The 2024 All-Star Game was held on Saturday night, and three former South Carolina basketball stars took part in the festivities.
A'ja Wilson, the runaway favorite for her third WNBA MVP award was a starter on Team USA as the United States Women's National Basketball Team faced off with the Team WNBA All-Stars, a group made up of all of the league's all-stars who will not be playing for Team USA in the Summer Olympic Games.
Aliyah Boston, the second-year player for the Indiana Fever, bounced back from a tough start to the year with a dominant June and July. The resurgence made her an easy selection for her second All-Star Game.
Allisha Gray continued her strong offensive play for the Atlanta Dream this year, making her second WNBA All-Star Game in a row. On Friday, Gray participated in the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest, bringing home the trophy (and a nice payday) for winning each event. She is the first player ever to win both in the same season.
When the All-Star Game rolled around on Saturday, all three former South Carolina Gamecocks saw the court: Wilson drew the start for Team USA, and Gray and Boston came off the bench for Team WNBA.
Wilson finished the contest with a very efficient 22 points (8-13 shooting), and she added 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a block to her stat line. Gray led all bench scorers with 16 points, including 9-10 shooting from the free throw line; she contributed 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 5 steals, as well. Boston didn't play a ton of minutes, but she posted a 4-point, 2-rebound performance.
Team WNBA pulled off the mild upset in the game, winning 117-109 as Arike Ogunbowale (Team WNBA) claimed the All-Star Game MVP and broke the All-Star Game record for scoring by dropping in 34 points. Angel Reese (Team WNBA) and Breanna Stewart (Team USA) notched double-doubles, while Caitlin Clark (Team WNBA) led the game with 10 assists, and Allisha Gray (Team USA) led all players with 5 steals.
You can check out the WNBA All-Star Game box score here.
Dawn Staley's South Carolina basketball program put three players into the WNBA All-Star Game (Wilson, Boston, and Gray), tied for the second-most from a single college program. Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies also put three players into the game (Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Napheesa Collier), and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had four representatives in the game (Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale, Kayla McBride, and Jackie Young who all were coached by Muffet McGraw before her retirement).