WNBA All-Star Game captains A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart drafted their rosters on Saturday for the July 15 showcase in Las Vegas.
Wilson selected Las Vegas Aces teammate Chelsea Gray with the first overall pick.
“I mean, listen, you need to have a great point guard when it comes to games like this and I feel like she is going to be great,” Wilson said of Gray. “She’s going to be dropping dimes everywhere, going to get us in the flow. And that’s what makes a good team great, is a great point guard, so I had to go with Chelsea.”
Stewart selected Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner with the second pick.
“BG is my pick just because the way that she’s continuing to carry herself on and off the court,” the New York Liberty forward said during the ESPN telecast. “I think we can all say it’s impressive what she’s doing and she’s a dominant presence inside. We need her dunks, we need her energy, we need her everything.”
Wilson and Stewart selected from a pool of players voted as starters and reserves. After choosing from the eight remaining All-Star starters in the first round, the 12 reserves were picked in the second round.
As the top overall finisher in fan voting, Wilson got the first pick. The order was reversed for the second round.
In addition to Wilson and Gray, the starters for Team Wilson, coached by the Aces’ Becky Hammon, include Las Vegas teammate Jackie Young, Indiana Fever rookie Aliyah Boston and Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale. Reserves for Team Wilson are: Kelsey Plum (Aces), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun), Cheyenne Parker (Dream), DeWanna Bonner (Sun) and Elena Delle Donne (Washington Mystics).
Joining Stewart and Griner as starters for Team Stewart, coached by the Sun’s Stephanie White, are Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd, Wings forward Satou Sabally and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike. Reserves for Team Stewart include Liberty teammates Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu along with Ezi Magbegor (Storm), Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Kelsey Mitchell (Fever) and Kahleah Copper (Chicago Sky).
–Field Level Media
