Brittney Griner, rookie Aliyah Boston among stacked group of 2023 WNBA All-Star starters
A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart were named captains for the July 15 game in Las Vegas
The starters for the WNBA All-Star Game were announced Sunday, and there are familiar faces as well as a new All-Star making history.
Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury was named a starter for the sixth time in her career and will make her ninth career trip to the ASG, a number that includes her honorary selection in 2022 when she was wrongfully detained in a Russian prison and was forced to miss the entire season. The 2022 All-Star Game was played in her honor, with the league continuing to bring attention to her situation and every player wearing a No. 42 jersey.
Rookie Aliyah Boston will be making her first trip. Boston was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever on April 10. And now, only two months later, is just the sixth player in WNBA history to be named an All-Star starter in their rookie season.
Boston and Griner are just two players among a dynamite group of seasoned WNBA players to be named as ASG starters. Here's the full list:
Captain: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, fifth appearance
Captain: Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty, fifth appearance
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever, first appearance
Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces, fifth appearance
Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury, ninth appearance
Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm, fifth appearance
Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings, third appearance
Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks, eighth appearance
Satou Sabally, Dallas Wings, second appearance
Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces, second appearance
All-Star starters are chosen by a combination of votes from fans, current WNBA players and the media. The fan vote counts for 50%, and the players and media each count for 25%. The 12 reserves will be chosen by the league's head coaches and announced July 1. The captains will choose their teams in a live draft July 8.
The WNBA All-Star Game is scheduled to be played July 15 in Las Vegas.