Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 1:55 pm  |  7 responses

WNBA Joins Forces with NBA at All-Star Weekend

Players help both in the Dallas community and on the court.

by Ben York

Although the spotlight will undoubtedly be on the NBA and its All-Stars this week, the WNBA and its players are also gearing up to make a positive and profound impact in Dallas.

There will be an incredible collection of past, present and future stars representing the WNBA during All-Star week. Whether it’s legends like Lisa Leslie, current superstars like Alana Beard and Becky Hammon, or future stars such as Angel McCoughtry, the WNBA is showing a strong commitment toward giving back and supporting the NBA.

From a strictly basketball standpoint, the most notable event with WNBA player participation is the Haier Shooting Stars competition on Saturday, February 13. Becky Hammon, Nicole Powell, Angel McCoughtry, and Marie Ferdinand-Harris will team up with current NBA players and legends to shoot from six locations of increasing difficulty on the court. The team to make all six shots in the fastest time (in two rounds) will win. Last year, in Phoenix, Katie Smith helped Bill Laimbeer and Aaron Afflalo bring the trophy home to Detroit. In 2008, Becky Hammon led the Silver Stars/Spurs team with Tim Duncan and David Robinson to a win.

In addition, WNBA players will participate in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on February 11. Becky Hammon and Angel McCoughtry are scheduled to play in the game along with NBA, TV, film and music stars.

Past and current WNBA players will also assist in various community events throughout the week. Players will help host the NBA/WNBA All-Star Wheelchair Classic Basketball Clinic, assist in the NBA Fit All-Star Youth Celebration to promote physical health, aid in the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service on February 12, and join over 3,500 youth to watch the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.

Other WNBA players and legends scheduled to make appearances throughout the week are Ashley Robinson, Ticha Penicheiro, Lynette Woodard, Kara Lawson, Shameka Christon, Asjha Jones and Scholanda Robinson to name a few.

See below for a full list of All-Star events. SLAMonline will have exclusive interviews throughout the week, so be sure to check back often.

Feb. 10 and 11 – NBA/WNBA All-Star Wheelchair Classic Basketball Clinic
NBA and WNBA players and Legends will join the National Wheelchair Basketball Association All-Stars to host a basketball clinic for local wheelchair-bound youth athletes.

Feb. 11 – ‘Vaccines for Teens’ Event
Lisa Leslie will join NBA Legends and Dallas Mavericks player Matt Carroll to host a vaccination awareness event in partnership with Society for Adolescent Medicine for local students at William James Middle School in Dallas.

Feb. 11 – NBA Fit All-Star Youth Celebration
Shameka Christon, Kara Lawson, Ticha Penicheiro, Marie Ferdinand-Harris, Asjha Jones, Scholanda Robinson and Alana Beard will join NBA and NBA D-League players to teach over 1,000 youths across North Texas about the importance of physical activity and healthy living.

Feb. 11 – NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by FINAL FANTASY® XIII
Becky Hammon and Angel McCoughtry will compete with celebrities from TV, film and music at Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session.

Feb. 12 – NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service
WNBA players will join over 1,500 NBA family members at three locations across North Texas to create and refurbish eight places to live, learn and play in conjunction with
KaBOOM! Build, North Texas Volunteer Center, HP, Rebuilding Together and Timberland.

Feb. 12 – T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam
WNBA players will watch the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge with over 3,500 area kids who complete fitness, nutrition and community service requirements.

Feb. 13 – NBA Fit Area
Ashley Robinson, Asjha Jones, Ticha Penicheiro and Lynette Woodard will greet fans at NBA Fit Area in NBA Jam Session

Feb. 13 – Haier Shooting Stars
As part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Nicole Powell, Angel McCoughtry, Becky Hammon and Marie Ferdinand-Harris will team up with NBA Players and NBA Legends in the Haier Shooting Stars contest.

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  • http://slamonline.com Mo Money Bizzes

    SLAM has had way too much women’s coverage of late. I luv the game, but even the League doesn’t care about it this much.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

    @Mo Money Bizzes – I’ll take that as a compliment. : )

  • Hussman25

    I think SLAM needs more coverage on the WNBA… They need it. Their marketing has been suspect to me for a while… I Would just like to see some more of the WNBA Legends give back to the game they helped build. Where’s Coop, T-Spoon, Theresa Edwards, Dawn Staley, Becca Lobo, etc???? To progress as a league, to me, they have to reach back to their past… The NBA Legends are revered and loved… Y cant the WNBA’s be loved like them… It will be nice to hear todays ladies stop talking about seeing Jordan, Magic or Bird as kids and talk about seeing Coop and crew do the 3-peat or T-Spoon’s half court shot in the Finals or watching Lynette Woodard runnin in Cleveland… SMH. One day

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

    @Hussman25 – Thanks for your comment. I’m working on getting interviews from some of the legends as we speak…

  • Ace

    Can’t wait for the celebrity game those are always fun to watch. With Becky Hammon out there she will def. put on a show. I’ll miss seeing Bill Laimbeer though during the Haier Shooting stars portion of the NBA all star weekend.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

    @Ace – That will be weird, huh? Not just Laimbeer, but the entire Shock/Pistons team not being there.

  • Ace

    Now with Nolan (taking a year offf) and Smith not joining the Tulsa Shock this is gonna be a weird year for the WNBA in general.

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