Year in and year out, it’s no secret that the Minnesota Lynx has incredibly passionate fans.

The state of Minnesota has endured some epic WNBA battles throughout the years. Mostly at Target Center, but also at Xcel Energy Center and Williams Arena in 2017.

Minnesota, and more specifically Target Center, will be hosting its first-ever WNBA All-Star Game, which is a little silly to think about considering the popularity of the Lynx and WNBA in the Twin Cities market.

Even one of the Lynx’s biggest rivals is high on the game being in Minneapolis.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s obviously a great city to come play,” Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi said Friday. “We always come with the Phoenix Mercury jersey and I think that rivalry has gotten to the point where it’s pretty intense, and they’re great fans. They really are. They come out and support their team. . . It’ll be great to go out there and get some cheers, and also appreciate them, too. They’ve done a lot for Minnesota and for the Lynx.”

Another Lynx rival, Candace Parker, said that she had to convince her own daughter that she wasn’t going into hostile territory.

“It was hard to convince my daughter that we weren’t here to play the Lynx,” Parker said. “She didn’t grasp that. She’s like, ‘but we’re in Minnesota’ . . . If anyone encompasses the tough games we’ve played here, my daughter understands.”

While the Lynx have had plenty of competitive games that have gotten heated at Target Center, this is a weekend to be the opposite of heated: to relax.

“This is a great weekend for all of us to just have some fun,” Elena Delle Donne said. “Take a deep breath and relax. It’s also great that we have this great fan base here to support us and be here and make the game really fun.”

Tipoff on Saturday is set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.