Considering how generic last year’s WNBA All-Star logo was for Indianapolis, we at Beyond The W were certainly watching closely to see what 2026’s All-Star logo for Chicago would resemble.
Considering the direction that All-Star logos within the WNBA-NBA sphere appear to have taken, 2025’s appeared to be a sign that WNBA All-Star logos were beginning to go in the direction of those in the NBA.
Except, the WNBA recently unveiled its insignia for All-Star weekend in Chicago and it was a step forward.
This year’s logo incorporates both the blue of the Chicago Sky as well as the signature orange that defines the WNBA. It was obvious that the six-sided star – the primary symbol of Chicago – would have some prominence with this year’s logo.
Not only did the WNBA incorporate the six-sided star, it also features another primary feature of the city – the Chicago Loop – the city’s downtown nucleus. In addition, the “Chicago” script watermark is also featured in this year’s All-Star logo.
Needless to say, this logo is certainly a step forward from last season’s When it was announced that 2025’s WNBA All-Star weekend would be in Indianapolis, we at Beyond The W joked that the logo might as well have been a silhouette of Caitlin Clark considering she is the primary reason why Indy got All-Star 2025.
After all, reporting has suggested that 2025’s All-Star bidding had no takers among any WNBA teams and Cathy Engelbert had to directly pitch the Fever on why it would make a great All-Star host.
When one looks at a logo for a major sporting event – such as an All-Star Game, Super Bowl, WrestleMania or Final Four, one should be able to immediately guess which city it is in simply by looking at the logo. That was not the case for Indianapolis’ logo last season.
Interestingly enough, it was with the 2022 All-Star Game where All-Star logos appeared to return to some version of creativity. The 2022 All-Star logo featured a number of Chicago stars with its color scheme featuring WNBA orange as well as Sky blue and gold. A silhouette of the Willis Tower (which locals will always refer to as the Sears Tower) also appears toward the bottom of the 2022 logo.
It was in 2023 in Las Vegas as well as 2024 in Phoenix when WNBA All-Star logos really took a step forward in terms of overall creativity. When one looked at the 2023 logo, it did not take long to automatically see that Las Vegas was the host city. The same could be applied to Phoenix two years ago.
The 2026 All-Star logo for Chicago may not feature all of the unique design elements of the logos for 2023 and 2024 but it is a step forward from the 2025 All-Star logo – and one can make a great case that it is even a step forward from the 2022 logo.
After all, the 2026 logo not only incorporates the six-sided star that is at the heart of Chicago’s identity. It also includes the Loop – which is at the heart of all things Chicago.
This year’s All-Star logo is a simpler insignia than the 2023 and 2024 versions. If this logo were to be released after All-Star 2024 in Phoenix, it may be seen by many as a step back considering how rich with design elements it and the 2023 logos were. This one is coming after the relatively generic insignia for All-Star 2025 in Indianapolis, allowing it to standout more considering it is once again leaning into what makes Chicago the exemplary city it is.
The 2026 All-Star Game will only be the second time that the Second City has hosted the WNBA’s midseason festivities. The first, obviously, was in 2022. That was when All-Star Friday took place at the McCormick Convention Center and the game itself occurred at Wintrust Arena. There was also a youth basketball element to that weekend considering the Nike Nationals also were in Chicago that same weekend as will also be the case this year.
A young Zoe Brooks, who played for the New York Gauchos during her AAU career before arriving on the scene at NC State, won the Skills Challenge with Sabrina Ionescu that year in Chicago. It was also the swan song for Allie Quigley in the 3-Point Contest.
Team (A’ja) Wilson earned the 134-112 victory over Team (Breanna Stewart). Kelsey Plum dropped 30 points – at the time a scoring record for an All-Star Game and won MVP honors. And, yes, we remember the All-Star “trophy” for that achievement.
This year’s All-Star festivities has all the makings of being bigger and better than that 2022 version with All-Star Friday taking place at Wintrust Arena and the game itself occurring on primetime at the United Center – the home court of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.
All-Star weekend in Summertime Chi? No logo needed to explain why that will be worth the trip. The visuals – and the temperatures – will be worth a thousand words.
