Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Sports

Everything to know about the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game

The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game will be played Saturday, July 20 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN App) at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

The 20th edition of the event will see a matchup of the All-Stars on the U.S. women’s national team — which will be competing for an eighth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games — against the remaining WNBA All-Stars. Cheryl Miller will coach Team WNBA, while Cheryl Reeve is the U.S. women’s coach.

A skills challenge and a 3-point contest will take place July 19 (6 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The All-Star Game also marks the WNBA’s regular-season break (July 18 to Aug. 15) while the Olympics (July 26 to Aug. 11) are being held.

The last time the WNBA used this format for the All-Star Game, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Team WNBA defeated Team USA 93-85 in Las Vegas, with Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings earning MVP honors.

Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty won last year’s 3-point contest with a record 37 points, while the Las Vegas AcesKelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray won the 2023 skills challenge.

Come back here for more updates right through the All-Star Game.

Griner, Jones named to Friday’s skills challenge, 3-point contest

The WNBA unveiled the participants for Friday’s events. They are:

Skills challenge

Sophie Cunningham, Phoenix Mercury
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury
Marina Mabrey, Connecticut Sun
Erica Wheeler, Indiana Fever

3-point shooting contest

Stefanie Dolson, Washington Mystics
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty
Marina Mabrey, Connecticut Sun
Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx

How to watch

Skills Challenge: Friday, July 19, 6 p.m. ET, on ESPN

3-Point Contest: Friday, July 19, after the Skills Challenge, on ESPN

All-Star Game: Saturday, July 20, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Team WNBA roster revealed

Rookie sensations Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky headline the 12-player Team WNBA.

Clark and Reese, the No. 1 and No. 7 picks in the 2024 draft, are the only first-time All-Stars of the group. Nneka Ogwumike will be making her ninth All-Star appearance.

Indiana has the most selections of any team with three, as Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell join Clark.

The Team WNBA roster:

DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut Sun
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks
Brionna Jones, Connecticut Sun
Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty
Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Angel Reese, Chicago Sky

Snubs and biggest questions around the Team WNBA roster

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese as WNBA All-Star teammates has “breaking the Internet” potential on gameday.

But Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor being left off is perhaps “the most egregious omission ever from the WNBA All-Star Game.” ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Michael Voepel and Alexa Philippou break down the All-Star Game roster.

Team WNBA All-Star roster: How the players were chosen

The top 10 All-Star vote-getters — determined by 50% fan voting, 25% current player voting and 25% media voting — were automatically named to the All-Star Game, with those who weren’t previously named to the Olympic 5-on-5 team assigned to Team WNBA.

Those 10 were, in alphabetical order: Boston, Clark, Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Hamby, Sabrina Ionescu, Ogunbowale, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young. Clark (700,735 votes) and Boston (618,680) received the most fan votes, followed by Wilson (607,300), Stewart (424,135) and Reese (381,518).

Team USA roster

The U.S. national team’s roster was announced June 11.

Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury, who will be appearing in her record sixth Olympic Games, headlines the roster. She will be joined by Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd and Brittney Griner — all of whom played on the 5-on-5 team in Tokyo in 2021.

Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, who helped the U.S. women win the inaugural 3×3 gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, are also on the roster, along with first-time Olympians Ionescu, Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team that won the World Cup in Australia in 2022.

This is the full squad:

Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury
Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces
Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm
Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces

WNBA All-Star Game history

Which WNBA player has appeared in the most All-Star Games? Who was the MVP each year? We’ve got everything you need to know about past matchups of the midseason showcase and its history.


source

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *