The starters for the WNBA All-Star Game were announced on Sunday, and there are some familiar faces as well as a new All-Star story.
Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury has been named the starter for the sixth time in her career and will be making her ninth career trip to ASG, a number that includes her honorary selection in 2022 when she was wrongfully detained in a Russian prison and was forced to miss the entire season. The 2022 All-Star Game was played in her honor, with the league continuing to draw attention to her plight and each player wearing a No. 42 jersey.
Rookie Aliyah Boston will be making his first trip. Boston was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever on April 10. And now, just two months later, he’s just the sixth player in WNBA history to be named a starter All-Star in his rookie season.
Boston and Griner are just two of a dynamic group of seasoned WNBA players to be named ASG starters. Here is the full list:
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Captain: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, fifth appearance
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Captain: Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty, fifth appearance
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Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever, first appearance
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Chelsea Grey, Las Vegas Aces, fifth appearance
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Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury, ninth appearance
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Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm, fifth appearance
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Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings, third appearance
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Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks, eighth appearance
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Satou Sabally, Dallas Wings, second appearance
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Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces, second appearance
All-Star starters are chosen by a combination of votes from fans, current WNBA players and the media. The fan vote counts for 50%, and the players and media each count for 25%. The 12 reserves will be chosen by the league’s head coaches and announced on July 1. The captains will choose their teams in a live draft on July 8.
The WNBA All-Star Game is set to be played July 15 in Las Vegas.