Caitlin Clark isn't in it.According to ESPN, the league invited Clark to its shooting contest, but she declined.Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride also declined invitations to participate.Caitlin Clark of Team WNBA reacts against the USA Basketball Women's National Team during the second half of the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game at Footprint Center on July 20, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz.
(Getty Images)It's impossible to overstate how big of a blow this deals to the WNBA and its broadcast partner, ESPN.CAITLIN CLARK KEEPS DELIVERING RECORD WNBA VIEWERSHIP AS FEVER TOP 1 MILLION VIEWERS YET AGAINThe league built its All-Star Weekend shooting event around Clark by adding "From the Logo" shots to the contest.Not only is Clark the most notable WNBA player (really the only notable player) to shoot logo threes, but State Farm built an entire marketing campaign around her long-distance triples.So, yeah, it's hard to view the league's "From the Logo" shot as anything but a nod to its most popular superstar.And as bad as it is for the WNBA, it's probably worse for ESPN.
With Clark competing, ESPN could almost guarantee that it would draw at least a million viewers.But it gets a little worse.Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, sidelined with an injury, reacts after the Fever made a 3-point shot during a game against the Connecticut Sun on May 30, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)The league also didn't include Clark’s Indiana Fever teammates Kelsey Mitchell or Sophie Cunningham.
It's unclear whether either were offered and declined or simply wasn't asked, but it doesn't matter at this point.Mitchell finished third among guards in the fan portion of WNBA All-Star voting and ninth overall with 665,377 votes.She’s also shooting 42% from three this season.WNBA ALL-STAR CHARITY INITIATIVE SUPPORTS SPORTS GROUP THAT SAYS IT IS ‘MOVING BEYOND THE BINARY OF GIRL’Cunningham finished 15th overall in fan voting with 386,451 votes, and s...