Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will team up to form the WNBA All-Star Team and play against the US Olympic team led by A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
The pair of notable rookies were selected Tuesday through a combination of votes from the media, players and fans, as well as the league’s 12 coaches, to play in the game in Phoenix on July 20. It is the 20th All-Star Game in league history.
Clark was the biggest fan vote-getter, with 700,735 votes, while her Indiana teammate Aliyah Boston came in second with 72,000 votes behind her. Reese came in fifth with 381,518 votes. Wilson and Stewart came in third and fourth, with Wilson receiving 607,300 votes and Stewart having 424,135.
Clark and Reese have been a boon to the WNBA in ratings, merchandise sales and attendance. They’ve also been solid on the court, with Clark third in assists at 6.9 and Reese leading the WNBA in rebounds at 11.4. It’s only the eighth time the team has had two rookies. The last were Shoni Schimmel and Chiney Ogwumike in 2014.
Also in attendance were the WNBA rookies: Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones, Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, Los Angeles’ Dearica Hamby, New York’s Jonquel Jones, Minnesota’s Kayla McBride, Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell, Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike and Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale.
Ogunbowale was the MVP of the 2021 All-Star game, which had the same format as the U.S. team playing against a league All-Star team. The WNBA team won that game.
The U.S. team, which will be seeking an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal later this month in Paris, also includes Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. The Phoenix duo will get a chance to play in front of a home crowd in the exhibition match. Taurasi will be vying for a record six Olympic gold medals.
Three of Wilson’s Las Vegas teammates — Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young — are on the U.S. team. Gray was on the Tokyo Olympic team, while Plum and Young helped the Americans win the first 3-on-3 gold medal.
Other returning competitors from the Tokyo Games include Napheesa Collier and Jewell Loyd. Several debuting Olympians join the team in Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the U.S. team that won the 2022 World Cup in Australia.
Any player selected to the U.S. national team or WNBA roster is considered an All-Star, making this Taurasi’s 11th appearance in the game. She now ranks second only to Sue Bird for the most all-time. Bird was an All-Star 13 times.
The league hosts a 3-point contest and a skills competition the night before the All-Star game.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
