ROSTERS SET FOR TEAM DELLE DONNE VS. TEAM PARKER
NEW YORK, July 19, 2018 – The WNBA today revealed the team rosters for Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018, as selected by All-Star captains Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics and Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks in the inaugural WNBA All-Star Draft. The results of the draft were announced tonight on ESPN2.
Delle Donne, the 2015 WNBA Most Valuable Player, drafted Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota), Brittney Griner (Phoenix), Kayla McBride (Las Vegas Aces), Breanna Stewart (Seattle), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix), Kristi Toliver (Washington) and A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas).
Parker, a two-time WNBA MVP (2008, 2013), selected Liz Cambage (Dallas Wings), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas), Chelsea Gray (Los Angeles), Jewell Loyd (Seattle), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota), Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut Sun), Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles) and Allie Quigley (Chicago Sky).
Team Delle Donne and Team Parker will meet in the 15th WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 28 at Target Center in Minneapolis. ABC and SiriusXM NBA Radio will broadcast the game live at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT.
The All-Star Draft was conducted today via conference call. Delle Donne made the first pick and Parker made the second pick. The two captains then alternated picks until all players were selected. The captains chose their 10 teammates regardless of conference affiliation, marking the WNBA’s first All-Star Game without a matchup between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.
Team Delle Donne features nine players from the Western Conference and two from the Eastern Conference, with five guards and six frontcourt players. Team Parker features seven players from the West and three from the East, with four guards and seven frontcourt players.
On Friday, July 27, the All-Star captains and head coaches will meet to determine the starting lineups. The starters will be revealed that night on ESPN2 (9 p.m. ET) during a telecast of the WNBA All-Star Welcome Reception in Minnesota.
Seattle head coach Dan Hughes, whose team had the WNBA’s best record through games played on July 13, will lead Team Delle Donne. Phoenix head coach Sandy Brondello, whose team had the second-best record through that date, will guide Team Parker. Borders will select the replacement for any player unable to participate in the All-Star Game.
Led by the captain with the higher vote total, Team Delle Donne has been designated as the home team and was able to choose between wearing black or white uniforms. Delle Donne selected the black uniforms, and Team Parker was assigned the white uniforms as the visiting team.
Below, listed in alphabetical order, are the 11-player rosters for Team Delle Donne and Team Parker in Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018.
TEAM DELLE DONNE
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 (498) in league history and is poised to surpass DeLisha Milton-Jones (499) as the all-time leader in that category.
Kayla McBride, Aces (2nd All-Star selection): McBride returns to the All-Star Game after a previous appearance in 2015, her second WNBA season.
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.
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).
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.
Brittney Griner, Mercury (5th All-Star selection): A two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2014, 2015), Griner has been named to each All-Star Game played in her career.
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 rookie selected to this year’s All-Star Game, Wilson is one of 13 No. 1 overall draft picks set to compete in Minneapolis. The others are Augustus, Bird, Charles, Loyd, McCoughtry, Moore, Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka Ogwumike, Parker, Stewart and Taurasi.
TEAM PARKER
Guards
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 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 Wilson.
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.
Frontcourt
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. On July 17, 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.
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.
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