DELLE DONNE TOPS WNBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING 2015 PRESENTED BY BOOST MOBILE
Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky, who is on pace to set the WNBA single-season record for scoring average, finished as the top vote-getter in WNBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Boost Mobile. Delle Donne (25.8 ppg) garnered 18,034 votes to lead the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row and all players for the second time in three seasons. In 2013, she became the first rookie in WNBA history to earn the most votes overall.
Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever will join Delle Donne in the Eastern Conference starting lineup after being selected to the All-Star Game for a record 10th time, all starts. The 2011 WNBA MVP presented by Samsung, Catchings (9,923 votes) had been tied with Tina Thompson for the most overall selections.
Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins, who was selected as a starter for the second straight year, and Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore, the 2014 WNBA MVP presented by Samsung, paced the Western Conference and ranked second and third overall with 15,895 and 13,706 votes, respectively.
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.
Joining Delle Donne in the Eastern Conference backcourt is Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014 MVP Shoni Schimmel of the Atlanta Dream (8,881 votes), who was selected as a starter for the second straight year. Lining up alongside Catchings in the frontcourt for the East will be Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream (7,619) and 2012 league MVP Tina Charles of the New York Liberty (6,129), both selected for the fourth time overall. McCoughtry will be making her fourth start, Charles her second.
Moore, a four-time selection and four-time starter, will be joined in the West frontcourt by Phoenix Mercury stars Brittney Griner (7,138) and Candice Dupree (5,954). Griner, the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Samsung, was selected as a starter for the third time in three seasons. Dupree, a five-time All-Star, was voted in as a starter for the first time.
Along with Diggins, the other backcourt player selected to start for the West is six-time All-Star Seimone Augustus of Minnesota (9,599). The MVP of the 2011 WNBA Finals presented by Boost Mobile, Augustus will be making the second All-Star start of her career.
In the case of players who are unable to play due to injury – such as Diggins, who has sustained a season-ending injury – 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.
No. 1 overall draft picks will make up half of the combined starting lineups. The top selections from 2006 (Augustus), 2011 (Moore), and 2013 (Griner) will be on the floor for the West, while the No. 1 picks from 2009 (McCoughtry) and 2010 (Charles) will be in the lineup for the East.
Following are the starting lineups for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015:
Eastern Conference Starters: Western Conference Starters:
Elena Delle Donne, Backcourt (Chicago Sky) Skylar Diggins, Backcourt (Tulsa Shock)
Shoni Schimmel, Backcourt (Atlanta Dream) Seimone Augustus, Backcourt (Minnesota Lynx)
Tamika Catchings, Frontcourt (Indiana Fever) Maya Moore, Frontcourt (Minnesota Lynx)
Angel McCoughtry, Frontcourt (Atlanta Dream) Brittney Griner, Frontcourt (Phoenix Mercury)
Tina Charles, Frontcourt (New York Liberty) Candice Dupree, Frontcourt (Phoenix Mercury)
The 12 WNBA head coaches will select the reserves by voting for six players within their own conference: two backcourt players, three frontcourt players, and a player from either position. Coaches are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. The league will announce the reserves during ESPN2’s national telecast of the Los Angeles Sparks and Mercury on Tuesday, July 21 at 11 p.m. ET.
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.
WNBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING 2015 PRESENTED BY BOOST MOBILE
EASTERN CONFERENCE — FINAL RETURNS LEADERS
Backcourt: Elena Delle Donne (Chi) 18,034; Shoni Schimmel (Atl) 8,881; Cappie Pondexter (Chi) 4,877; Ivory Latta (Was) 4,159; Courtney Vandersloot (Chi) 3,833; Alex Bentley (Con) 3,363; Marissa Coleman (Ind) 2,528; Allie Quigley (Chi) 2,416; Briann January (Ind) 2,143; Tiffany Hayes (Atl) 2,033; Brittany Boyd (NY) 2,032; Kara Lawson (Was) 2,011; Bria Hartley (Was) 1,837; Shavonte Zellous (Ind) 1,365; Sugar Rodgers (NY) 1,304
Frontcourt: Tamika Catchings (Ind) 9,923; Angel McCoughtry (Atl) 7,619; Tina Charles (NY) 6,129; Emma Meesseman (Was) 4,710; Natalie Achonwa (Ind) 3,779; Stefanie Dolson (Was) 3,001; Erika de Souza (Atl) 2,746; Swin Cash (NY) 2,391; Kiah Stokes (NY) 2,352; Chiney Ogwumike (Con) 2,039; Kelsey Bone (Con) 1,993; Alyssa Thomas (Con) 1,833; Sancho Lyttle (Atl) 1,642; Camille Little (Con) 1,306
WESTERN CONFERENCE — FINAL RETURNS LEADERS
Backcourt: Skylar Diggins (Tul) 15,895; Seimone Augustus (Min) 9,599; Sue Bird (Sea) 8,088; Lindsay Whalen (Min) 7,294; DeWanna Bonner (Phx) 6,154; Kayla McBride (SA) 3,537; Jewell Loyd (Sea) 2,911; Odyssey Sims (Tul) 2,807; Leilani Mitchell (Phx) 1,583; Monica Wright (Min) 1,570; Kristi Toliver (1,510); Renee Montgomery (Sea) 1,321;
Frontcourt: Maya Moore (Min) 13,706; Brittney Griner (Phx) 7,138; Candice Dupree (Phx) 5,954; Ramu Tokashiki (Sea) 5,512; Nneka Ogwumike (LA) 4,880; Rebekkah Brunson (Min) 4,138; Courtney Paris (Tul) 2,591; Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Sea) 2,161; Plenette Pierson (Tul) 2,018; Devereaux Peters (Min) 1,553; Jantel Lavender (LA) 1,386; Damiris Dantas (Min) 1,365
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.”