All Star Weekend

At a glance
What: NBA All-Star Game 2010
Who: NBA and WNBA
Where: Dallas, Texas
When: Feb. 14, 2010

Come the second weekend of every February, my schedule revolves around the greatest pickup game in the world. This year on Valentine's Day my one true love came through for me, the NBA All-Star Game.

The best in the East and the West ball out and show off their impressive athletic ability to a crowd of roaring fans. What made this year more entertaining than any other year was the addition to the team rosters of the under-exposed talent in the WNBA.


Magic Johnson and Becky Hammon during the NBA All-Star Game weekend at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Feb. 14, 2010.

The Women's National Basketball Association is finally receiving the attention and respect they deserve. For years, the WNBA disappeared because of insufficient profits due to the lack of fan support. This last year was their re-emergence to sports entertainment.

It was good to see female athletes step on the court glowing with confidence in front 108,713 fans, the all-time attendance record for an NBA All-Star Game. What didn’t make me so happy was to hear one of the live commentators say “she should grab those pompoms and stand on the sideline,” directed towards Nicole Powell of the Sacramento Monarchs, as she missed her first shot during the Shooting Star Competition.

Even though the ladies didn't receive much support from the commentators, some NBA players gave great support. Dirk Nowitzki told reporter Brian Martin, “I told Becky she’s the point guard and she just has to lead us off and she did a great job.”

This year only four WBNA players were invited to the NBA All-Star Game to compete in the Shooting Star Competition, Becky Hammon, Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Nicole Powell, and Angel McCoughtry. Although making progress from the previous years, It would still be nice to see more female athletes participate and be involved in other challenges and competitions during the All-Star Weekend.



The WNBA has their own weekend of, what I would call, mini fame. Every July, their regular season is put on hold to celebrate the WNBA All-Star Game. Like the NBA, the game is held during a weekend-long event featuring players from the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Is it just be me, or why haven't we heard or seen much of this All-Star Weekend before?

The lack of public support the WNBA experiences has to blame for this. But the question is, why?

One reason comes to mind, entertainment. From Lebron James throwing up baby powder in front of the stadium before every game to the alley-oop slam dunks, the NBA knows how to put on a show. The upbeat energy of the NBA can hype up their fans and provide them for not only an athletic competition but also an entertaining performance.

In 1984, 100 fans saw the first dunk in a woman's college basketball game. Since then, there are very few women dunking episodes. But it has been done. So now it’s time for these ladies to step up their game and show the fans what their athletic abilities are made of. It's time to see more female faces participating in the NBA All Star Weekend and it's time to get the recognition they all work hard for and deserve.