WNBA Becomes First Pro League to Stage Events at Obama Presidential Center During All-Star Weekend

The WNBA is about to do something no other professional sports league has done. During its 2026 All-Star weekend in Chicago, the league will host several marquee events at the newly opened Obama Presidential Center, the museum and community campus on the city’s South Side that honors former President Barack Obama.

Khristina Williams, a WNBA insider, broke the news Wednesday on X. She called it a historic first — the Obama Presidential Center has never hosted a pro league’s events before. The center will be the site of All-Star Media Day and Practice, Changemaker Day, and Jr. WNBA Day, according to the league’s announcement.

The Obama Presidential Center isn’t just a museum. It’s a cultural and civic landmark built to celebrate Obama’s legacy and serve the surrounding community. Hosting WNBA events there feels natural for a league that has leaned hard into social justice and community work. The league didn’t just want another All-Star Game. It wanted to plant its flag somewhere that means something.

The All-Star Game itself tips off Saturday, July 25 at the United Center. It’ll air nationally on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET. The weekend’s full schedule includes the Kia Skills Challenge and the State Farm 3-Point Contest on Friday, July 24 at Wintrust Arena. WNBA Live, the league’s interactive fan festival, runs both days at McCormick Place.

The full All-Star roster

Starters for the game include some of the biggest names in the league: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Olivia Miles, Natasha Howard, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Jessica Shepard, and Gabby Williams. That’s a lineup that mixes established superstars with rising talent, which feels about right for a weekend that’s as much about the future as the present.

Chicago has hosted All-Star weekends before, but this one feels different. The Obama Presidential Center activation gives the whole thing a weight it didn’t have before. The league isn’t just putting on a show. It’s making a statement about what it values — community, legacy, and showing up somewhere that matters.

More details about the weekend’s programming are expected in the coming months. But the headline is already clear: the WNBA is doing something no other league has done, and it’s doing it in a city and at a venue that carry real meaning.