Clark, Reese to headline WNBA All-Star Game

The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game rosters are now in, with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese set to make their debuts at the annual showcase later this month.

Clark, the Indiana Fever’s first overall selection in this year’s WNBA draft, received the most votes in the fan voting portion. Having already won Rookie of the Month honors in May, she leads all freshmen in scoring (16.2 points per game), assists (6.9 per game) and is second in the league in three-pointers made (56).

On Tuesday, Reese, the Chicago Sky’s seventh overall pick, was voted the Rookie of the Month for June. Last weekend, she set a WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles in a season (10), and she led the WNBA in rebounds heading into Tuesday night’s game. Like Clark, Reese finished in the top five in fan voting.

The countdown begins… ⏳

Prepare to witness the ultimate clash of talents as #WNBAAllStar meets the U.S. Women’s National Team on July 20 at 8:30 p.m./ET on ABC 📺 pic.twitter.com/oEyJciHmEx

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 3, 2024

The two rookies are the only two making their first appearances at the show, which will take place July 20 in Phoenix.

“I’m so happy. I know the work I put in,” Reese said. “Coming into this league, a lot of people doubted me, didn’t think my game would be effective and that I wouldn’t be the player I was in college. … But I trusted the process and believed in it and I’m grateful that I got bumped up to No. 7 and was able to come to Chicago.”

This is the first time since 2014 that two rookies will take part in the match.

All 12 members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team have been automatically named to the All-Star Game. Phoenix Mercury point guard Diana Taurasi, who is competing in her sixth Olympic Games, will also be making her 11th All-Star Game. Teammate Brittney Griner will be making her 10th All-Star Game, including the 2022 All-Star Game, which she attended as an honorary participant.

The initial selection of All-Stars was made by a combination of fan votes (50%), a national panel of media members (25%) and current WNBA players (25%). Coaches completed the remainder of the list.

The format of the game will once again be Team USA versus Team WNBA. In 2021, the last time this format was used, Team WNBA defeated Team USA Olympic.

WNBA Team:

• DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut Sun (sixth All-Star Game)
• Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever (second)
• Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever (premiere)
• Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream (second)
• Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks (third)
• Brionna Jones, Connecticut Sun (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)

Team USA:

• Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx (fourth)
• Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury (fourth)
• Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces (sixth)
• Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury (10th)
• 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 (11th)
• Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun (fifth)
• A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces (sixth)
• Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces (third)

Were there any rebuffs?

As my colleague Sabreena Merchant and I wrote last week, selecting the WNBA team will always be difficult. Reasonable arguments can be made for each of the players selected. And all but one team (the Washington Mystics) have at least one player in the exhibition.

Other players who could be ruled out are Storm center Ezi Magbegor, Lynx center Alanna Smith and Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. Magbegor is a contender for defensive player of the year. She leads the WNBA in blocks (42), is seventh in rebounds per game (8.7), third in offensive rebounds per game (2.9), third in defensive winning percentage and fourth in overall winning percentage. Earlier this season, she recorded at least three blocks in eight consecutive games, the second-longest streak in WNBA history.

Smith anchors the Lynx defense, which has held the WNBA’s best defensive rating (91.3) since 2007. This season, she has recorded new career highs in points, assists, steals and blocks. She is fourth in defensive winning percentage and is also shooting a career-best 46.4 percent from three-point range. Smith and Magbegor are expected to be key members of the Australian national team this summer, but with both not playing in the WNBA All-Star Game, there is only one international player in the competition (Jonquel Jones).

“I think she’s got a good chance, too,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “She’s also really good, and we’re a good team with a good record. … I just know these things don’t come easy.”

Heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Lynx, Laney-Hamilton, New York’s versatile forward, led all WNBA players who played more than five games in net rating (plus-19.9). She’s once again one of the WNBA’s best defenders.

Fever is the most represented franchise in the WNBA team

After the U.S. Olympic team did not have any players, three Fever members (Clark, Boston and Mitchell) were selected to the WNBA team, a franchise record. Boston, who averages 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, finished second in fan voting and was automatically selected to the team based on her top-10 finish.

Like Boston, Mitchell is playing in her second straight All-Star Game. She is averaging 16.3 points per game and is one of eight players voted into the All-Star Game by the coaches.

McBride and Hamby star in All-Star returns

McBride, the Lynx guard, returns to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2019. She is Minnesota’s second-leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, her best since 2018, and the Lynx have the best record in the Western Conference heading into Tuesday (14-4).

“I’m excited,” Reeve said. “I thought it was a no-brainer, but I’m excited when it happens. She’s had an incredible season so far. She’s scored a career-high and she knows how she’s counted on, defensively, passing, everything she’s asked to do, creating plays on the fly. She does it all for us.”

Hamby is making her third All-Star appearance and first since 2022. Having been traded in the 2023 offseason, Hamby is appearing in the game just over a year after giving birth to her second child. She leads Los Angeles with career-highs of 18.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. She will also compete in the Paris Olympics with Team USA’s 3×3 squad.

Required Reading

(Photo: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)