News / Sports
WNBA All-Star Game Rosters Set
The WNBA officially named the reserves today for the 2007 All-Star Game, held on Sunday, July 15 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. at 3:30pm. On July 3, the starters were announced.
Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, who was selected as a starter for the fifth time, was the leading vote-getter amongst all All-Stars with 128,838 votes. She was named a starter for the West, along with Phoenix Mercury forward Diana Taurasi, who trailed Bird with 124,918 votes. Unfortunately, Bird will miss the game as he undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery. Third in the race for votes was Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings, who will start for the East.
Accompanying Bird and Taurasi on the West starting lineup are Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson, San Antonio Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon and Sacramento Monarchs center Yolanda Griffith. With this selection, Becky Hammon, who was traded to the Silver Stars from the New York Liberty prior to this season, becomes just the second player in WNBA history to be voted as a starter for both the East and the West squads during her career.
For the East, Catchings will lead Indiana Fever teammate Anna DeForge and three players from the Detroit Shock: forward Cheryl Ford, guard Deanna Nolan and center Kara Braxton.
To complete the team, the East will have Connecticut Sun guard Katie Douglas, Washington Mystics guard Alana Beard, Indiana Fever center Tammy Sutton-Brown, Chicago Sky forward Candice Dupree, Washington Mystics forward DeLisha Milton-Jones and Connecticut Sun forward Asjha Jones.
The West has compiled their reserves, which are comprised of Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus, Phoenix Mercury guard Cappie Pondexter, Los Angeles Sparks center Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Houston Comets forward Tina Thompson, Sacramento Monarchs forward Rebekkah Brunson, and Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor. The WNBA has not selected a replacement in the starting lineup yet for Bird.
Augustus, Pondexter and Dupree are all two-year players who are playing in their second All-Star Games. Augustus is second in the league in scoring (22.3 points per game) and Dupree is third, averaging 19.5 points per game. The game will also be a Homecoming of sorts for first-time All-Star Brunson, who grew up in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and played for Georgetown University.
