s (2026) and women’s (2028) Final Fours.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game generated $290 million in economic revenue and $112 million in media exposure for Indianapolis and Central Indiana, according to a report released by Pacers Sports & Entertainment.