The NBA’s All-Star break had some highs and lows. The TNT crew’s farewell was grand and emotional. But it couldn’t overcome one big shadow on the weekend. For the first time in two decades, LeBron James was not in the All-Star game. He was selected, hard to leave him out ever, but he couldn’t participate in it. It was fairly last minute when the NBA announced it, too late for another healthy player to replace him. And the basketball community had a problem with that. And now, the history is repeating itself in the WNBA, with Caitlin Clark. Somehwat.

Because 2025 is just that harsh, Caitlin Clark has been injured twice. But only on the eve of the All-Star Weekend did the WNBA announce that with a replacement. The timing hasn’t sunk in yet till the real fun begins. Probably when we’re missing the Indiana Fever star in the middle of the fray, it will be 3 stages of disappointment.

Stage 1 – The Disappointment

It was sealed on Thursday evening – Caitlin Clark was not participating in any on-court activities at the All-Star Weekend hosted in Indianapolis. She walked the orange carpet at the Studbudz party and will go through the usual media duties, but no 3-point contest and no game.

She recently came back from a left groin strain, only to injure it again. This time, on her right leg, against the Connecticut Sun. Despite two days in between, the WNBA didn’t finalize her participation until Thursday. Can we say deja vu?

LeBron James also announced he’s missing the All-Star weekend for the first time in his career in 2025, 90 minutes before the actual game. He was suffering from ankle and foot discomfort at the time, which seemed reasonable. When he showed up for team pictures without Shaq’s Team OG uniform and in regular clothes, some conspiracy theories abounded. Most felt that his non-participation was pre-decided long enough for him not to suit up.

Stage 2- Adjusting Expectation

What happens when the main draw of the biggest exhibition weekend of the season is absent? The 2025 All-Star game was watched by 4.72 million viewers, which was a 13% drop from the 5.4 million viewers in 2024. Fans mostly stayed on for the many tributes to the Inside Guys, who were in the All-Star game for the last time before NBC takes over next season. But the games failed to live up to expectations.

The WNBA is in its ratings boom thanks to Caitlin Clark, her rivalry with Angel Reese, and the arrival of Paige Bueckers. The Fever’s ESPN game viewership fell 55% when Clark was out injured, and ticket prices also fell abruptly. Surely the league wouldn’t want to upset fans who are here for very specific players?

To avoid the same aftermath as their sister league, it appears the people on the WNBA’s communications floor took some strategic license. By announcing Caitlin Clark’s absence on the eve of the All-Star festival instead of on game day, fans get enough time to prepare for her absence.

Preserving the hype around the superstars till the last minute invites more trouble, as they’ve learned watching the boys club. Look, it doesn’t make it any better. Clark is still injured, fans are mad at the refs for poor officiating, and Cathy Engelbert and Co. are still being blamed for this situation. But at least we can adjust our expectations now.

The first adjustment came when the WNBA announced her withdrawal from the 3-point contest ahead of time. Clark, the Logo 3 specialist of the NCAA, raised the anticipation for a 3-point contest in the Fever arena for the first time. Points for transparency, though. We’ll just wait for another time for Clark to go head-to-head with Sabrina Ionescu.

This is so not the NBA playbook. Since the ’90s, the ‘will he-won’t he’ strategy kept speculation alive, ratings high, and fans engaged. When used for the right star, that is. Like the 1998 propaganda about it being Michael Jordan’s final season, if the Bulls would return, and when MJ did stick around for five more seasons, if he’d participate in the All-Star games. Never mind that you’d have to physically hold His Airness back from not playing 80+ games and the All-Star spectacles. The media whispers kept the NBA alive.

It shifted from Jordan to LeBron James instantly. Denying stars’ availability till the last minute for marquee events became the norm. For example, Zion Williamson’s absence at the 2019 Summer League wasn’t announced till tip-off. The upsides are obvious. The downside, disappointed fans don’t stick around.

Stage 3 – The Aftermath

What if the WNBA did something else? Could they have monitored Clark’s condition and decided before game time? Not really. That kind of injury is not a what-if. It’s absolute rehab.

It would’ve been a whole can of worms to hold Clark’s spot longer than necessary. Now, Brittney Sykes gets to make history as the first Syracuse player to make her All-Star debut. By making Clark’s status clear early enough, the WNBA added credibility to its name. Something that is in short supply for the league, especially after failing to properly monetize on the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

That’s another part of the strategy. It’s become more obvious in the two stars’ sophomore years that fans in the arena can get wilder (for lack of a better term). At least now, fans who are walking into Gainbridge Fieldhouse know that their in-house superstar is not playing.

Sure, they lost the buzz, the hype, the fireworks. Things that can be carried forward to the next year. But the sales! The Indiana Fever had 90 times more ticket sales in 2024 than the year before. In 2025, they’re the hottest ticket. Until Caitlin’s quad injury. When she was ruled out for two weeks in May, ticket prices for those games went from $137 to $80. Because we didn’t get another Angel vs Caitlin showdown, ticket prices from that game went from $200 to $25.

The numbers for the All-Star games aren’t in yet, but they’re going to be significantly impacted by resales and lack of onsite sales. Unless they have something in the bag for the main weekend. We’ll get to know in due course anyway.

We have to remember, the NBA has at least 5 decades over the WNBA, which transformed into a globally sellable product just last year. It’s in the stage of building fans’ trust. Not to take bold risks with hype.