NEW YORK – Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm was named an All-Star for the ninth time and Cappie Pondexter of the Chicago Sky earned her seventh honor, the WNBA announced today.  In addition, seven other reserves chosen by the league’s head coaches for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 – five for the Eastern Conference and two for the Western Conference – were picked as All-Stars for the first time.

Bird, who made her All-Star debut as a rookie in 2002, has been selected to participate in nine of the 10 All-Star Games played since she entered the league (she missed the 2013 season due to injury).  Seven times she was voted in as a starter, and in 2014 she was added to the West squad by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie as an injury replacement for Seimone Augustus.

Pondexter joins Tina Thompson as the only players in league history to be selected to the All-Star Game while representing three different teams.  Pondexter was an All-Star three times apiece with the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty, and will now represent her hometown Sky.  Thompson, a nine-time All-Star, was selected while playing for the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, and the Storm.

Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015, featuring the Eastern Conference All-Stars against the Western Conference All-Stars at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., will be nationally televised by ABC on Saturday, July 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Highlighting the group of first-time All-Star selections are Western Conference players DeWanna Bonner of the Mercury and Plenette Pierson of the Tulsa Shock, both two-time WNBA champions and former winners of the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year presented by Samsung.  Bonner, who earned championship rings with Phoenix in 2009 and 2014, won the Sixth Woman award in each of her first three seasons in the league (2009-11).  Pierson won league titles with the then-Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008, and took home the Sixth Woman honor in 2007.

Eastern Conference players making their All-Star debuts are Alex Bentley and Kelsey Bone of the Connecticut Sun, Marissa Coleman of the Indiana Fever, and Stefanie Dolson and Emma Meesseman of the Washington Mystics.

Rounding out the West roster are three reserves who are returning to the All-Star stage.  Lindsay Whalen of the Minnesota Lynx was selected to her fourth straight All-Star Game and her fifth overall.  The Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike  and Danielle Robinson of the San Antonio Stars are both three-time All-Stars who have each been selected for the third year in a row.

With the addition of Bird and Ogwumike to the West roster, seven former No. 1 overall picks have been named to Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015.  Bird (top pick in 2002) and Ogwumike (2012) join Minnesota’s Augustus (2006), the Atlanta Dream’s Angel McCoughtry (2009), New York’s Tina Charles (2010), Minnesota’s Maya Moore (2011), and Phoenix’s Brittney Griner (2013).

Following are the reserves for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015:

Eastern Conference Reserves:                                Western Conference Reserves:

Alex Bentley, Backcourt (Connecticut)                        Sue Bird, Backcourt (Seattle)
Kelsey Bone, Frontcourt (Connecticut)                       DeWanna Bonner, Backcourt (Phoenix)
Marissa Coleman, Backcourt (Indiana)                       Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt (Los Angeles)
Stefanie Dolson, Frontcourt (Washington)                  Plenette Pierson, Frontcourt   (Tulsa)
Emma Meesseman, Frontcourt (Washington)            Danielle Robinson, Backcourt (San Antonio)
Cappie Pondexter, Backcourt (Chicago)                     Lindsay Whalen, Backcourt (Minnesota)

In selecting the reserves, the 12 WNBA head coaches voted for six players within their own conference: two backcourt players, three frontcourt players, and a player from either position.  Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team.

In the case of players who are unable to play due to injury – such as Skylar Diggins, Seimone Augustus, and Lindsay Whalen – replacement players will be named by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie.  Any changes to the starting lineup necessitated by injury will subsequently be made by the head coach of the respective All-Star team.

By virtue of winning their respective conference titles last season, Chicago head coach Pokey Chatman will coach the Eastern Conference and Phoenix head coach Sandy Brondello will lead the Western Conference.

Individual tickets for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 start at $16 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by dialing 800-745-3000 or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office.

BOOST MOBILE WNBA ALL-STAR 2015 ROSTERS (alphabetical)

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

Head Coach: Pokey Chatman (Chicago Sky) 

Player                         Team                          Position          Ht.       DOB         From              Yrs. Exp.

Alex Bentley^              Connecticut Sun          Backcourt        5-7       10/27/90   Penn State               2
Kelsey Bone^              Connecticut Sun          Frontcourt        6-4       12/31/91   Texas A&M             2
Tamika Catchings*      Indiana Fever              Frontcourt        6-1       7/21/79     Tennessee             13
Tina Charles*              New York Liberty         Frontcourt        6-4       12/5/88     Connecticut          5
Marissa Coleman^      Indiana Fever              Backcourt        6-1       1/4/87       Maryland                  6
Elena Delle Donne*     Chicago Sky                Backcourt        6-5       9/5/89       Delaware                   2
Stefanie Dolson^         Washington Mystics    Frontcourt        6-5       1/8/92       Connecticut             1
Angel McCoughtry*     Atlanta Dream             Frontcourt        6-1       9/10/86     Louisville                  6
Emma Meesseman^   Washington Mystics    Frontcourt        6-4       5/13/93     Belgium                     2
Cappie Pondexter       Chicago Sky                Backcourt        5-9       1/7/83       Rutgers                           9
Shoni Schimmel*         Atlanta Dream             Backcourt        5-9       5/4/92       Louisville                     1

 

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

Head Coach: Sandy Brondello (Phoenix Mercury)

Player                         Team                          Position          Ht.       DOB         From               Yrs. Exp.

Seimone Augustus*@ Minnesota Lynx           Backcourt        6-0       4/30/84     LSU                         9
Sue Bird                      Seattle Storm              Backcourt        5-9       10/16/80   Connecticut                13
DeWanna Bonner^      Phoenix Mercury         Backcourt        6-4       8/21/87     Auburn                    6
Skylar Diggins*@        Tulsa Shock                Backcourt        5-9       8/2/90       Notre Dame               2
Candice Dupree*         Phoenix Mercury         Frontcourt        6-2       8/16/84     Temple                     9
Brittney Griner*           Phoenix Mercury         Frontcourt        6-8       10/18/90   Baylor                      2
Maya Moore*               Minnesota Lynx           Frontcourt        6-0       6/11/89     Connecticut              4
Nneka Ogwumike        Los Angeles Sparks    Frontcourt        6-2       7/2/90       Stanford                     3
Plenette Pierson^        Tulsa Shock                Frontcourt        6-2       8/31/81     Texas Tech                  12
Danielle Robinson       San Antonio Stars       Backcourt        5-9       5/10/89     Oklahoma                   4
Lindsay Whalen@       Minnesota Lynx           Backcourt        5-9       5/9/82       Minnesota                  11

* denotes starter, as voted by the fans

@ denotes injured/unable to play

^ denotes first-time All-Star selection

+ denotes rookie

WNBA ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY

Date                   Location                                                   W                        L                                                

July 14, 1999      Madison Square Garden (New York)        West    79           East      61
July 17, 2000      America West Arena (Phoenix)                 West    73           East      61
July 16, 2001      TD Waterhouse Centre (Orlando)             West    80           East      72
July 15, 2002      MCI Center (Washington)                         West    81           East      76
July 12, 2003      Madison Square Garden (New York)        West    84           East      75
July   9, 2005      Mohegan Sun Arena (Connecticut)           West    122         East      99
July 12, 2006      Madison Square Garden (New York)        East     98           West     82
July 15, 2007      Verizon Center (Washington)                    East     103         West     99
July 25, 2009      Mohegan Sun Arena (Connecticut)           West    133         East      118
July 23, 2011      AT&T Center (San Antonio)                      East     118         West     113
July 27, 2013      Mohegan Sun Arena (Connecticut)           West    102         East      98
July 19, 2014      US Airways Center (Phoenix)                   East     125         West     124

 

* No All-Star Game was held in 2004, 2008, and 2012 due to the Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, and London, respectively.  Similarly, no All-Star Game was played in 2010 due to the FIBA World Championships in Czech Republic.  An exhibition game was conducted at Radio City Music Hall in the summer of 2004, and in 2010, an exhibition game was held at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., with a USA vs. WNBA format in the “WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun.”

 

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