June 14, 2023
A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart lead early WNBA All-Star votes
By Cameron Ruby
Wilson and Stewart were the team captains in 2022 as top two vote getters
The WNBA announced the tallies from the first round of All-Star Voting on Tuesday, with 2022 MVP A’ja Wilson (35,968 votes) and Breanna Stewart (32,926 votes) leading the early votes for the second year in a row. Voting is up significantly from last year, when these two received the top two slots with 21,668 votes and 20,866 votes, respectively.
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Wilson currently leads the 8-1 Aces with 20.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. She has been selected the Kia WNBA MVP twice in the last four years, in 2022 and 2020, and has been named an All-Star four times, selected as an All-Star team captain twice.
Stewart is in the top five for points (second behind former Seattle Storm teammate Jewell Loyd), rebounds (third with 10.4 per game), blocks (third league-wide), and steals (fourth league-wide). She’s also a four-time All-Star, was named the 2018 WNBA MVP, and two-time WNBA Finals MVP.
Rounding out the top-five vote-getters are Brittney Griner (28,387 votes), Aliyah Boston (23,594 votes), and Jackie Young (23,217 votes). Griner is averaging 20.1 points per game, which ranks seventh overall, with 2023 No. 1 draft pick Boston averaging 14.7 points on 67 percent shooting. Young, last year’s WNBA Most Improved Player, is averaging 19.7 points for the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
Notably, the entire Las Vegas Aces starting lineup is represented in the top 30 vote recipients, as well as the Aces’ sixth player Alysha Clark. The Liberty has four players in the top 30, including new additions Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot and Jonquel Jones. The Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun each have three players on the list, with all other teams boasting two, aside from The Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx, each with one player.
Fans have until June 21 to submit their votes for All-Stars. Fan votes account for 50 percent of the selection, with media and players making up the remaining 50 percent. Following the tally of the votes, six frontcourt players and four guards will be named starters, which will be announced on June 25. Head coaches are then responsible for choosing the remaining 12 reserves, made up of three guards, five frontcourt players, and four players at any position.
The two players who receive the most votes (currently Wilson and Stewart), will serve as captains and select their teams in the WNBA All-Star Team Selection Special on July 8 at 1pm ET. This year’s WNBA All-Star Game will be played in Las Vegas on July 15, with pre-event content beginning at 5pm PT on ABC.
Top 30 vote-getters in preliminary WNBA All-Star fan voting, in order of votes:
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm
Satou Sabally, Dallas Wings
Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics
Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks
Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings
Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces
Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces
Candace Parker, Las Vegas Aces
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Kahleah Copper, Chicago Sky
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut Sun
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics
Courtney Vandersloot, New York Liberty
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
NaLyssa Smith, Indiana Fever
Marina Mabrey, Chicago Sky
Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty
Alysha Clark, Las Vegas Aces
Brionna Jones, Connecticut Sun
Zia Cooke, Los Angeles Sparks
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Written by Cameron Ruby
Cameron Ruby has been a contributing writer for The Next since April 2023. She is a Bay Area native currently living in Los Angeles.