Thousands of basketball fans turned out for the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Weekend, July 18-19, in Indianapolis, a first-time host for the event. Ahead of the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, which drew a sellout crowd of 16,988 to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, fans first got a taste of the action at WNBA Live presented by Panini. More than 25 WNBA partners and licensees joined the fourth edition of the two-day fan festival, a significant increase from 2022, when four brands activated in Chicago for the first WNBA Live, USA Today reports. Plus, WNBA Live welcomed more than 20,000 attendees.
It all goes to show that the momentum behind women’s basketball is at an all-time high, and brands swooped in to celebrate the WNBA’s landmark year, even as players on Team Clark and Team Collier sported shirts with “Pay Us What You Owe Us” messaging during the game’s warm up, a demonstration aimed at getting the WNBA stars increased salaries and improved benefits. Still, the athletes showed their support for the event, with many making appearances at brands’ WNBA Live booths and interacting with fans across hoops challenges, photo ops and skills clinics. Below, we rounded up nine “All-Star” experiences and campaigns.
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Longtime Official Card Partner of the WNBA, American Express provided card members and their guests a fast lane for expedited entrance to WNBA Live and a priority entrance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Kia Skills Challenge and WNBA All-Star Game. All fans had the chance to visit the Amex pop-up at WNBA Live, where they could answer trivia questions to win prizes like WNBA apparel, Crocs Jibbitz, a Wilson gift card and more from the Amex More Machine, and meet WNBA All-Star and rookie Kiki Iriafen.
Photo credit: American Express
AT&T
At its WNBA Live activation, AT&T granted fans “All-Star Access” to WNBA players DiJonai Carrington, Sabrina Ionescu and A’ja Wilson, who participated in meet-and-greet photo ops at “Smile for the ‘Papz.” The brand also brought back the fan-favorite “M’VIP Nail Art” experience, where nail techs adorned participants’ nails with chrome and jewel accents, and put fans in players’ shoes with the tech-forward “4-Point Plays” hoops activation, with Ionescu and Wilson front and center. Attendees who signed up for All-Star Access text alerts received gold WNBA shoelace charms as a welcome gift and access to custom merch drops.
The Jr. WNBA x AT&T Clinic and Workshop on July 18 featured skills practice, a vision board workshop, and a panel discussion focused on mental wellness and goal setting. Crissa Jackson pulled up to connect with the young athletes. AT&T facilitated a device distribution with nonprofit Indiana Black Expo at the Westin Indianapolis and provided the organization with 200 refurbished laptops through a partnership with nonprofit Human-I-T.
As a WNBA Changemaker partner, alongside Ally, CarMax, Deloitte, Google and Nike, AT&T took part in the league’s second annual WNBA Changemaker Day on July 17, “dedicated to advancing, elevating and economically empowering groups through the power of sport.” This year’s programming focused on period poverty and fostering a safe, supportive community for young girls. Members of WNBA Changemakers and the WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee worked with community volunteers to assemble 25,000 hygiene packs to stock up two local nonprofits: Indy Hygiene Hub and Project Period Indy.
Photos: Courtesy of AT&T
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS
DICK’S Sporting Goods pulled out all the stops for WNBA All-Star weekend, hosting several events and activations with partners. The DICK’S x Nike Ballers Park activation at WNBA Live featured a suspended jersey chandelier, skills challenges, Nike shoes available for try-ons, prizes, and the 180-degree DICK’S Content Stage for athlete interviews, podcasts and fashion talks.
Teaming up with Jordan, DICK’S presented the Generation Heir Clinic for advanced female athletes, ages 14-18, from the Indiana Public Schools community. Taking place on WNBA Live’s center court, the basketball clinic challenged the participants with competitions and skill drills, while showcasing Jordan’s Heir Series product line of shoes.
DICK’S brought the “It’s Her Shot” touring basketball clinic to Best Choice Fieldhouse, just outside Indianapolis. Female basketball players from eight to 18 years old honed their skills across six courts dedicated to warm-up activities and five courts focused on foundational skills and drills, with each group receiving 30 minutes of instruction per drill. The event program included open court play, shooting contests and expert coaching, as well as a Courtside Conversation with WNBA legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes. Top athletes and influencers also made an appearance, and participants came away with exclusive giveaways. (Agency: Motive)
Photo credit: Flo Ngala/Motive
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY
Building on the momentum of its campaign highlighting early breast cancer screenings at this year’s NCAA Women’s Final Four, pharmaceutical company Lilly arrived in Indianapolis with a mobile screening unit offering on-site mammograms from July 17-19, in partnership with Black Health Matters. Additionally, Lilly drove awareness through several collaborations, including with Susan G. Komen by supporting breast tissue donation efforts at the Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center on July 12-13 (400 women donated), and with basketball player JuJu Watkins and sports reporters Andraya Carter and Hannah Storm, who shared personal stories.
Google’s activation at WNBA Live took fans through an interactive journey across several touchpoints that spotlighted Google Pixel, the Official Fan Phone of the WNBA, and Google Search. First up at “Welcome to The W,” fans took a Google Search Trends quiz, got recruited to a WNBA team and received an All-Access Pass to collect their digital keepsakes throughout the experience.
They then enhanced their tunnel fits using Google’s virtual try-on feature and perused Kelsey Plum’s and A’ja Wilson’s fashions with Google Lens. The Hall of Fits showcased the two players’ favorite looks in a mini-museum, and Circle to Search technology enhanced the display by providing information on the outfits. The WNBA stars participated in a Courtside Chat with influencer Katie Feeney, and Crissa Jackson walked fans through a live hoops showcase.
Using the smartphone’s Best Take and Pro controls, participants snapped media day photos, which were edited at the Reimagine Station with their favorite team’s backdrop. Pixel’s Video Boost technology helped attendees hit the court and receive a custom highlight reel that appeared on the Jumbotron at WNBA Live and was loaded to their All-Access Passes for social sharing. (Agency: Robot)
Photo credit: Google
META QUEST
Meta Quest partnered with the WNBA to transform New York City’s NBA Store on Fifth Avenue into the first-ever WNBA store for one day on July 16. WNBA legend Sue Bird and New York Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant joined the W All Day takeover event, which offered Meta Quest demos and limited-edition merch. Fans explored Meta Quest’s immersive courtside experience and played virtual Pop-A-Shot alongside creators for exclusive prizes.
Photos: Courtesy of Meta Quest
STARRY
Playing on the WNBA’s iconic rivalries, Starry introduced a “fizz-to-fizz” showdown between its Lem and Lime mascots, inviting attendees to pick a side at Starry AR3NA. The centerpiece of the 50-by-60-foot space was the Starry 3-Point Battle, directly tied to the brand’s sponsorship of the WNBA Starry 3-Point Contest at the Skills Challenge. Aligning with either Team Lem or Team Lime, fans stepped onto the court to showcase their shooting skills in front of a massive LED screen. Throughout the event, Starry products were available for sampling, and WNBA players stopped by to surprise attendees. (Agency: Motive)
Photo credit: Flo Ngala/Motive
STATE FARM
State Farm literally shined a spotlight on fans with its Tunnel Walk experience that had them step onto a State Farm-branded court where lights and music shifted for their own All-Star entrance moment. Inspired by a recent commercial, the “From the Logo Shooting Challenge” encouraged fans to make baskets, which were tracked throughout the weekend on a live, digital leaderboard, and participants won exclusive Playa Society x State Farm “With the Assist” shirts and other prizes based on their performance.
Content from the tunnel walk and shooting challenge was available to download via on-site tablets. A “From the Logo” Snap Lens also extended the experience on Snapchat. WNBA players Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins appeared in the booth, along with Jake from State Farm, of course, to interact with fans during game play and take part in Q&As, autograph sessions and photo ops.
Outside of the W Live experience, State Farm hit the streets of Indianapolis with Jake’s Assist Fleet. State Farm-branded pedicabs offered free rides between major fan touchpoints and provided real-life assists like water, essentials and directions to fans, highlighting the brand’s With the Assist platform. Pop-up hoops with State Farm logo decals appeared at high-traffic Indy locations, allowing passersby to take “From the Logo” shots for prizes.
Photo credit: State Farm
VOX MEDIA
On July 18, Vox Media and its brand partners took over Indianapolis’ Helium Comedy Club and welcomed more than 550 guests for live recordings of sports podcasts A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe, featuring special guest Caitlin Clark (presented by Delta and Icy Hot), and Bird’s Eye View, hosted by Bird and featuring Kayla Thornton (presented by Google Pixel and Nike).
The event was followed by an exclusive VIP afterparty presented by Delta. The brand delivered a travel-inspired gifting and custom monogram station, plus a media day-themed photo setup where guests could create their own player trading cards. Icy Hot hosted a Team Icy vs. Team Hot Pop-A-Shot competition.
Photo credit: The Siners Photography/Vox Media
Featured image credit: Flo Ngala/Motive
