Bird has become the WNBA’s all-time leader in All-Star appearances with 11
SEATTLE – The WNBA today unveiled its list of 22 All-Stars for Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018, and the No. 1 Seattle Storm garnered three selections in Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd.
Named to her 11th WNBA All-Star Game, Bird moved past Tamika Catchings (10 appearances) for the most in league history, all of which have come with the Storm.
“Seventeen years ago, if you told me I’d be setting a new record with 11 All-Star appearances, I would have called you crazy,” said Bird. “It’s a testament to my teammates and coaches throughout the years, and an absolute honor given all of the greats who have played in this league.”
Bird, who notched her first-ever All-Star bid in 2002 as a rookie, is a big reason why the Storm is currently in first place of the WNBA with a 16-6 record. Bird is averaging a career-best 7.1 assists per game and has three double-doubles in 2018. She has dished out eight or more dimes in 11 games this season, including a season-high 11 assists (twice). She scored a season-best 21 points on July 8 vs. Washington en route to becoming the eighth player in WNBA history to eclipse the 6,000-point mark and ultimately becoming the Seattle Storm’s all-time leading scorer in franchise history, passing former great Lauren Jackson (6,007).
In last season’s All-Star game that took place in the Emerald City, Bird dished out an All-Star record 11 assists, and she’s just eight minutes away from breaking the All-Star record (Catchings, 197) for minutes played in a career. She has scored in double figures in three of the nine All-Star games she has played in (named, but did not play in 2007), including an All-Star career-best 16 points in 2009 to go along with 10 assists.
In her third WNBA season, Stewart has earned her second All-Star selection. The 6-4 forward is leading the WNBA in scoring with 22.5 points per game on a career-best 53.9 percent shooting. She is also grabbing 8.1 rebounds per outing to go along with 1.5 blocks per game, and she has four double-doubles on the season. In the Storm’s latest win over the Dallas Wings on July 14, Stewart scored a season-high 35 points, her second 30-plus point effort of the 2018 season.
Making her first-ever All-Star appearance, Loyd is once again enjoying an explosive campaign on the offensive end. She has eclipsed the 20-plus point mark nine times in 2018, including a string of five-straight games in May. Loyd has averaged 15.5 points per game this season to go along with career-highs of 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per affair. Loyd is one of just two All-Stars (A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas) making their All-Star debuts in 2018.
Washington Mystics forward/guard Elena Delle Donne and Los Angeles Sparks forward/center Candace Parker will serve as team captains and draft the rosters for the 15th WNBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Saturday, July 28 at the Target Center in Minneapolis at 12:30 p.m. PT. ABC will televise the game live between Team Delle Donne and Team Parker.
The All-Stars were announced today on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Under the new All-Star Game format that replaces the traditional matchup between conferences, Delle Donne and Parker will select their respective teams from the pool of remaining All-Stars to form two 11-player rosters. Delle Donne will make the first pick and Parker will have the second pick. The two captains will then alternate picks until all players have been selected.
The rosters for Team Delle Donne and Team Parker will be revealed on Thursday, July 19 at the start of ESPN2’s telecast of a game between Washington and the Dallas Wings (5 p.m. PT tip-off). On Friday, July 27, the All-Star team captains and head coaches will meet to determine the starting lineups. The starters will be revealed that night on ESPN2 (4 p.m. PT) during a live telecast of the WNBA All-Star Welcome Reception in Minnesota.
As previously announced by the WNBA, Seattle head coach Dan Hughes will lead Team Delle Donne, while Phoenix head coach Sandy Brondello will guide Team Parker.