CHICAGO — Youth took center stage Friday at the WNBA’s All-Star 3-point and Shooting Stars competitions at Wintrust Arena.
Dallas Wings guard and No. 1 draft pick Azzi Fudd became the first rookie to take the 3-point trophy, and prep player Jezelle “GG” Banks led the way for Team Washington in Shooting Stars.
“She carried. She carried,” Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin said of Shooting Stars teammate Banks. “You could just tell her energy as soon as we started.”
Fudd, who has made 53 of 137 3-pointers this season (38.7%) for the Wings, said winning Friday is something she can carry over to the stretch run for Dallas.
“A 3-point competition isn’t like shooting 3s in a game, but it does feel good,” Fudd said. “It is a little extra boost going into the second half [of the season].”
Here are the grades for Friday’s competitions, which set the stage for Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
3-point contest
Azzi Fudd, Dallas Wings
Grade: A+
Fudd was at her best on the first rack and from the top of the key in the opening round, hitting four shots from both positions on the way to a score of 24.
By going first in the final, Fudd said she capitalized on getting her nerves out of the way. She was in a groove from the start, swishing all five on the first rack and setting the tone: This was going to be her night. She kept up the momentum from the top of the key, making four again there. She also made four from the last rack. She finished that round with a score of 30.
Fudd’s shot, which she said is identical to her mom’s, is a signature of her game. And now it has earned her a big accolade in her first WNBA season. Fudd said she would come back next year to the 3-point shooting contest if she is invited. Safe to say that invitation should already be extended.
Bridget Carleton, Portland Fire
Grade: A
Carleton was the hottest shooter in the first round, finishing with a score of 27 that included a perfect final rack. Carleton, who previously played for the Minnesota Lynx, has been one of the top players this season for the expansion Fire, making 67 of 179 3-pointers thus far (37.4%). She wasn’t as sharp in her final round, finishing with 19, but Fudd was a tough act to follow.
Team Washington wins the Kia WNBA Shooting Stars contest 👏
Elena Delle Donne teased a potential comeback from retirement after that performance 👀 pic.twitter.com/hyDX4VTLdW
— ESPN (@espn) July 25, 2026
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
Grade: B
Howard made at least 80 3-pointers in each of her first four seasons in the WNBA, and she is already nearly there halfway through this season (79 of 223, 35.4%). The 2022 No. 1 draft pick, Howard hit either three or two shots on each of the racks Friday. She was consistent but just needed a couple more shots to drop, finishing with a score of 20.
Janelle Salaun, Golden State Valkyries
Grade: B
She had a strong finish, making four shots each from the fourth and fifth racks to finish with a score of 19. But the top of the key was a rough spot for Salaun; she made just one shot there. After starting last season as a rookie, Salaun has come off the bench this season for the Valkyries and is their top 3-point shooter (67 of 170, 39.4%). She was also their best from beyond the arc last season (63 of 172, 36.6%).
Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo
Grade: C
Mabrey leads the WNBA in 3-pointers this season with 82, ahead of Howard’s 79. From that perspective, the first-time All-Star might have been considered the favorite Friday. But she got off to a slow start, making just one shot on the first rack. She wasn’t far off — her first three shots rolled around the rim — but that set the tone, and she couldn’t make up enough ground the rest of the way. She finished with a score of 18, but considering that Mabrey has six games this season with at least five 3-pointers — she has made nine in a game twice — you can be sure that Friday’s competition won’t dent her confidence.
Natisha Hiedeman, Seattle Storm
Grade: C-
Hiedeman didn’t hit a shot on the first rack. While that is not always the kiss of death in these competitions, in this case it was. Her best spot Friday was the top of the key, where she made four shots and seemed to gain some momentum. She finished with a score of 17, the first in the group to compete and to be eliminated. Though Friday wasn’t her night, Hiedeman has earned kudos in her first season in Seattle after five years in Connecticut and the last two in Minnesota. She has made 58 of 169 3-pointers (34.3%) and is a needed veteran presence for a young Storm team.
Shooting Stars
Team Washington
Legend: Elena Delle Donne
Current player: Shakira Austin
Nike NYBL player: Jezelle “GG” Banks
Grade: A+
Delle Donne is one of the all-time great scorers in women’s basketball history and a two-time WNBA MVP. But Friday she gave credit to Banks, her fellow native of Wilmington, Delaware. The young guard, who is No. 4 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Next 100 for the class of 2027, made two 4-point shots in the final for Team Washington, which won with 31 points. Delle Donne also credited Banks for having the confidence to shoot first. The Hall of Famer said that made sense considering she and Austin are both 6-foot-5, and the 5-10 Banks is the fastest of the trio.
That speed was important because time is of the essence in this competition, which was new to WNBA All-Star Weekend this year. The three-person teams had 70 seconds to score from seven spots on the court, which ended with the 4-point half-court shot. Team Washington advanced to the final with a 35-point first round. Austin is averaging career highs of 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds and said she was “delighted” to come away with the trophy and cash prize Friday.
Team Seattle
Legend: Lauren Jackson
Current player: Flau’jae Johnson
Nike NYBL player: Tatiana “Tati” Griffin
Grade: B
Another Hall of Famer graced Seattle’s squad; Johnson is a rookie, and Griffin is the No. 1-ranked player in the SportsCenter Next 100 Class of 2028, a 6-0 guard from Mater Dei High School in California. Jackson, whose last season in the WNBA was 2012, admitted before the competition that she doesn’t really play basketball anymore (she needs a knee replacement). But she decided this event was worth the trek from her native Australia with her son and said she just enjoyed being back in the WNBA environment. The three-time MVP helped Team Seattle to 26 points in the first round, earning a trip to the final; in the second round the players scored 24.
Team Detroit/Dallas
Legend: Deanna “Tweety” Nolan
Current player: Jessica Shepard
Nike NYBL player: Morghan Reckley
Grade: C
The 6-4 forward Shepard is having a career year for the Dallas Wings, averaging 14.9 points and 12.0 rebounds in a season that yielded her first All-Star appearance. Unsurprisingly, she was the sharpest player for Team Dallas/Detroit, which totaled 20 points. Nolan, who was part of three WNBA championship teams with Detroit before that franchise relocated to Tulsa and then to Dallas, struggled more to find her rhythm. The four-time WNBA All-Star ended her career in the league in 2009 when the franchise first moved although she continued to play overseas for several years.
Reckley, a 5-7 guard from Georgia, is No. 5 in the SportsCenter Next 100 Class of 2028. And while Nolan, 46, might not have been on fire Friday, Reckley could pick up some tips watching vintage footage of “Tweety,” who got to the rim as explosively as any guard in WNBA history when she was with the Shock.
Team Minnesota
Legend: Rebekkah Brunson
Current player: Courtney Williams
Nike NYBL player: Ryan Carter
Grade: C-
The Minnesota Lynx are atop the WNBA at the All-Star break with a record of 22-6. But Team Minnesota didn’t quite have it Friday in the Shooting Stars competition, finishing with 19 points. Brunson, who won five WNBA titles and is one of the top rebounders in league history, is currently an assistant coach for the Lynx. Williams has been one of the keys to Minnesota’s strong start, averaging 15.3 points, and she had the best overall performance for Team Minnesota. Carter, a 6-0 guard from Pennsylvania, is No. 12 in the SportsCenter Next 100 Class of 2027. Like the other four prep players competing Friday, Carter has not yet announced a college destination.
