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Picking the 2023 WNBA All-Star starters

June 20, 2023

The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas is less than a month away and it is time to reveal my ballot for the All-Star starters.

The WNBA asked fans (50% of the vote), current WNBA players (25%), and a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters (25%), to select six frontcourt players and four backcourt players as starters.

WNBA All-Star voting concludes on Wednesday night (8:59 p.m. PT). Media votes are due today at 11 a.m. PT.

I submitted the following media ballot on behalf of the Southern California News Group on Monday:

FRONTCOURT (in alphabetical order)

Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury: Griner is seventh in the WNBA in scoring at 20.1 points per game and second in blocked shots with 2.5. The 6-foot-9 center has been a force in her first season back in the league since 2021. Griner is shooting a career-high 62.4% from the field.

Nneka Ogwumike, Sparks: Ogwumike has six double-doubles in her first 10 games this season. The 6-foot-2 forward is averaging 19.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, which puts her on pace for her best statistical season since being named league MVP in 2016.

Satou Sabally, Dallas Wings: Sabally is one of three players currently averaging a double-double and is having unequivocally the best season of her young career. The 6-4 forward is fourth in scoring (20.9 ppg) and leads the league with 11.0 rebounds per game. She’s also averaging a career-high 3.1 assists.

Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty: Stewart is averaging a monster double-double with 23.9 points and 10.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, putting her second in the league in scoring and rebounding. The 6-4 forward, who won two WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm, scored a franchise-record 45 points in her second game with the Liberty this season.

Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun: Thomas is averaging a double-double with 15.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. The 6-2 do-it-all point power forward is second in the league in assists and third in rebounding, powering Connecticut to the best record in the Eastern Conference through Sunday. Thomas, who rarely scores outside of the paint but is one of the league’s best distributors, is on track to have the best season of her 10-year WNBA career.

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces: Wilson is averaging 18.5 points and 9.1 rebounds, putting her in the top 10 in the league in both categories. The two-time league MVP is shooting a career-high 53.1% from the field in her first 11 games. Wilson wants to lead Las Vegas to the first back-to-back championships in the WNBA since the Sparks did so in 2001 and 2002.

BACKCOURT (in alphabetical order)

Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream: Gray is averaging a career-high 18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists in her first season with Atlanta. Gray has long been a defensive stalwart, but she recently led the Dream with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime win against Connecticut. The 6-foot guard won an Olympic gold medal in 3-on-3 basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but has never made a WNBA All-Star team.

Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces: Gray is averaging 13.8 points and 6.1 assists while shooting a career-high 51.3% from the field and 51.4% from 3-point range. The 5-11 point guard is leading the league in 3-point percentage and is third in the league in assists. She is also orchestrating the Las Vegas offense, which is averaging a league-best 91.9 ppg.

Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm: Loyd is leading the WNBA in scoring at 25.4 ppg. The 5-10 shooting guard scored a career-high 39 points in Seattle’s 109-103 win at Dallas on Saturday.

Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces: Young is averaging a team-high 20.8 ppg, which is fifth in the league. What is perhaps more impressive is the fact that the 6-foot guard is shooting a career-high 59.9% from the field and 46.8% from 3-point range, ranking third in the league in both categories.

After all votes by fans, players, and media panelists are tallied, players will be ranked by position (backcourt and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups – fan votes, media votes, and player votes. Each player’s score will be calculated by averaging their weighted rank from the fans, players and media. The four guards and six forwards/centers with the best scores will be named starters. Fan voting will serve as the tiebreaker for players in a position group with the same score.

The 10 All-Star starters, including the two captains – the two All-Star starters who received the most fan votes – will be revealed on Sunday in conjunction with the league’s afternoon doubleheader on ABC (Ch. 7).

After the announcement of the starters, the league’s head coaches will select the 12 reserves. The head coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players, and four players at either position, regardless of conference. Coaches may not vote for their own players. The reserves will be announced on Saturday, July 1 during WNBA Countdown on ABC (11:30 a.m. PT).

The captains will then draft their respective rosters by selecting first from the remaining eight players in the pool of starters and then from the pool of 12 reserves. ESPN will broadcast the WNBA All-Star team selections on Saturday, July 8 (10 a.m. PT).

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