BIRD, PONDEXTER HIGHLIGHT RESERVES FOR BOOST MOBILE WNBA ALL-STAR 2015

— Seven First-Time Selections Set to Play in July 25 Game —

NEW YORK, July 21, 2015 – 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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About the WNBA

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Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.

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