This week, the focus in the WNBA was the All Star Break in Las Vegas. The weekend started off with Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray won the Skills Challenge for Team Aces, with Sabrina Ionescu winning the 3-Point Contest with a record-breaking 31-point performance in the final round (missing only two shots). And of course, Team Stewart defeated Team Wilson 143-127, with Jewell Loyd winning the MVP award with a game-high 31 points.

While none of the Holy Land’s persons of interest participated in events on the court, here is the Sports Rabbi’s weekly update of how they performed this week in the games prior to the All Star Break – which included the last in-season Commissioner’s Cup games before the Championship, which will be held on August 15 between Alysha Clark’s Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty!

Player: Kalani Brown
College: Baylor University
Draft: 2019, Round 1, Pick 7
Current WNBA Team: Dallas Wings (11-9, 2nd in Western Conference, 6th overall)
2023-24 Israeli Team: Maccabi Bnot Ashdod
Summary: The Wings had a big 107-67 away victory over the Minnesota Lynx – who only sit one spot below the Wings in the standings – with Brown still absent injured.

Player: Leigha Brown
College: University of Michigan
Draft: 2023, Round 2, Pick 15
Current WNBA Team: Connecticut Sun (15-5, 2nd in Eastern Conference, 3rd overall)
2023-24 Israeli Team: ASA Jerusalem
Summary: The Sun had an 84-72 victory over the Chicago Sky in the Windy City, with Brown recording a rebound and an assist in just under two minutes of playing time.

Player: Maya Caldwell
College: University of Georgia
Draft: 2021, Round 3, Pick 33
Current WNBA Team: Indiana Fever (5-15, 6th in Eastern Conference, 10th overall)
2023-24 Israeli Team: AS Ramat Hasharon
Summary: The Fever lost at home to the in-form New York Liberty 87-95, with Caldwell unable to hit the scoreboard in six and a half minutes on the court.

Player: Alysha Clark
College: Middle Tennessee State University
Draft: 2010, Round 2, Pick 17
Current WNBA Team: Las Vegas Aces (19-2, 1st in Western Conference, 1st overall)
2023-24 Israeli Team: — (2022-23 with Elitzur Ramla)
Summary: The Aces had two wins in the leadup to the All Star Break, with a 98-72 home victory over the Phoenix Mercury (Clark with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 26 and a half minutes) followed by a 97-78 away victory over the Los Angeles Sparks the next night (Clark with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a little over 22 minutes).

Player: Jennie Simms
College: Old Dominion University
Draft: 2017, Round 2, Pick 18
Current WNBA Team: Phoenix Mercury (4-16, 6th in Western Conference, 12th overall)
2023-24 Israeli Team: Elitzur Ramla
Summary: The Mercury lost 72-98 away to the league leading Las Vegas Aces, with Simms recording 2 points and 1 rebound in a little under six minutes on the court.

Abby Meyers, who appeared in last week’s update, was released by the Washington Mystics during the week.

Current Standings
1. Las Vegas Aces (19-2)
2. New York Liberty (14-4)
3. Connecticut Sun (15-5)
4. Washington Mystics (11-8)
5. Atlanta Dream (11-8)
6. Dallas Wings (11-9)
7. Minnesota Lynx (9-11)
8. Chicago Sky (8-12)
9. Los Angeles Sparks (7-13)
10. Indiana Fever (5-15)
11. Seattle Storm (4-15)
12. Phoenix Mercury (4-16)