WNBA All-Star weekend has come and gone, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Maya Moore did exactly what she’s done over and over again during her time in the league and helped guide the Western Conference All-Stars to the 117-112 victory.

Her 30-point performance set a WNBA All-Star Game record, breaking the 29-point record set by Shoni Schimmel in the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game. Moore’s performance in Connecticut was just one on a long list of memorable moments for the reigning WNBA MVP in the state where she played her college ball. It was evident during her personal 8-0 run down the stretch that she’s still a beloved player in Connecticut.

“It’s just fun to play in front of a crowd that’s going to appreciate it,” Moore said. “It’s going to be a toss between Minnesota fans and [Connecticut] fans, both near and dear to my heart.  If I was going to do it in front of any other fans that weren’t Minnesota, I would want it to be here in Connecticut. So had a blast doing it.”

Catchings makes history in final All-Star Game

Tamika Catchings and history are words that have been written in the same sentence on numerous occasions this season. She became the third-leading rebounder in WNBA history during the first half the year, earned the first-ever Sports Humanitarian of the Year award and was named as a starter to her WNBA-record tenth All-Star game.

And then she made more history during the game. Catchings scored on a one-handed alley-oop layup with 6:40 left in the first half to become the all-time leading scorer in WNBA All-Star Game history, passing Lisa Leslie.

After the game, that history was not lost on Catchings. She reflected on a career that already has her considered one of the best to ever play the game. Her teammates and fellow All-Stars raved about Catchings and their experiences competing with her.

“Every time I’ve played her,” said San Antonio Stars guard Danielle Robinson, “the moves she makes and the plays that she makes, you’re in awe still being on the same level as her. She’s unreal. The career that she’s had is amazing  and I’m honored to be a part of this game with her.”

“With Tamika Catchings, it’s even more special for me,” said Alex Bentley, “because I grew up watching her. I’m an Indianapolis native, so I grew up watching the Indiana Fever and Tamika Catchings, so it was pretty surreal for me to be on the same team with her and representing for the Eastern Conference.”

Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird has had a similarly successful career — featuring nine All-Star appearances, tied with Tina Thompson for second all-time — and has been a teammate to Catchings for years on USA Basketball teams. The two entered the league as rookies in 2002 (Catchings sat out 2001 with an ACL injury) and were on three gold-medal winning Olympic teams together.

“There probably isn’t one favorite moment,” Bird said, “but I’ve been lucky to be able to play with her on many teams with USA Basketball. I’m always against her in the WNBA, it doesn’t matter if it’s regular season or All-Star, we’ve always been opponents there. Luckily, we’ve been able to be teammates. And really, it’s not necessarily a moment, but the cool thing about Tamika [Catchings] and I is that we came into the league around the same time. She didn’t really have her rookie year until a year after. So we essentially came into the league at the same time. We definitely started with the national team at the same time. We’ve really gone through a lot in basketball together, so it’s pretty cool and I’m happy for her and I’m happy to see all that she’s accomplished. And now that it’s coming to an end, she’s soaking it all up.”

All-Stars talk about Becky Hammon’s coaching success

Former WNBA great Becky Hammon became the first female head coach of an NBA Summer League team earlier this summer. That achievement alone was momentous enough to turn heads, but Hammon didn’t stop there. No, she and the San Antonio Spurs had bigger things in mind.

Hammon helped lead the Spurs to the NBA Las Vegas Summer League championship over the Phoenix Suns. Watching from afar were WNBA players who, as Stars guard Kayla McBride says, knew Hammon would be successful as a coach.

“She’s just a great person,” McBride said. “It wasn’t surprising that [the Spurs] won the [Summer League title game]. Just playing with her and knowing her IQ, knowing what she brings to any team, whether she’s a coach or a player, is unbelievable. So I was definitely tuned in, and I think what she’s been able to do is legendary. I know it’s just summer league, but for her to be a woman and do that kind of thing and have control over professional men like that, it’s amazing. She’s somebody I look up to, and I’m just really happy for her.”

“It’s been amazing,” added Tamika Catchings. “Becky is one of those players that has consistently gotten better on and off the court. Even when she was playing, you’d watch her and how she was able to talk to her teammates and how she was able to lead – you saw that in her. You saw the coaching capability. So her getting to this point in her career and being able to get to the San Antonio Spurs and, ultimately, becoming the first female head coach in the NBA Summer League, it’s a huge honor for her and a huge honor for women, overall. Just seeing someone as successful as her, not only on the court but off the court, too.”

Second half tips off Tuesday

Now that All-Star weekend is in the books, the focus around the league shifts to towards the looming postseason. Plenty of teams are in tightly contested races for a spot in the postseason, and it all gets underway Tuesday when the Sun host the Fever and the Sky travel west to take on the Mercury.

Don’t miss a minute of the action with WNBA LiveAccess. Order now and see how the second half of the season will play out.