WNBA All-Star 2024: Friday night preview and predictions

An eclectic group of participants will vie for the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge and WNBA STARRY 3-Point Contest trophies at WNBA All-Star 2024 on Friday, July 19 in Phoenix.

The five players who will show off their dribbling, passing and shooting abilities will be:

• Sophie Cunningham (Phoenix Mercury)
• Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream)
• Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)
• Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Sun)
• Erica Wheeler (Indiana Fever)

A new 3-point queen will be crowned among five contenders:

• Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics)
• Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream)
• Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty)
• Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Sun)
• Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx)

While Gray and Mabrey will attempt to complete the Skills-3-Point double, Cunningham and Griner will undoubtedly will enjoy the support of the Footprint Center crowd during the Skills Challenge. Although Dolson currently leads the league in 3-point percentage (48.5 percent), McBride likely enters as the favorite, as she has made the most 3-pointers thus far this season (76). On Thursday, WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike announced that Aflac will present a $55,000 bonus to the winners of both contests, providing an extra dose of motivation for all participants.

Here are Swish Appeal’s predictions for who will prevail on Friday night:

Who will win the 2024 WNBA Skills Challenge?

Cat Ariail: Although the Kia Skills Challenge trophy likely was not the hardware the Connecticut Sun prioritized when swinging a trade for Marina Mabrey earlier this week, the contest will allow Mabrey to show off the skills that she will bring to the Sun and their chase for the franchise’s first championship. Mabrey’s competitive fire, which will fit right in with Connecticut’s core, also should serve her well in a challenge where, more often than not, the participant who competes with intensity and aggressiveness comes out on top.

Edwin Garcia: For the Kia Skills Challenge, I think you need a versatile guard with the speed to get through the course the fastest. Based on that assumption, I’m going with Gray. She has the speed, shouldn’t have trouble making the shots and will quickly get through the course. Mabrey and Griner will also be good candidates to win with Mabrey being an elite guard and Griner having the home crowd behind her, but give me Gray and I like my chances.

Eric Nemchock: I’m with Edwin on this one. Gray has been one of the WNBA’s more underrated players for a while now, but her game doesn’t really have any weaknesses, and I think that makes her a good candidate to win the Skills Challenge. She’s about as steady as they come with her all-around contributions and definitely isn’t lacking as a shooter or driver. It’s a timed contest, but Gray is plenty athletic enough, and she’s also a player who rarely makes mistakes and is consistently levelheaded on the court, so I think that will be of benefit to her here.

Who will win the 2024 WNBA 3-Point Contest?

CA: In 2021, Jonquel Jones advanced to the final round of the 3-Point Contest, nearly besting three-time champion Allie Quigley. Jones made 27 3s in the preliminary round and 24 in the final. While totals don’t quite approach the insane numbers posted by Quigley during her reign or Sabrina Ionescu last year, they’re more than good enough to suggest she can take the title in 2024. That Jones shoots the 3-ball with effortless ease, wasting little extra energy, inspires further confidence in the ability of the 6-foot-6 former MVP to become to the first big to win the contest.

EN: Kayla McBride is having a phenomenal year shooting the ball. Not only does she lead the WNBA in 3-pointers made with 74, but she’s the only player in the league with at least 150 3-point attempts to be shooting at least 40 percent on them—42.7 percent, to be exact. Mechanically, McBride has the kind of quick release on her jumpshot (somewhat reminiscent of Quigley’s) that lends itself to success in this type of competition, and given how good she’s been in actual games this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if she kept it rolling and won her first-ever 3-Point Contest.

EG: I’ve learned a long time ago not to underestimate Stefanie Dolson. She’s currently shooting almost 50 percent on 3-point shots and is doing so on 4.2 attempts per game. I’m concerned that the time constraints will make it difficult for her to quickly go through all the balls while staying in her rhythm, but I won’t be late for the Dolson train. You can book it: she will be the new 3-point champion of the WNBA.