WNBA All-Star weekend has everything audiences crave so far. Kicking off with the Skills Challenge competition, fans were treated to a fast paced, down to the wire event.
Every participant showed out and had impressive times through the obstacle course. In the first round Courtney Williams went first and recorded a time of 42 seconds. Second, Natasha Cloud was able to lock up a time of 34.1 seconds. Third, Skylar Diggins managed a time of 44.3 seconds, which left Williams safe at the time. Fourth, Erica Wheeler recorded a time of 36.5 seconds which eliminated Williams. Lastly, the reigning champion Allisha Gray could not defend her throne, as she recorded a time of 39.4 seconds.
This final round came down to Seattle Storm’s Wheeler and New York Liberty’s Cloud. Wheeler went first and recorded a time of 37.5 seconds, however with 1.1 second left, Cloud was able to take home the victory.
It is important to note that when the second person is up, the clock ticks down from the first person’s time. Cloud mentioned in the press conference knowing the time of Wheeler beforehand played to her advantage.
Natasha on Cloud Nine
After winning, Cloud talked with ESPN’s Holly Rowe about the victory and how she took her time with the bounce passes which ultimately was the reason for the win. There were many contributing factors to how Cloud won this competition, but the passing objectives were key. Other competitors flew through the shooting objectives, but would get stuck on the passing, a main component in the challenge.
Cloud also talked about how important it was to share the moment with her teammates, especially Isabelle Harrison. She also stated, “this All-Star break is a good reset break for us […],” which seems to be a recurring theme for everybody across the league.
Hear what Natasha Cloud had to say after winning the 2025 Kia Skills Challenge 🔊 pic.twitter.com/dxIv5kxguS
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 19, 2025
From the press conference Cloud explained:
“My biggest concern was the passing, I think you saw in the first round if you messed up any of those passes it takes so much time off, so those were my main targets, obviously knowing I want to make my shots but if not I only have three balls to shoot so the other two could just go up real quick.”
There has been the idea that missed shots should add extra time, which I wouldn’t be surprised if that gets attention in the future.
From this win, Natasha Cloud will receive $57,575. The prize money is sponsored by Aflac, who is a corporate WNBA partner, and the league itself. Aflac will provide $55,000 for Cloud, while the league is providing $2,575.
