The 2024 WNBA All-Star Sport rosters are set with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese making their debuts within the annual showcase later this month.
Clark, the No. 1 choose by the Indiana Fever on this 12 months’s WNBA Draft, obtained probably the most votes within the fan-voting portion of the balloting. Having already gained Rookie of the Month in Might, she is main all first-year gamers in scoring (16.2 factors per recreation), assists (6.9 per recreation), and is second league-wide in 3-pointers made (56).
On Tuesday, Reese, the No. 7 choose to the Chicago Sky, was named Rookie of the Month for June. This previous weekend, she set a single-season WNBA document for consecutive double-doubles (10), and she or he led the WNBA in rebounding getting into Tuesday night time’s motion. Like Clark, Reese completed within the high 5 of the fan vote.
The countdown begins… ⏳
Get able to witness the final word conflict of expertise as #WNBAAllStar meets the USA Girls’s Nationwide Group on July twentieth at 8:30pm/ET on ABC 📺 pic.twitter.com/oEyJciHmEx
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 3, 2024
The 2 rookies are the one two first-time contributors within the exhibition, which is about for July 20 in Phoenix.
“I’m simply so joyful. I do know the work I put in,” Reese stated. “Coming into this league, so many individuals doubted me, didn’t suppose my recreation would translate and I wouldn’t be the participant that I used to be in school. … However I trusted the method and I believed and I’m grateful that I dropped to (choose No. 7) and was in a position to come to Chicago.”
It’s the first time since 2014 that two rookies will participate within the recreation.
The 12 members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic crew had been mechanically granted spots within the All-Star Sport. Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, who’s showing in her sixth Olympics, can even be taking part in in her eleventh All-Star Sport. Her teammate, middle Brittney Griner, can be showing in her tenth All-Star Sport, together with 2022 wherein she was an honorary participant.
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The preliminary number of the All-Stars was performed by means of a mixture of voting by followers (50 p.c), a nationwide panel of media members (25 p.c) and present WNBA gamers (25 p.c). Coaches stuffed out the rest of the roster.
The format of the sport will once more be Group USA towards Group WNBA. In 2021, the final time this format was used, Group WNBA defeated the U.S. Olympic crew.
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Group WNBA:
- DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut Solar (sixth All-Star Sport)
- Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever (second)
- Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever (first)
- Allisha Grey, Atlanta Dream (second)
- Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks (third)
- Brionna Jones, Connecticut Solar (third)
- Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty (fifth)
- Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx (fourth)
- Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever (second)
- Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings (fourth)
- Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm (ninth)
- Angel Reese, Chicago Sky (first)
Group USA:
- Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx (fourth)
- Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury (fourth)
- Chelsea Grey, Las Vegas Aces (sixth)
- Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury (tenth)
- Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty (third)
- Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm (sixth)
- Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces (third)
- Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty (sixth)
- Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury (eleventh)
- Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Solar (fifth)
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces (sixth)
- Jackie Younger, Las Vegas Aces (third)
Have been there any snubs?
As my colleague Sabreena Service provider and I wrote final week, deciding on Group WNBA would at all times be tough. Affordable circumstances will be made for every of the gamers chosen. And all however one crew (Washington Mystics) has at the least one participant within the exhibition.
Attainable snubs, nevertheless, embody Storm middle Ezi Magbegor, Lynx middle Alanna Smith and Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Magbegor is within the working for Defensive Participant of the 12 months honors. She leads the WNBA in complete blocks (42), is seventh in rebounds per recreation (8.7), is third in offensive rebounds per recreation (2.9), is third in defensive win shares and fourth in total win shares. Earlier this season, she recorded at the least three blocks in eight consecutive video games, the second-longest streak in WNBA historical past.
Smith anchors a Lynx protection that has the WNBA’s greatest defensive ranking (91.3) since 2007. This season, she has recorded new career-highs in factors, assists, steals and blocks. She is fourth in defensive win shares and can also be taking pictures a career-best 46.4 p.c from 3-point vary. Smith and Magbegor are anticipated to be key members of the Australian nationwide crew this summer season, however with each of them not making the WNBA All-Star Sport, there is just one worldwide participant within the contest (Jonquel Jones).
“I believed she had a great likelihood as properly,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve stated. “She’s actually good for as properly and we’re a great crew with a great document. … I simply know these issues aren’t simple.”
Getting into Tuesday night time’s recreation towards the Lynx, Laney-Hamilton, the versatile wing for New York, led all WNBA gamers who’ve appeared in additional than 5 video games in internet ranking (plus-19.9). She is once more one of many WNBA’s high defenders.
Fever is most represented franchise on Group WNBA
After not having any gamers on the U.S. Olympic crew, three members of the Fever (Clark, Boston and Mitchell) had been named to Group WNBA, probably the most of any franchise. Boston, who’s averaging 13.1 factors and eight.3 rebounds per recreation, completed second within the fan vote and was mechanically named to the crew as a perform of being within the high 10.
Like Boston, Mitchell is showing in her second consecutive All-Star Sport. She is averaging 16.3 factors per recreation and was among the many eight gamers named to the All-Star Sport following the coaches’ vote.
McBride, Hamby spotlight All-Star returnees
McBride, the Lynx guard, is returning to the All-Star Sport for the primary since 2019. She is Minnesota’s second-leading scorer with 15.8 factors per recreation, her highest output since 2018, and the Lynx have the Western Convention’s greatest document getting into Tuesday (14-4).
“I’m thrilled,” Reeve stated. “I believed it was a little bit of a no brainer, however I’m thrilled when it occurs. She’s had an unbelievable season up to now. Profession-high in scoring it and simply the ways in which we depend on (her), defensively, passing, every little thing that we ask her to do, making performs off the bounce. She’s simply doing every little thing for us.”
Hamby is making her third All-Star look and the primary since 2022. Having been traded within the 2023 offseason, Hamby is showing within the recreation simply over a 12 months after the delivery of her second youngster. She leads Los Angeles with profession highs of 18.4 factors and 10.3 rebounds per recreation. She can even take part within the Paris Olympics with Group USA’s 3×3 crew.
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(Picture: Emilee Chinn / Getty Pictures)