Players selected for the 2018 All-Star Game, Elena Delle Donne and Candace Parker to serve as team captains
Former WNBA MVPs Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx and Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics are the leading vote-getters after the final returns of WNBA All-Star voting. Under a revamped All-Star format, the two were supposed to serve as team captains and select rosters, regardless of conference, from the remaining pool of 20 All-Stars. However, Moore told the league that she will be unable to perform her captain duties. Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker will serve in her place.
From the league regarding Moore:
She has been excused from those responsibilities but will remain a part of the All-Star Game. Parker has been selected by WNBA President Lisa Borders to replace Moore as a team captain due to finishing third in the fan voting behind Moore and Delle Donne.
Moore was the leading vote-getter among fans (47,620). She was followed by Delle Donne (42,171), Parker (38,575), Sue Bird (37,098) and Diana Taurasi (35,687). According to the league, fans cast 44 percent more votes than they did last year (873,437 vs. 604,680).
The rosters for each team will be revealed Thursday, July 19 at the start of ESPN2’s broadcast of the Washington Mystics and the Dallas Wings game (8 p.m. ET tip-off). The All-Star team captains and head coaches will meet to determine the starting lineups Friday, July 27. The starters will be revealed that night on ESPN2 (7 p.m. ET) during a live telecast of the WNBA All-Star Welcome Reception in Minnesota.
Last week, the league announced that Seattle Storm head coach Dan Hughes and Phoenix Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello are the coaches for the All-Star Game. The selection was based on the the two head coaches whose teams had the best records through games on Friday, July 13.
The 15th WNBA All-Star Game is set for Saturday, July 28 at Target Center in Minneapolis. ABC will televise the game at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT. The 2018 WNBA regular season continues through Aug. 19 and the playoffs begin on Aug. 21.
The group of 22 All-Stars were selected without regard for conference affiliation through voting by fans, current WNBA players and head coaches, and selected media.
All-Stars By Position
Guards
- Seimone Augustus, Lynx (8th All-Star selection): This is the sixth consecutive All-Star nod for Augustus, who has earned all eight of her selections as a member of the Lynx.
- Sue Bird, Storm (11th All-Star selection): Bird, the WNBA’s career assists leader and Seattle’s career points leader, has played the second-most games (497) in league history and is poised to surpass DeLisha Milton-Jones (499) as the all-time leader in that category.
- Skylar Diggins-Smith, Wings (4th All-Star selection): Selected to the All-Star Game every year except her rookie season, Diggins-Smith will appear in Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018 alongside Delle Donne and Mercury center Brittney Griner, fellow members of the famed “Three to See” WNBA Draft class of 2013.
- Chelsea Gray, Sparks (2nd All-Star selection): Gray, who helped lead the Sparks to the last two WNBA Finals, is an All-Star for the second year in a row.
- Jewell Loyd, Storm (1st All-Star selection): The 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year is one of two first-time All-Star selections this year, joining Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson.
- Kayla McBride, Aces (2nd All-Star selection): McBride returns to the All-Star Game after a previous appearance in 2015, her second WNBA season.
- Allie Quigley, Sky (2nd All-Star selection): An All-Star for the second year in a row, the two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year (2014 and 2015) won the Three-Point Contest at halftime of last year’s All-Star Game in Seattle.
- Diana Taurasi, Mercury (9th All-Star selection): Taurasi has been a starter in each of her eight previous All-Star Games.
- Kristi Toliver, Mystics (2nd All-Star selection): An All-Star for the first time as a member of the Mystics, Toliver represented the Sparks in the 2013 All-Star Game.
Frontcourt
- DeWanna Bonner, Mercury (2nd All-Star selection): Bonner, who sat out the 2017 season while pregnant with twins, was also an All-Star in 2015.
- Liz Cambage, Wings (2nd All-Star selection): After a four-year absence from the WNBA, the Australian native is an All-Star for the first time since 2011. Today, she scored a WNBA-record 53 points to go with 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in Dallas’ 104-87 home victory over New York.
- Tina Charles, Liberty (6th All-Star selection): Charles has been voted to each All-Star Game played during her career, and she was a starter in 2011, 2015 and 2017.
- Elena Delle Donne, Mystics (5th All-Star selection): Delle Donne has been selected to each All-Star Game played in her career, including three as a member of the Chicago Sky and the last two as a member of the Mystics. She recently became the fastest WNBA player to 3,000 points (148 games).
- Brittney Griner, Mercury (5th All-Star selection): The WNBA’s second-leading scorer (20.7 ppg) and top shot-blocker (2.91 bpg) has been named to each All-Star Game played in her career.
- Sylvia Fowles, Lynx (5th All-Star selection): The reigning regular-season and Finals MVP was voted to her second straight All-Star Game as a member of the Lynx. She previously represented the Sky three times.
- Angel McCoughtry, Dream (5th All-Star selection): Atlanta’s career leader in games, points, field goals, assists and steals has started the All-Star Game four times.
- Maya Moore, Lynx, (6th All-Star selection): The MVP of the last two WNBA All-Star Games (2015, 2017), Moore is the All-Star Game record-holder for career scoring average (20.2 ppg) and points in a game (30 in 2015).
- Chiney Ogwumike, Sun (2nd All-Star selection): An All-Star as a rookie in 2014, Ogwumike returns to the All-Star Game after missing two of the previous three seasons due to injury.
- Nneka Ogwumike, Sparks (5th All-Star selection): Selected to every All-Star Game played during her career, Nneka and her sister Chiney are the only siblings to play in the WNBA All-Star Game.
- Candace Parker, Sparks (5th All-Star selection): Parker is one of three players in WNBA history to earn regular-season MVP, Finals MVP and All-Star Game MVP honors, joining Moore and Lisa Leslie.
- Breanna Stewart, Storm (2nd All-Star selection): The fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds (55 games), Stewart is an All-Star for the second consecutive year.
- A’ja Wilson, Aces (1st All-Star selection): The only current rookie selected to the All-Star Game, Wilson is one of 13 No. 1 overall draft picks set to compete in Minneapolis. The others are Augustus, Bird, Charles, Griner, Loyd, McCoughtry, Moore, Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka Ogwumike, Parker, Stewart and Taurasi.
