W.N.B.A. All-Stars Beat Olympians in Gold Medal Game of Their Own

Arike Ogunbowale won the Most Valuable Player Award with Team W.N.B.A., and Team U.S.A. was reminded that “everybody is always going to want to take us down.”

With her group of All-Stars huddled around and bouncing up and down, Team W.N.B.A. Coach Lisa Leslie urged the players to keep up their energy. “We’re about to make history,” Leslie, a Hall of Famer and four-time Olympic gold medalist, shouted. Then she added, “Rebound on three!” as they broke the huddle and made their way back toward the court. That excitement and urgency permeated the Team W.N.B.A. bench throughout the league’s All-Star Game in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Leslie and Tina Thompson, also a Hall of Famer, coached Team W.N.B.A. to a 93-85 defeat of Team U.S.A. in a high-energy matchup that felt more like a regular-season game than an exhibition.