On Tuesday afternoon, the WNBA announced the selections for the 15th WNBA All-Star Game that will take place July 28 in Minneapolis.
And like the NBA’s current format, the WNBA will not have a traditional West versus East format. For the first time, the All-Star game will consist of two captain drafting players for their respective teams. While this has the potential for an all-time great game, this didn’t come without its own drama.
The two leading vote-getters, Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore and Washington Mystics forward/guard Elena Delle Donne, earned their spot as team captains. However, Moore informed the WNBA that she will not be able to serve as captain for undisclosed reasons; as a result, president Lisa Borders chose Los Angeles Sparks forward/center Candace Parker to replace Moore (who will still be playing). Parker had finished third in the fan voting, justifying the selection.
Highlighting the 22-player pool are two surefire future Hall-of-Famers, Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird and Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi. Bird, the WNBA’s all-time assist leader, will be playing in a record 11th All-Star game, while Taurasi, the only player in league history with 1,000 three-pointers, will be playing in her ninth All-Star game. Taurasi is one of seven WNBA MVP’s to be chosen for this year’s game.
The WNBA All-Star Game will be noticeably different from the past: there is no battle for conference supremacy. Instead, Delle Donne and Parker will choose from the pool of All-Stars that the fans and their peers voted in. Seattle head coach Dan Hughes will coach Team Delle Donne, while Phoenix head coach Sandy Brondello will hold the reins for Team Parker. The rosters for each team will be revealed on Thursday, July 19 at the start of the Washington/Dallas Wings match-up.
On Friday, July 27, the starting lineups will be announced at the WNBA All-Star Welcome Reception. The All-Star Game itself will be televised the following day on ABC at 3:30 p.m. EST.
All-Star Selections:
Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx; 8th selection)
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm; 11th)
DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix Mercury; 2nd)
Liz Cambage (Dallas Wings; 2nd)
Tina Charles (New York Liberty; 6th)
Elena Delle Donne (Washington Mystics; 5th)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas Wings; 4th)
Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx; 5th)
Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles Sparks; 2nd)
Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury; 5th)
Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm; 1st)
Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx; 6th)
Kayla McBride (Las Vegas Aces; 2nd)
Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream; 5th)
Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut Sun; 2nd)
Nneka Ogwumkie (Los Angeles Sparks; 5th)
Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks; 5th)
Allie Quigley (Chicago Sky; 2nd)
Breanna Stewart (Seattle Storm; 2nd)
Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury; 9th)
Kristi Toliver (Washington Mystics; 2nd)
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces; 1st)
