2015 WNBA All-Star Notes

Rosters || WNBA All-Star Infographic || League statistical leaders || All-Stars on social media at Mohegan Sun || All-Star voting returns || All-Star Game history

2015 WNBA All-Star Game, 3:30 p.m. ET, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn. TV: ABC. Stream: ESPN 3.

  • Tamika Catchings will be playing in her tenth All-Star Game, the most of any WNBA player ever. She plans to retire after this season so this weekend marks her last All-Star appearance.
  • Elena Delle Donne, a third-time All-Star, comes into the weekend leading the league in scoring (24.5 ppg), third in rebounds (9.8rpg), third in blocks (2.5bpg) and third in minutes (34.3mpg).
  • Britney Griner, another three-time All-Star participant, leads the league in blocks per game, averaging four swats per contest.
  • Guards Riquna Williams (Tulsa Shock), Kayla McBride (San Antonio Stars) and center Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles Sparks) replaced three injured players. The trio are making their All-Star debuts and fill the spots on the Western Conference roster vacated by Minnesota Lynx guards Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen and Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins.
  • Augustus, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, and Diggins, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on June 28, had been selected as starters by fans during All-Star Balloting.
  • Whalen, who was poked in the eye during a game at Tulsa on July 19, was picked as a reserve by the Western Conference head coaches.
  • Williams, a member of the All-Rookie Team in 2012 and the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year in 2013, owns the WNBA single-game scoring record (51 points at San Antonio on Sept. 8, 2013). Now in her fourth eason, she ranks second on the Shock in scoring (14.7 ppg) behind Diggins and shares the team lead in steals (1.6 spg).
  • McBride, a unanimous selection to the 2014 WNBA All-Rookie Team after being the No. 3 overall pick in 2014 draft, is leading the Stars in scoring (14.0 ppg) for the second consecutive year. She plays alongside point guard and fellow All-Star Danielle Robinson.
  • Lavender has started all 15 games for the Sparks and averaging career highs in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg, sixth in the league).
  • Guards Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm and DeWanna Bonner of the Phoenix Mercury were named starters to replace Diggins and Augustus in the West’s starting lineup.
  • There are no rookies on this year’s All-Star rosters.
  • Last season, Atlanta Dream guard Shoni Schimmel was named the game’s MVP after scoring an All-Star record 29 points. She became the first rookie to win the award.
  • The full list of first-time All-Stars
    • Alex Bentley (Connecticut)
    • Kelsey Bone (Connecticut)
    • Marissa Coleman (Indiana)
    • Stefanie Dolson (Washington)
    • Emma Meesseman (Washington)
    • DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix)
    • Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles)
    • Kayla McBride (San Antonio)
    • Plenette Pierson (Tulsa)
    • Riquna Williams (Tulsa)

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Head Coach: Pokey Chatman (Chicago Sky)

Player Team Position Ht. From
Alex Bentley^ Sun Backcourt 5-7 Penn State
Kelsey Bone^ Sun Frontcourt 6-4 Texas A&M
Tamika Catchings* Fever Frontcourt 6-1 Tennessee
Tina Charles* Liberty Frontcourt 6-4 Connecticut
Marissa Coleman^ Fever Backcourt 6-1 Maryland
Elena Delle Donne* Sky Frontcourt 6-5 Delaware
Stefanie Dolson^ Mystics Frontcourt 6-5 Connecticut
Angel McCoughtry* Dream Frontcourt 6-1 Louisville
Emma Meesseman^ Mystics Frontcourt 6-4 Belgium
Cappie Pondexter Sky Backcourt 5-9 Rutgers
Shoni Schimmel Dream Backcourt 5-9 Louisville

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Head Coach: Sandy Brondello (Phoenix Mercury)

Player Team Position Ht. From
Seimone Augustus* Lynx Backcourt 6-0 LSU
Sue Bird Storm Backcourt 5-9 Connecticut
DeWanna Bonner^ Mercury Backcourt 6-4 Auburn
Skylar Diggins* Shock Backcourt 5-9 Notre Dame
Candice Dupree* Mercury Frontcourt 6-2 Temple
Brittney Griner* Mercury Frontcourt 6-8 Baylor
Jantel Lavender** Sparks Frontcourt 6-4 Ohio State
Kayla McBride** Stars Backcourt 5-11 Notre Dame
Maya Moore Lynx Frontcourt 6-0 Connecticut
Nneka Ogwumike Sparks Frontcourt 6-2 Stanford
Plenette Pierson^ Shock Frontcourt 6-2 Texas Tech
Danielle Robinson Stars Backcourt 5-9 Oklahoma
Lindsey Whalen@ Lynx Backcourt 5-9 Minnesota
Riquna Williams** Shock Backccourt 5-7 Miami (Fla.)

* denotes starter, as voted by the fans
@ denotes injured/unable to play
^ denotes first-time All-Star selection
** denotes replacement player added to roster by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie

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.”

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