The Guru Report: WNBA Reveals All-Star Rosters
NEW YORK, June 30, 2021- AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021, to be played Wednesday, July 14 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, will showcase the WNBA’s biggest and brightest stars under one roof when the WNBA’s top talent squares off against one another in a clash between WNBA All-Stars versus the USA Basketball Women’s National Team voted-in as part of a combination of fan, player, media, and coach voting. The 17th WNBA All-Star Game will be broadcast live by ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.
The 2021 AT&T WNBA All Star Game is one of many key elements of the celebration of the WNBA’s 25th season, which will continue to recognize the incredible achievements of players to date while also serving as a celebratory send-off of the WNBA players who will compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Serving as Co-Head Coaches of Team WNBA will be WNBA Legends Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson. Both Leslie and Thompson are among the most decorated players in league history. Each was named to the WNBA’s All-Decade Team in 2006. Each also was among the honorees in 2016 when the WNBA unveiled its “Top 20@20” celebrating the 20 greatest and most influential players in its history. The USA Women’s National Team will be under the direction of Head Coach Dawn Staley, herself a member of the WNBA’s All-Decade Team.
As part of the league’s 25th season celebrations, the WNBA will also honor the gold-medal winning 1996 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team with a special presentation during the game highlighting the impact the team had on women’s sports and the role it played in launching the WNBA.
The initial selection of the All-Stars was conducted through a combination of voting by fans (50 percent of the vote), current WNBA players (25 percent) and a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters (25 percent) from June 15 through June 27.
The top 36 vote-getters from that voting process who are not members of the USA Basketball 5x5 roster, were provided to WNBA Head Coaches who determined from that list, the 12 players who will play for the Team WNBA All-Stars. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. Each coach was required to submit votes for five frontcourt players, three guards, and four additional players at any position. The list of top 36 vote-getters is available here.
Starters for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021 will be determined by the respective head coaches of Team WNBA and the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.
As previously announced, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team will hold training camp in Las Vegas in July. If a player for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team is unable to participate in AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021, USA Basketball will appoint a replacement. Should a member of Team WNBA be unable to play for any reason, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will name a replacement.
For ticket information for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021, log on to wnba.com/allstar.
AT&T is the Marquee Partner of the WNBA and is an inaugural WNBA Changemaker.
Below are the rosters for the WNBA All Stars representing Team WNBA and the USA Basketball Women’s National Team (USA Women).
^ denotes first-time All-Star selection
YRS denotes number of seasons completed entering 2021
ASG denotes number of All-Star selections including 2021
AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021 – Team WNBA
DeWanna Bonner, Sun (4th All-Star selection): A two-time WNBA champion (2009, 2014) and the only player in league history to win the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year honor three times (2009-2011), Bonner was named to the All-Star Game for the fourth time. Bonner’s 16.1 ppg and 7.4 rpg rank second on the Sun this season behind only Jonquel Jones.
Liz Cambage, Aces (4th All-Star selection): A two-time All-WNBA Team selection (2018-19) and the runner up in the 2018 WNBA MVP voting when she paced the league in scoring, Cambagewas named to the All-Star Game for the fourth time. Her 14.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 1.8 bpg have helped Las Vegas to the league lead in scoring to date for the 2021 season, and the No. 2 spot in rebounding and blocks. For players who have played as many career games as Cambage, her 7.8 rpg ranks 10th in WNBA history.
Kahleah Copper, Sky (1st All-Star selection): Now in her sixth WNBA season, Copper, a first-time All-Star, has thrived since being inserted into the Sky’s starting lineup in 2020. Through 17 games, she is leading Chicago in scoring (13.9 ppg) and minutes (32.2).
Dearica Hamby, Aces (1st All-Star selection): The reigning, two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, Hamby will represent the Aces in her first All-Star appearance. One of six Aces to average double-figures in scoring this season, Hamby (11.2 ppg) has done so while coming off the bench in all 15 games for Las Vegas.
Brionna Jones, Sun (1st All-Star selection): A first round draft pick in 2017 who broke into the Sun’s starting lineup a year ago, this is Jones All-Star debut. In 2021, Jones is recording career-best figures for scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg), while playing the most minutes of her five seasons (31.1 mpg).
Jonquel Jones, Sun (3rd All-Star selection): For Jones, the two-time league rebounding leader (2017, 2019), who won the league’s Most Improved Player honor in 2017 and Sixth Woman of the Year in 2018, this is her third All-Star Game. Jones leads the league in rebounding (10.9 rpg) and the Sun with a career-best 21.7 ppg (third in the WNBA). She also is No. 2 in the WNBA in three-point shooting accuracy (.490).
Betnijah Laney, Liberty (1st All-Star selection): The WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2020, now in her first season with the Liberty, Laney has earned her first All-Star selection. After posting career-highs of 17.2 ppg and 4.0 apg last season with Atlanta, Laney has increased her output in 2021 to 19.7 ppg and 5.3 apg.
Arike Ogunbowale, Wings (1st All-Star selection): The WNBA’s leading scorer last season when she averaged 22.8 ppg is among the league-leaders once again, ranking fourth at 20.3 ppg. Ogunbowale, who has scored at least 20 points in 10 of her 16 games, will be making her All-Star debut.
Candace Parker, Sky (6th All-Star selection): Having earned a championship and two league MVP honors in 13 seasons with the Sparks, Parker will now represent the Sky as an All-Star. Parker, who made an immediate impact on the league in 2008 as the only WNBA player to win Rookie of the Year and league MVP honors in the same season, has made an immediate impact in her first season with Chicago – the Sky have posted an 8-1 record in games in which she has played.
Satou Sabally, Wings (1st All-Star selection): The No. 2 overall selection in the 2020 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, Sabally is one of two Wings selected to make their first All-Star appearance, along with Ogunbowale. Sabally is Dallas’ leading rebounder (6.1 rpg) and No. 3 scorer (13.2 ppg).
Courtney Vandersloot, Sky (3rd All-Star selection): The five-time WNBA assists leader (2015, 2017-2020), who last season became the first player in WNBA history to average double-digit assists with 10.0 apg, is a three-time All-Star. An All-WNBA First Team selection the past two seasons, Vandersloot is averaging a league-leading 8.5 apg in 2021, two more per game than the No. 2 ranked player.
Courtney Williams, Dream (1st All-Star selection): A sixth-year player now in her second season with the Dream, Williams will represent Atlanta in her All-Star debut. One year after leading the league’s guards in rebounding (7.2 rpg), Williams, who has increased her scoring output each season, is averaging a career-high 17.1 ppg.
AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021 – USA Women’s National Team
Ariel Atkins, Mystics (named to first All-Star Game): Atkins, who won a WNBA championship with Washington in 2019 is one of six first-time Olympians on the USA women’s roster. Making the first All-Star appearance of her career, she is posting career-highs in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (3.3 rpg). She is the Mystics’ second-leading scorer behind only fellow USA Women’s team member, Tina Charles.
Sue Bird, Storm (named to record 12th All-Star Game): Now in her 18th WNBA season, Bird has been named to more WNBA All-Star Games than any other player in league history. A four-time WNBA champion and the league’s career leader in assists (2,985), Bird joins Diana Taurasi and Teresa Edwards as the only five-time U.S. women’s basketball Olympians.
Tina Charles, Mystics (8th All-Star Game): The WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft and the 2012 league MVP, Charles leads all players in scoring in 2021 with a career-high 25.5 ppg. She also is the Mystics’ leader in rebounding (9.1 rpg). A two-time Olympic gold medal winner, Charles is a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for the third time.
Napheesa Collier, Lynx (2nd All-Star Game): The 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Collier is a first-time Olympian and second-time All-Star. She was voted to the All-WNBA Second Team and the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2020. Collier currently leads the Lynx in scoring with a career-best 17.6 ppg and trails only Sylvia Fowles in rebounding (6.5 rpg).
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Mercury (5th All-Star Game): A first-time member of the U.S. Olympic Team, Diggins-Smith was named to the All-Star Game for the fifth time in her career. Her 18.9 ppg is the second-highest figure of her career behind only the 20.1 she posted in 2014, her second year in the WNBA.
Sylvia Fowles, Lynx (7th All-Star Game): The WNBA’s career leader in total rebounds (3,539) and defensive boards (2,517), and a two-time league champ, Fowles joins a short list of American women basketball players who have competed in at least four Olympics including, Tamika Catchings and Lisa Leslie (four times each), and Bird, Taurasi and Edwards (five times each). Fowles leads the league in steals (2.4 spg) and field goal percentage (.635) and is tied for third in rebounding (9.9 rpg).
Chelsea Gray, Aces (4th All-Star Game): An All-Star for the fourth straight time and a first-time Olympian, Gray’s career-high 6.5 apg (second in the league) has Las Vegas leading the WNBA in scoring (91.3 ppg). Now in her first campaign with the Aces, Gray spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks and helped that team to the 2016 league championship.
Brittney Griner, Mercury (7th All-Star Game): A two-time WNBA scoring leader and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Griner is making her second appearance on the U.S. Olympic roster after helping the team win the gold medal in 2016. Griner’s career average of 2.9 bpg and her 14 regular-season dunks rank first in league history; her 2.3 bpg in 2021 leads the league.
Jewell Loyd, Storm (3rd All-Star Game): After helping Seattle to WNBA championships in 2020 and 2018, Loyd, the 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year, is making her third All-Star appearance and is a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for the first time. Loyd’s career-highs in points (18.6 ppg) and assists (4.5 apg) rank second on the Storm behind only Stewart and Bird, respectively.
Breanna Stewart, Storm (3rd All-Star Game): The reigning WNBA Finals MVP and the 2018 league MVP, Stewart is a three-time All-Star and two-time member of the U.S. Olympic Team. Stewart’s 21.8 ppg is second in the WNBA only to Charles and her 10.1 rpg is second behind only Jonquel Jones. Both figures are equal to or surpass her previous career-high.
Diana Taurasi, Mercury (10th All-Star Game): The WNBA’s career leader in points (9,019) and three-point shots made (1,177), Taurasi’s 10 All-Star Game selections are second in league history only to Bird (12). She is a three-time WNBA champion, former league MVP and two-time Finals MVP. After winning an Olympic gold alongside Bird in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016, she joins Bird and Edwards as the only five-time U.S. women’s basketball Olympians.
A’ja Wilson, Aces (3rd All-Star Game): A first-time member of the U.S. Olympic Team, Wilson is a three-time All-Star. The 2020 league MVP and All-WNBA First Team selection was the captain of Team Wilson in the AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019, also played in Las Vegas. Team Wilson defeated Team (Elena) Delle Donne, 129-126. Wilson’s 2021 season
posted by Mel Greenberg | 5:27 PM
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