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Full remarks: Michelle Obama delivers tear-jerking speech at grand opening of Obama Center
Former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered an emotional speech at the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center.
The WNBA will be the first professional sports league to host an event in the Obama Presidential Center when the league brings its All-Star Weekend to Chicago later this month.
Local perspective:
The WNBA announced on Wednesday that it will hold three events at the Obama Presidential Center.
The release notes that holding events at the Obama Center will serve as a featured venue "bringing together players, fans and community members for unique experiences celebrating basketball, culture, community impact, and connection throughout the weekend."
The three events at the Obama Center will be:
- AT&T WNBA All-Star Media Day and Practice: This marks the first time an All-Star practice will be held at a venue of this kind.
- 2026 WNBA Changemaker Day
- Jr. WNBA Day
The Jr. WNBA Day celebrates the All-Star weekend with a day of programming designed to "inspire girls through basketball, leadership, and learning." The WNBA will host a basketball fundamentals clinic, engage attendees with panel discussions and a vision‑board workshop, and more.
The league chose the Obama Presidential Center because of its "Home Court" and 60,000-square foot atheltic building. The Home Court specifically features a WNBA-regulation basketball court, which will be utilized for practices.
These events will help kick off the WNBA All-Star Weekend. The All-Star Events will begin with the State Farm WNBA 3-Point Contest and Kia WNBA Shooting Stars on Friday, July 24 at Wintrust Arena.
The WNBA All-Star Game is set to play on Saturday, July 25 at the United Center.
What they're saying:
"Hosting AT&T WNBA All-Star events at the Obama Presidential Center is a true honor and reflects our commitment to creating connection through basketball and engaging communities in meaningful ways," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. "We're excited to bring together the WNBA family and the greater Chicago community to create memorable experiences at this historic new venue."
"We are thrilled to welcome the WNBA as our first professional sports league hosted at the Obama Presidential Center," CEO of The Obama Foundation Valerie Jarrett said in a statement. "At the Center, we believe sports have the power to bring people together and create meaningful opportunities to build the next generation of leaders."
The Source: Information comes from the WNBA.