Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
Twitter
For many who live in the state of Minnesota, or have maybe just visited the state, there is plenty to enjoy in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Next summer, the Lynx will have a chance to show off all that Minnesota has to offer when they host the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time ever.
The WNBA and the Lynx announced Saturday afternoon at the Minnesota State Fair that Minneapolis and Target Center will be the home of the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 28 at 2:30 p.m
“What better time and what better moment than now? We’ve created a team here that people can’t deny they’ve put us there as one of the top teams,” Seimone Augustus said earlier this season. “What better way to celebrate this team and this city that has embraced this team, as well as the players on this team, than to have the All-Star Game here? It would be perfect.”
It will be the first time Target Center will host the WNBA All-Star Game since the building opened up in 1990. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who share the arena with the Lynx, hosted one NBA All-Star Game in 1994.
The 2018 WNBA All-Star Game in Minnesota and the Twin Cities makes sense for numerous reasons.
The Lynx have been one of the best teams in the WNBA as of late and have cemented themselves as one of the top dynasties in league history.
The Minnesota fan base has been one of the most loyal and energetic fan bases in the WNBA, helping the Lynx sit right at the top of the league in attendance nearly every season.
And there is the soon-to-be newly renovation Target Center, the impressive new facility that will be ready to welcome back the Lynx during the 2018 season.
As Augustus asked, what better time than now? What better way to celebrate all that the Lynx have built in Minnesota for almost the last decade?
That’s right, the WNBA All-Star Game.
And now, the wait is over for Minnesotans, Lynx fans and the Lynx organization to welcome the league and all of its fans to the Twin Cities.
“I talk to my friends around the league, they just see the one area where they stay (when they come to Minnesota). . . It’s so much bigger than that,” Augustus said. “You have to get out and about, visit different restaurants, go to the lakes and things like that.
“Minnesota is a beautiful place and I think something like the All-Star Game would give people the opportunity to see more than one particular area.”