The starters for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game were announced on Sunday following the conclusion of fan, media and player voting. As expected, the two captains for the contest will be reigning MVP A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who earned the honor by receiving the most fan votes.
Perhaps the most notable starter -- even more so than Wilson and Stewart, who were givens -- is No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston. She's off to a terrific start, averaging 15.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game on 65.1% shooting. She not only leads all rookies in all of those categories, but is also ninth in the league in rebounding, sixth in blocks and first in field goal percentage. Boston is the eighth rookie to start the All-Star Game and first since Shoni Schimmel in 2014.
Brittney Griner, who missed the entirety of the 2022 season while she was detained in Russia on drug charges, also makes her All-Star return. This is her ninth All-Star appearance, which is the most of any starter in this year's game and tied with Tina Thompson for the fourth-most all-time.
Jewell Loyd, the league's leading scorer, headlines the backcourt group. She is pouring in 25.4 points per game, which leads the league by a wide margin and has her on a historic pace. Diana Taurasi in 2006 is the only other time a player averaged at least 25 points for a season, and she finished at 25.3.
A word also for Jackie Young, who has been even better than last season when she won Most Improved Player. She's fifth in the league in scoring at 20.2 points per game and third in field goal percentage at 58.8% -- a ridiculous mark for a guard. Her play is a major reason the Aces have the best record in the league at 11-1.
All-Star starters
| Player | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|
Chelsea Gray | Las Vegas Aces | Backcourt |
Jewell Loyd | Seattle Storm | Backcourt |
Arike Ogunbowale | Dallas Wings | Backcourt |
Jackie Young | Las Vegas Aces | Backcourt |
Aliyah Boston | Indiana Fever | Frontcourt |
Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | Frontcourt |
Nneka Ogwumike | Los Angeles Sparks | Frontcourt |
Satou Sabllay | Dallas Wings | Frontcourt |
Breanna Stewart (captain) | New York Liberty | Frontcourt |
A'ja Wilson (captain) | Las Vegas Aces | Frontcourt |
The most notable absentee from the starters is Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, who is putting up 14.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, and is third and second in the league, respectively, in the latter two categories. Her stellar play has the Sun in second place at 11-3. But while she is deserving of a starter nod and finished fourth in the media voting and seventh in the player voting, she was just 10th in fan voting, which has a 50% weight.
This year's All-Star Weekend is set for July 14-15 in Las Vegas, which will play host for the third time in five years. All-Star Friday will feature the 3-Point Contest and the Skills Challenge before the main event of the All-Star Game on Sunday.
