The GIST: Grab your finest Pitbull aviators because the brightest stars in the WNBA will shine across two banner nights of All-Star festivities from Phoenix, Arizona. The weekend includes a 3-Point Contest, Skills Challenge, the actual All-Star Game, and a concert from Mr. 305 himself.

• Here’s what you need to know before the fun begins tonight at 9 p.m. ET. Dale.

Sabrina Ionescu will not defend her 3-Point Contest title: NY Liberty three-point queen Ionescu and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin “record breaker” Clark both declined to participate in this year’s clash, despite being the respective second- and third-best three-point shooters in the league.

• But the night won’t be without star power — NY’s Jonquel Jones highlights a still stacked 3-Point contest field, while Phoenix Mercury legend Brittney Griner will compete in the Skills Challenge with the support of her hometown crowd.

Team USA vs. Team WNBA gets the primetime treatment: In anticipation of next week’s (!!!) Paris Olympics, this year’s All-Star Game is Team USA (the 12 American Olympians) against Team WNBA, which features 12 All-Stars who aren’t heading to France.

• Team USA includes 11-time All-Star Diana Taurasi, who’s gearing up for her record-setting sixth Olympics, as well as superstars A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, Griner, and Ionescu, just to name a few. Stacked is an understatement.
• Speaking of, Team WNBA isn’t to be underestimated. This team is loaded, but all eyes will be on rookies Clark and Angel Reese as these rivals become teammates for the very first time tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET. Hey now.

The GIST: ICYMI, the WNBA just netted the most lucrative media rights contracts in women’s sports history. On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that the league signed three media rights deals alongside the NBA for a grand total of $2.2B over the next 11 years — and they’re likely not done yet.

The context: The WNBA currently has four media deals with Disney, Amazon, CBS, and Ion that last through 2025 and are worth a combined $50M per year. In April, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league hoped to double the value of these deals.

The new agreement: And, as is the trend in the W, they got the job done: Sources claim the WNBA is included in deals with the NBA’s media rights partners — Disney and Amazon, and newly added NBC — for a reported $200M annual average, four times the current annual value.

• It’s believed that the league will sign at least two more media rights agreements, which could potentially be with CBS and Ion — two existing W partners left out of the new deal.

The protection: Though the WNBPA is nervous about the NBA calling the shots, the contract also protects the WNBA if the deals’ values become outdated. Within three years, the W and its media partners can revisit the contracts and engage in good faith talks to reprice them according to league growth. Hoop yeah.

P.S. For more on the booming business of women’s sports, subscribe to our three-times weekly sports biz newsletter.

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🚲 Tour de France: Stage 19 — Ongoing through Sunday — Peacock

• Two-time champion Tadej Pogačar leads the pack heading into the final weekend of the Tour de France, where there are only three stages to go in the quest for the yellow jersey. Allons-y.

🏌️ Men’s golf: The Open Championship — Ongoing through Sunday — Peacock

• The 152nd Open Championship brought the chaos during yesterday’s opening round, but England’s Daniel Brown conquered the links and sits atop the leaderboard after scoring a six-under par.

⛳ LPGA: Dana Open — Ongoing through Sunday — The Golf Channel

• South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi leads the field after yesterday’s Dana Open opening day. Up next, today’s second round will be extra special because the tourney is honoring golf legend Lexi Thompson to celebrate her last full-time season on the LPGA Tour.

🥍 Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse: Week 1 — Tomorrow and Sunday — ESPN networks

• With yesterday’s epic opening day doubleheader in the books, Week 1 of the innovative league continues with four games throughout the weekend. So spoiled.

🏎️ F1: Hungarian Grand Prix — Sunday at 9 a.m. ET — ESPN

• Keep your water bottle close because this race is set to be a literal scorcher. Will Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claim his third straight title at the Hungaroring or can Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton race to back-to-back wins?

Ever wonder what it’s like inside the mind of an Olympian? Us too, that’s why we sat down with a handful of former and current Olympic athletes on The GIST of It ahead of the Paris Games.

We recently chatted with Team USA men’s gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, a pommel horse specialist who’ll be making his Olympic debut in Paris. From his mindset before a routine to what it’s like to be a part of Team USA, our conversation with Nedoroscik was flippin’ fantastic.

🕺 On staying calm under pressure: “I like to get real goofy before my routines…I like to vibe out, maybe sing or dance or something…That’s usually how I handle that pressure.”

🤞 On superstitions: “A lot of things weren’t going my way. So I decided I was just going to test the water and listen to all the songs I thought were superstitious…and I got them all out of my way. And then that World Championships, I won pommel horse and now I don’t have any superstitions.” Not even a little stitious.

🔥 On his mindset: “For me personally, I love to prove people wrong.”

Listen to the full episode with Nedoroscik today and subscribe to The GIST of It so you don’t miss the next athlete interview.

The GIST of It co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz. The sports podcast space is, uh, pretty saturated with dudes, but with two mics and Aflac’s support, El and Steph bring a much-needed female perspective to your podcast feed.*

This article about calls for Argentine soccer star and national team captain Lionel Messi to apologize after a video surfaced of his team making racist chants following their Copa América win earlier this week.

With this sweet treat from Costco. Chocolate, marshmallows, and caramel? Say no s’more.

*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Duck yeah.