Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes is unbothered by the lack of WNBA presence during this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend, citing the importance of preserving the uniqueness of the WNBA’s own showcase.

“I think we’re doing a good job with our All-Star as well,” Hayes said, as reported by Marisa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I don’t think we should always only keep it in-house or anything, but it’s fun when we do our own thing, too. I think saving our special things for our All-Star is nice. We love the guys and love to come watch them and have fun.”

This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend featured minimal involvement from WNBA players, a contrast to last year’s event, where Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty faced Stephen Curry in a widely popular 3-point contest. The planned reprise of that crossover competition fell apart after Caitlin Clark, one of the WNBA’s biggest young stars, declined to participate, choosing instead to debut in the WNBA’s 3-point contest this summer.

While the absence of a marquee WNBA-NBA crossover event sparked discussions about the relationship between the leagues, Hayes and her Valkyries teammates took the opportunity to engage with fans and the community. Hayes, along with Kayla Thornton, Kate Martin and Monique Billings, toured the Valkyries’ new facilities at Chase Center and participated in NBA-hosted events, including a live taping of Sue Bird’s and Megan Rapinoe’s podcast, “A Touch More.”

Related Golden State Valkyries NewsArticle continues below
Kaitlyn Chen poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the number thirty overall pick to the Golden State Valkyries
Valkyries GM ‘confident’ in global roster
Justė Jocytė, Shyanne Sellers, and Kaitlyn Chen heading toward the Golden Gate Bridge to meet Natalie Nakase
Grading the Golden State Valkyries first ever WNBA Draft
Kiki Iriafen, Aneesah Morrow, and Dominique Malonga with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Golden State Valkyries 2025 WNBA Draft perfect fits

“I’m just in awe that the fans we see here tonight, they might end up Valkyries fans here again,” Hayes said. “They could be cheering for us here soon like they’re cheering for (NBA All-Stars). Being able to come and see that has been amazing.”

The idea of integrating WNBA stars into NBA All-Star Weekend gained traction after last year’s successful 3-point showdown, but the NBA’s decision to cancel the event this year prompted ESPN’s Brian Windhorst to suggest that the NBA “needs WNBA stars more on All-Star Weekend than vice versa.”

For Hayes and her teammates, however, the focus remains on building momentum for the WNBA’s upcoming season and ensuring that events like the WNBA All-Star Weekend, hosted by Clark’s Indiana Fever in Indianapolis this summer, stand out on their own terms.