“Oh, it was beautiful — a ray of sunshine with basketballs,” Lyric Williams said. “I met Rickea Jackson. I saw Paige Bueckers. We took pictures with Flau’jae Johnson.”
The 16-year-old Chicagoan described her experience at WNBA Live, the league’s annual fan festival that transformed McCormick Place into a celebration of women’s basketball during the WNBA’s 30th anniversary All-Star Weekend.
But WNBA Live was only one part of the celebration. More than 30 fan experiences filled the convention hall, from basketball challenges and player appearances to custom Nike sneaker stations, Coach’s commemorative keychain engraving, wine tastings and the league’s interactive Legacy Park exhibit, where tens of thousands of fans explored three decades of WNBA history while learning about the “Line ’Em Up” initiative to paint orange three-point lines on public basketball courts nationwide.
Among the fans was the McMichael family from Calumet City.
Twelve-year-old Shiann McMichael and her 10-year-old sister, Londyn, joined one of the winding lines inside the orange-and-white convention hall, blending into a sea of team jerseys. Shiann wore the silver-and-black No. 22 jersey of Aces star A’ja Wilson, while Londyn sported former Sky star Angel Reese’s jersey.
“This experience means a lot to me because I get to see all the players that showed me how to play basketball,” Shiann said.
Shiann and Londyn’s father, Law McMichael, said bringing the event to Chicago was “something big” for the city.
“Chicago gets a lot of bad rep with the violence and sports organizations,” Law said. “Maybe this is a break from the norm so people can forget about that stuff for a few days.”
WNBA Live, held Thursday through Saturday, gave fans opportunities to meet players including Kamilla Cardoso, Courtney Williams, Sydney Colson and Johnson, compete in skills challenges and celebrate the league’s milestone season.
Andersonville resident Erin Carson has been a fan of the league for nearly five years. She decided to bring her sons to WNBA Live to expose them to women’s basketball.
“It’s important for them to see that women can do all the same things that they can do, and there’s a lot of amazing females,” Carson said.
Carson wasn’t sure what to expect, but the event exceeded those expectations.
“It’s massive, it’s set up really well, there’s so many basketball players walking around and trying to make a name for themselves,” Carson said. “The W[NBA] is doing really great things.”
The celebration extended beyond McCormick Place. On Thursday, the WNBA became the first professional sports league to host public events at the newly opened Obama Presidential Center. The day’s programming included All-Star practice, an appearance by former President Barack Obama and a Jr. WNBA skills clinic featuring four-time MVP Wilson. The league and the Sky also announced plans to paint 30 orange three-point lines on Chicago’s public courts this year — including 15 during All-Star Weekend — as part of the nationwide initiative.
Williams, a rising junior at King College Prep, participated in the Jr. WNBA clinic Thursday at the center’s Home Court gym, where more than 150 girls received a pair of Wilson’s signature A’Two shoes.
“Chicago is a great city with a lot of talent, especially in CPS [Chicago Public Schools] and even in the suburbs,” Williams said. “It’s just so much talent, and for it to be recognized with the WNBA coming here is amazing.”
Fans watched Wings rookie Azzi Fudd win the three-point contest Friday at Wintrust Arena.
But beyond the trophies and highlight reels, the weekend marked a milestone for a league that spent much of its early history fighting for stability and visibility. Thirty years later, record attendance, soaring television audiences, expansion franchises and increased investment have transformed the WNBA’s trajectory. As the league celebrated its past in Chicago, the focus was just as much on what comes next.
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