3 Aces players named WNBA All-Star Game starters

Three Aces players will be in the starting lineup when the team hosts the WNBA All-Star Game next month.

Sixth-year forward A’ja Wilson, ninth-year guard Chelsea Gray and fifth-year wing Jackie Young were voted in Sunday by a combination of fans, players and media.

The All-Star Game will be played July 15 at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Wilson also will be a captain after receiving a league-best 95,860 fan votes. It’s the second consecutive year she has led the league in fan voting.

Wilson, the reigning MVP and defensive player of the year, will make her fifth All-Star appearance. She’s averaging 19.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.15 blocks this season. She surpassed 3,000 points for her career this season, becoming the fifth-youngest player to reach the milestone.

Young, named the league’s most improved player last season, led all guards in fan voting and media voting to secure her second All-Star appearance. She’s averaging 20.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 rebounds on impressive efficiency.

Young is shooting 58.8 percent from the field, third-best in the WNBA behind Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner and Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston. She’s also making 50 percent of her 3-pointers, which ranks second in the league.

“People tend to forget that Jackie’s a No. 1 draft pick,” Wilson said recently. “She’s playing like one. This is who she is through and through, and she has done so much to expand her game. … I’ll say this all the time — Jackie is an All-Star. She’s one of the best two-way players we have in our league.”

Gray, the WNBA Finals MVP last season, earned her fifth All-Star selection and second since joining the Aces in 2021. She is averaging 13.5 points, 6.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

Gray is on track to become the second player in WNBA history to join the 40-50-90 club. She is shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 50 percent on 3-pointers and 94.4 percent from the free-throw line.

“When you talk about ‘it’ factor, she has it,” coach Becky Hammon said recently. “You can’t teach it. You can always improve on things, but you can’t teach players to see the game like that. You’ve either got it or you don’t.”

Aces sixth-year guard Kelsey Plum, last season’s All-Star Game MVP, finished fifth in backcourt voting. Plum and teammate Candace Parker have a chance to make the game as reserves, selected by coaches and announced Saturday. Wilson and Stewart will draft their teams July 8.

Young and Gray are joined by Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd and Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale in the All-Star backcourt. Wilson, fellow captain and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, Griner, Boston, Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike make up the All-Star starting frontcourt.

Griner, a nine-time selection, will be starting in the game a year after she was an honorary choice by the league while she was being detained in Russia. Players wore Griner No. 42 jerseys for the second half of last season’s game.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.