In an exciting moment for women’s basketball, four-time MVP A’ja Wilson was selected first overall in the WNBA All-Star draft. This highly anticipated exhibition game is scheduled for July 25 in Chicago, showcasing the league’s top talents.
The All-Star draft featured WNBA legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon as honorary general managers. They had the honor of drafting All-Star teams from a pool of players previously voted as starters by fans, media, and fellow players, as well as reserves selected by the league’s coaches.
Traditionally, the top two fan vote-getters would serve as captains, but this year, those roles were assigned differently. Paige Bueckers of Dallas and Caitlin Clark of Indiana were designated to each lead a team instead of drafting their own players. Bueckers will headline Cooper’s team, while Clark will lead Weatherspoon’s squad.
Bueckers’ starting lineup features notable players such as Breanna Stewart from New York, Kelsey Mitchell from Indiana, Natasha Howard from Minnesota, and Gabby Williams from Golden State. On the other hand, Weatherspoon has selected Wilson, Olivia Miles from Minnesota, Aliyah Boston from Indiana, and Jessica Shepard from Dallas to complete her starting five.
The reserves were also carefully chosen, with Cooper selecting Angel Reese from Atlanta first. Reese will compete against her Atlanta Dream teammates Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, who were picked by Weatherspoon. Cooper’s reserve selections included Marina Mabrey from Toronto, Dominique Malonga from Seattle, Kelsey Plum from Los Angeles, Jackie Young from Las Vegas, and Sonia Citron from Washington. Weatherspoon’s reserves feature Jonquel Jones from New York, Courtney Williams from Minnesota, Kiki Iriafen from Washington, and Nneka Ogwumike from Los Angeles, who was selected with the final pick of the draft.
Coaching duties have been assigned to Becky Hammon of Las Vegas, who will lead Cooper’s team, and Cheryl Reeve of Minnesota, who will guide Weatherspoon’s squad. As of July 10, both the Aces and the Lynx held identical records, but a tiebreaker based on their previous matchup allowed Hammon to take the helm of Bueckers’ team due to her status as the leading vote-getter.
Notably, teams from Portland, Chicago, Connecticut, and Phoenix will not feature any All-Stars this year, highlighting the competitive nature of the league and the challenge of securing a spot among the elite players.
For more updates and information on the WNBA, you can visit the AP WNBA page.
