WNBA ALL-STAR GAME

July 9, 2022

Skylar Diggins-Smith

Arike Ogunbowale

Jackie Young

Team Stewart - Media Conference

Q. Just wanted to start by asking sort of a general question to whoever wants to answer about All-Star: In recent years the WNBA has done a lot as far as expanding All-Star to new cities such as Chicago, Vegas, Minnesota, Seattle. How important do you think that is for the future growth of the game that All-Star has become this event where it's expanded past Connecticut and New York as it was in the earlier days?

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: I think it's exciting, specifically this year, because obviously Chicago coming off the championship, just being able to garner that momentum for All-Star, they have a following, their environment this year is noticeably tougher as far as fans coming out to support in the city.

I love it here in Chicago. Obviously it's close to home for me, being from South Bend, seeing some familiar faces, but yeah, I think it's great just having them in the W cities.

My first All-Star was in Phoenix. That was new. That was different. Just exploring different W cities in different markets to capitalize on.

Q. Expansion related, there's going to be a lot of talk about expanding the league as a whole, so you get more teams in it, and I wonder what that would mean to you all and if you think are there any particular places in the country you think should have a team?

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: I want to go to the Bay. I wouldn't mind going to the Bay or having -- I'm just thinking selfishly. Miami? Hawai'i? Could Hawai'i have a team?

But obviously we need more teams. I think we have a lot of talent. There's a lot of talented women. There's a lot of teams and markets I think that want, that love women's basketball, that have a great following. You talk about Tennessee and Knoxville or Nashville or something like that --

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: South Bend?

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: South Bend could get a team. Yeah, obviously we know we need expansion. We keep hearing talks about that. That's something that's exciting. Maybe Toronto, exploring an international market. But travel would probably be terrible.

But yeah, it would be great to have additional teams and just more talent to compete against.

Q. With the All-Star Game and all the attention that it's getting, rightfully so, how are you guys able to continue the message of making sure that everybody knows about the situation with Brittney Griner and making sure that she's well represented in this All-Star Game and keeping her name alive and keeping the fight as far as bringing her home?

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: I think the W does a great job. We have Brittney Griner masks, we have 42 on our shirts, and I'm sure the rest of the league and people are wearing things with BG. But obviously she's part of our family and our No. 1 priority is getting her home. She shouldn't be there. She's been there too long. So obviously we're going to talk about her any chance we get. This is a perfect time, ESPN, ABC, we're on prime time, so any time we can say her name that's what we're going to do.

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: You've got to say a word up here, Jackie. You've got to say something.

Yeah, obviously that's on our minds. That's our priority in this league. We talk about "We are BG" and what that means to us, just trying to embody her spirit, carry her legacy on and just stay alert for her as far as what we can do in our efforts to help bring her home and really get that message out there.

Q. Jackie, now that you've gotten over the initial shock or surprise of being named to the All-Star, talk about just being an All-Star, and also how you felt your game has brought you to this point.

JACKIE YOUNG: Yeah, it was a blessing to be named an All-Star. I just got to experience it with my friends, my family, so I'm really looking forward to that.

I've just tried to really grow my game each year, come back a better player, and this year expanding my range out to the three has helped a lot, just for me in general and for the team. They're not bringing doubles off me and stuff like that.

I just really tried to come out and be a better player, just be more aggressive and assertive to start the season.

Q. With three Irish sitting in front of me, this is obviously a big weekend for Notre Dame. What does it mean to get to play each other and be on the court, and do you know if Muffet (McGraw) is planning to be here?

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: She might sneak in. I feel like she be low. She might surprise. Niele is for sure coming.

Notre Dame is Guard U. You see us three. We've got Jewell over there, we've got Marina (Mabrey); she should be an All-Star in my opinion but she's not here, but she's a great player. But Notre Dame really knows how to develop and I know the coaches are proud, and me and Jackie obviously played four years together. So I'm excited to play with her again. Me and Sky never played together, so it's dope to be able to play with people who paved the way for us and the younger ones -- I guess we're the younger ones.

But yeah, so it's definitely dope to see, and I know Notre Dame is proud of us.

Q. Jackie, I walked out to the court and I heard the announcer talking about how everyone in the skills contest has a teammate in a young person. I'm curious what you know about that and what you know about the young person you have as a teammate, and can you just tell us about the impact you'd like to not only have on her but on just young people in general.

JACKIE YOUNG: I mean, I actually don't know a whole lot about it. We don't know our teammates yet. But I think it's a high schooler or someone from the EYBL. I think that's what it is.

Yeah, just looking forward to it. I really don't know a whole lot about it, though.

Q. I know there's a four-point marking or two on the court. Have any of you been practicing that four-point shot, and will we see you guys chuck up some deep shots this game?

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: Arike shoots them every night.

No, I just passed the commissioner and she said, Are you working on the four-point shots? I didn't even know they had that in there, but she might have created some monsters with that one. We'll see.

Q. Wanted to talk about the momentum around the league; how do you keep it going? It feels like a transition of eras. What would you like to see the league do to keep eyeballs on the sport?

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: I think the momentum is coming from the players. Every night games are going to overtime, buzzer beaters, every game is competitive and it's not really even a clear top team that's going to win the championship.

Just the competitiveness, the excitement, just the media, we're in the media a lot, but I think it's really coming from us and how fun these games are, people are like, I want to tap in, I want to watch these teams because it's great basketball.

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: Put us on TV more.

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: Facts.

Q. Arike, obviously Milwaukee is a less than two-hour drive away. Do you have some family and friends coming down and how are you going to bring some of that Milwaukee flavor to Chi Town?

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: Yeah, most of my family is coming. My mom is even from Chicago. I have family from Chicago, family from Milwaukee, and I'm excited to be able to be close to home, let them come see me play.

I'm just going to represent my family, represent Milwaukee like I always do every night and just play how I play.

Q. This is Sue Bird's and Sylvia Fowles' last All-Star game. Do you any of you have any memories competing against them that you can share with us that stick out to you?

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: Maybe not against but with. Last year in the Olympics, that probably was the most time I spent with both of them. Throughout my years in the league, always been to camps, been around them but not that much time. When you talk about destinations, it's like a reason why people are successful is their habits, it's things that they've built over time that they consistently do, and you see why certain people are successful. Just their leadership, how they handle themselves, they're professionals, they're teachers. They're not afraid to bring up the next group. They've got that nurturing spirit but they're get on you at the same time, and you just love how they compete.

It's just that nurturing spirit, obviously their wisdom of just being able to play in this league that long, that doesn't happen. All their success, all their Olympic gold medals, I'm sure we won't really appreciate that full value until they're gone.

But just enjoying the moment, and obviously it's always been a pleasure competing against them, and it's going to be different without them.

Q. Skylar and Arike, All-Star Games are a fickle animal in the sense you want to put on a show but at some point it's a lot of competitive people taking the court. At what point does it go from just having fun and playing with your friends to real hard competition, trying to beat people that you like to compete against?

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: I guess it depends on what the score is come the fourth quarter -- it's quarters? Yeah, come the fourth quarter if it's tied or something like that, then it's time to get active, but I guess if you're getting blown out or you're up, you're still having fun.

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: I can't not. It just is what it is. I'm going to be going hard from the jump. I don't know what everybody else is going to be doing. We can sit up here and say we can laugh it off, but honestly if the person across from you is going --

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: They're trying to go after --

SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH: Yeah, these clips are evergreen. You're not gonna make me, you know, and then it lives on for 99 All-Stars.

But yeah, always, it's always competitive. That's just how we do our game and have always done it every game I've been in.