The Chicago Sky’s Candace Parker and Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces were the top two players selected by WNBA All-Star captains A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart as they built the teams on Saturday.
Parker will play for Team Wilson and Young for Team Stewart. Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm already had been assigned to play on Wilson’s team, and Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx was put on Team Stewart — and the two captains swapped the players, putting Bird with Stewart, her Seattle teammate.
Veterans Bird and Fowles will serve as co-captains and starters. Both have announced they will retire at the end of the season.
The game will be played July 10 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, a seven-time All-Star, previously had been named an honorary All-Star and starter. She is being detained in Russia on drug charges.
Joining Wilson, Fowles and Parker as starters on Team Wilson will be Kelsey Plum of the Aces and Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty.
Team Stewart’s other starters are 2021 league MVP Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Nneka Ogwumike of Los Angeles Sparks.
Wilson and Stewart selected their teams from the players who already had been voted as starters and reserves. The captains were free to choose any player, no matter what their position or the conference they play in, and trades were permitted.
The reserves on Team Wilson are Ariel Atkins (Washington Mystics), Dearica Hamby (Aces), Natasha Howard (Liberty), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Brionna Jones (Sun) and Courtney Vandersloot (Sky).
Aces head coach Becky Hammon and her staff will coach the team.
Reserves on Team Stewart are Kahleah Copper and Emma Meesseman (Sky), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Mercury), Jewell Loyd (Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings) and Alyssa Thomas (Sun).
Sky head coach James Wade and his staff will lead Team Stewart.
–Field Level Media
