WNBA names 2019 All Star Game starters; captains are Delle Donne, Wilson

MINNEAPOLIS - JULY 27: A'Ja Wilson #22 and Kayla McBride #21 of Team Delle Donne look on during WNBA All-Star Practice and Media Availability 2018 on July 27, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - JULY 27: A'Ja Wilson #22 and Kayla McBride #21 of Team Delle Donne look on during WNBA All-Star Practice and Media Availability 2018 on July 27, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The WNBA announced the ten players who will be starters in this summer’s WNBA All Star Game this afternoon, including captains A’ja Wilson and Elena Delle Donne, during a broadcast of ESPN’s “The Jump” Thursday afternoon.

The starters include the two captains, along with: Liz Cambage, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Natasha Howard, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Kayla McBride and Kia Nurse.

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The starters were selected through voting from fans, WNBA players themselves, and WNBA media members. Fan votes were worth, collectively, 50%, while player votes were worth 25%, as were media votes. Media were permitted to vote for four guards and six frontcourt players. As for players, interestingly, they were allowed to vote for themselves.

The All Star reserves will be selected by the WNBA coaches, and that group will be announced on Monday, July 15. Coaches can vote for all but their own players, selecting three guards, five frontcourt players and four others at any position.

The WNBA announced Las Vegas Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer and Washington Mystics head coach Mike Thibault would serve as head coaches for the game.

The game will take place on Saturday, July 27 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The three-point contest, won the last two years by Allie Quigley, will return, as will a new skills competition.

Asked about All Star weekend this past Sunday, Aces center Liz Cambage told reporters following the Las Vegas win over the New York Liberty: “Yeah, I’m very excited. All Star is going to be very fun, even if I don’t make it. I’ll be hanging around Vegas for the weekend. There’s a lot happening. But, you know, we’ve got a few more games to worry about before I start focusing on All Star Weekend.”

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