The WNBA All-Star game is heading to Seattle in the 2017 season, the league announced on Wednesday, the first time the mid-season game will be hosted by the city.
“It will be great for the city of Seattle,” Storm veteran Sue Bird told For The Win this week. “They’re really passionate about the WNBA and the support they’ve shown the Storm over the years has been really incredible, I think they’re really deserving of it.”
The All-Star game will be held on July 22 and will be the first since 2015 — the league skipped the event in 2016 because of the Olympic break. The Storm did host the WNBA Finals Games in 2004 and 2010, and has historically been one of the more raucous environments in the league. Bird said she was hopeful that first-time visitors to the city would be sold — despite its rainy reputation.
“Seattle, the thing about Seattle, it gets a bad rep because of the weather but in the summer, it’s probably the best weather you can find. On top of that if you love to do outdoorsy stuff whether it’s go for a hike or go for a walk, there’s so much to do,” she said. “It’s super scenic, it’s beautiful, mountains to one side, water all around you. You really can’t beat it. It’s unlike any U.S. city and on top of that there’s a ton of great restaurants.”
As for her faith that Storm fans will make sure her team is voted in with heavy numbers? She said she wasn’t quite sure what she could do.
“I can tweet, I can go out and do my best campaign,” she said. “But I have a feeling Seattle fans will show up in more ways than one and I think that includes supporting the Storm players.”
In the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game, the Western Conference (which has been stronger in the past few years) beat the Eastern Conference, 117-112.
“We are honored to host the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game, which will bring the best basketball players in the world to the Emerald City,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray in a statement released by the WNBA. “Seattle is a basketball town, home to the two-time WNBA champion Seattle Storm and last year’s University of Washington women’s Final Four team. We are proud of this tradition and we will look forward to celebrating the WNBA in Seattle next summer.”
