Superstar rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are among the selected players for the WNBA All-Star Game, where they will face the U.S. Olympics team in Phoenix.
Bollywood Fever: In an exciting announcement, superstar rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were selected on Tuesday to participate in the WNBA’s 20th All-Star Game. The game, set to take place in Phoenix, will see the rookies face off against the U.S. Olympics team, a squad they both missed out on last month.
Clark, unsurprisingly, led the fan voting with an impressive 700,735 votes, followed closely by her Indiana teammate Aliyah Boston, who garnered 628,735 votes. Reese finished fifth with 381,518 votes, while Wilson and Stewart were third and fourth with 607,300 and 424,135 votes, respectively.
The dynamic duo of Clark and Reese has significantly boosted the WNBA in terms of ratings, merchandise sales, and attendance. Their on-court performance has been stellar as well, with Clark ranking third in assists (6.9 per game) and Reese leading the league in rebounds (11.4 per game).
This year’s All-Star selection marks only the eighth time in history that two rookies have made the team, the last occurrence being in 2014 with Shoni Schimmel and Chiney Ogwumike.
Joining the rookies on the WNBA team are DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones of Connecticut, Allisha Gray of Atlanta, Dearica Hamby of Los Angeles, Jonquel Jones of New York, Kayla McBride of Minnesota, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana, Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle, and Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas. Ogunbowale, the MVP of the 2021 All-Star game, returns to this year’s event, which will feature the same format of the U.S. team playing against a league All-Star team. The WNBA team triumphed in that previous matchup.
The U.S. Olympics team, aiming for an eighth consecutive gold medal in Paris later this month, includes Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. The Phoenix players will have the chance to play in front of their home crowd during the exhibition game. Taurasi will be competing for a record sixth Olympic gold medal.
Las Vegas teammates Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young join the U.S. team. Gray was part of the Tokyo Olympic squad, while Plum and Young contributed to winning the inaugural 3-on-3 gold medal. Other returning Tokyo Games players include Napheesa Collier and Jewell Loyd. First-time Olympians Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kahleah Copper will also join the team, all of whom played on the American team that won the World Cup in Australia in 2022.
Each player selected for either the U.S. team or the WNBA squad is considered an All-Star, marking Taurasi’s 11th time in the game, placing her second behind Sue Bird’s 13-time All-Star record.
The league will also host a 3-point challenge and skills contest the night before the All-Star game, adding to the excitement of the event.
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