Indianapolis is not new to hosting major sporting events, routinely hosting Final Fours and hosting the NFL Draft Combine annually. Last February it was also the site of the NBA All-Star Game. However, next summer will be the first time the city will host the WNBA All-Star Game.
The game will take place on July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with the 3-point contest and skills challenge on July 18.
“We are excited to bring AT&T WNBA All-Star to Indiana for the first time,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “The city of Indianapolis and the entire state of Indiana have such an incredible and enduring passion for the game of basketball, making the region the perfect host to celebrate the WNBA and the game’s biggest stars.”
it’s official.
AT&T WNBA All-Star 2025 is coming to Indianapolis 💫
📝 https://t.co/PKuMPP9P4j pic.twitter.com/I0Z5nCiKr6
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 15, 2024
The news comes amid a significant increase in interest in the Indiana Fever. Led by 2024 No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark and 2023 pick Aliyah Boston, Indiana leads the WNBA in attendance for both home and away games this year, with the franchise saying Wednesday that it has seen a 265 percent increase from last season.
Heading into the second half of the WNBA season, which begins Thursday, the Fever have seen a boom in other areas as well. Indiana announced that single-game sales records at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Team Store have been set four times this season, and the team store has experienced an increase of more than 1,000 percent in net sales. The Fever has added 1.3 million followers across its social media platforms since mid-April, and according to the team, the videos the team produced from April 15 to July 19 were viewed more than 800 million times, behind only Miami FC (Lionel’s club Messi) in major American sports franchises during that period.
Ten Fever broadcasts this season have also set viewership records, with the June 23 game against the Chicago Sky becoming the most-watched WNBA game in 23 years, averaging 2.3 million viewers. Even requests to perform for Indiana’s mascot, Freddy Fever, are up 150 percent.
“This is a historic moment, a turning point for women’s basketball, and there is nothing more fitting than for Indiana to be at the center of it all,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said in a statement. “Over several seasons we have built a young, talented roster that fans love to support, and this is momentum we will continue to build on in the years to come.”
Clark and the Fever got off to a slower start than many expected, losing nine of eleven games in twenty days. Since then, Indiana has rebounded, with Clark, Boston, two-time All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell and 2022 No. 2 pick NaLyssa Smith developing more chemistry. Entering the second half of the season, Clark leads the league in assists while trailing rookies in points per game. She also ranks third in 3-pointers made and seventh in total points while playing the second-most minutes of anyone in the WNBA.
The Fever, who are in seventh place at 11-15, return to the field on Friday against the Phoenix Mercury. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM ET.
Required reading
(Photo: Justin Casterline/NBAE via Getty Images)