Report: Chicago Expected to Host 2022 WNBA All-Star Game on July 10
Chicago will host the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time ever, per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The game will take place Sunday, July 10, from Wintrust Arena, the home of the defending WNBA champion Chicago Sky.
"Details still need to be formalized before the league announces the game," Costabile reported. "Plans are already in the works for venues to host parties and events, a source said, but companies are staying quiet about details until the league makes the game official."
Last year's All-Star Game featured Team USA taking on a team of WNBA All-Stars. The WNBA won 93-85 behind 26 points from MVP Arike Ogunbowale.
The All-Star Game dots a revamped WNBA schedule that features numerous changes from previous years.
For starters, each team will play a league-record 36 games, up from 32 last year. There will also be "series play" to reduce travel, whereas a road team may play back-to-back games against the home team.
In addition, the gauntlet-style playoff bracket from last year has been scrapped. Eight of the league's 12 teams will still make the playoffs, but it's now a knockout-style bracket with the No. 1 seed playing No. 8, No. 2 playing No. 7 and so on.
The first round will have best-of-three series, and the semifinals and finals will be best-of-five.
This year's schedule will kick off with four games on Friday, May 6. The first one features the Indiana Fever visiting the Washington Mystics.
