Chicago to host WNBA All-Star Game on July 10

The WNBA announced Thursday that its All-Star Game will be held at Chicago's Wintrust Arena on July 10 (ABC, 1 p.m. ET).

It is the first time the game will be hosted by the Chicago Sky, who won the WNBA title last season.

The All-Star Game will coincide with two major youth girls' basketball tournaments there. A two-day "WNBA Live" event will be held at nearby McCormick Place along with the Nike Nationals and the Nike Tournament of Champions.

WNBA Live will be an interactive, outdoor event for fans. On July 9, participants in the Nike Nationals will be in attendance as the two WNBA All-Star teams conduct practices indoors at McCormick Place. Then at 3 p.m. ET that day, the WNBA 3-point contest and skills challenge will take place at McCormick Place and be broadcast live by ESPN.

"We are thrilled to turn AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022 into a weekend-long event that will give WNBA fans incredible opportunities to engage with our brand and partners who have stepped up to support the WNBA," league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. "We look forward to unveiling exciting details regarding WNBA Live in the weeks to come."

The 2022 WNBA regular season tips off May 6 and runs through Aug. 14. The WNBA playoffs start Aug. 17.

The WNBA All-Star Game began in 1999, but has not been held every season. It has been played four times in Connecticut and three times in New York. The past two games were in Las Vegas in 2019 and 2021, although last year matched the WNBA's All-Stars against Team USA as the Americans prepared for the Olympics.

There was no All-Star Game in 2020, when the league played its season in a bubble environment in Bradenton, Florida.

"As we are continuing to grow the footprint of the Sky and the WNBA, there is no better way to do it than to have the great stars of our WNBA galaxy gathered in Chicago for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2022," said Sky president and CEO Adam Fox. "It's great for the city, great for the league, and it further solidifies our place in the sports fabric here in the city of Chicago."