WNBA All-Star Game Preview

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There is no shortage of intrigue and excitement as the world's most talented women basketball players prepare to show off their wares under one roof on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.

There are All-Star games and then there are games with all stars. And this year's WNBA All-Star Game, which tips off at 2:30 p.m. CST, offers both.

Last year in Seattle, the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 130-121, with Maya Moore named the MVP.

But this year it's out with the old and in with the new. No more West vs. East. Twenty-two players were picked for two teams by two captains, just like when playing for playground supremacy.

Moore, a four-time WNBA champion who plays for Minnesota, and Washington's Elena Delle Donne were named team captains after receiving the highest vote totals from fans, media, other players and coaches.

Moore had to back out of her captaincy because of a previous commitment (she'll still be playing) and was replaced by another future Hall of Famer, Los Angeles' Candace Parker, who finished third in the voting.

So this year we have Team EDD vs. Team Parker, who shared their strategy when drafting their teams.

"I think it was kind of like a park atmosphere. For me, as with Elena, there's no bad pick. You're picking All-Stars here," Parker explained. "So forming a team was easy for me. Obviously, I wanted to make sure that I had my two teammates (Nneka Ogwumike and Chelsea Gray) on my side because I don't want to play against them."

Ogwumike won't play because of an illness/injury and was replaced by WNBA career rebound leader Rebekkah Brunson.

Team Parker features seven players from the West and four from the East, with four guards and seven frontcourt players.

"It's humbling that fans came out and voted and wanted me to be in that position (as captain)," Delle Donne said. "It was really fun. I had a good time with it. And now that we're all here hanging out, that's what this is all about."

Team EDD features nine players from the Western Conference and two from the Eastern Conference, with five guards and six frontcourt players.

Just sit back and enjoy watching Team EDD's backcourt of record-setting Sue Bird and nine-time All-Star Diana Taurasi.

"There's no fancy story about it," Bird said of being in her record 11th All-Star Game. "It's not some, in my mind, great accomplishment. ... I don't really necessarily think I'm doing anything special. In those moments of retrospect, I'm like OK -- I guess it is pretty unique and cool that I am the first to play in 11."

While the talent in the All-Star backcourts would rival almost any other game, the frontcourt poses problems for Team Parker coach Sandy Brondello and Team EDD coach Dan Hughes.

Watching Parker, Moore and New York's Tina Charles -- with 17 All-Star appearances among them -- work their magic together promises to be real treat.

Toss Dallas' Liz Cambage into the mix and Team Parker's frontcourt is pretty impressive, and that's without even mentioning Chiney Ogwumike and Angel McCoughtry.

"You look at our team and it is stacked," Cambage said. "I'm really excited to be able to play with Candace (Parker), Maya Moore, got my girl Skylar (Diggins-Smith) with me. So I am really excited for (Saturday)."

Talk about stacked. Joining Delle Donne in the frontcourt is Phoenix's Brittney Griner and Minnesota's Sylvia Fowles -- all are five-time All-Star selections. Add Breanna Stewart, the league's leading scorer, to the frontcourt and Hughes has a problem -- but not as big a problem as Team Parker perhaps.

Oh, and Team EDD also has the first rookie since 2014 to be selected for the game in Las Vegas' A'ja Wilson. She is sixth in the league in scoring (20.0), fourth in rebounding (8.6) and fifth in blocked shots (1.8).

"It really does feel great to be around all these great vets," Wilson said. "Just to hear them, pick their brains, laugh with them -- see the human side of them. Obviously, you see in a scouting report and you see it as a player, but just to be around and see them as humans. It's good."

The other first-time All-Star is the third member of the Seattle Storm chosen for the game -- Jewell Loyd, who is a member of Team Parker.

When it comes to All-Star experience, Team EDD holds a commanding edge with 52 combined appearances compared with 40 for Team Parker. In addition to Bird's 11 and Taurasi's nine appearances, Seimone Augustus of Team EDD will be making her eighth appearance.

So who has the advantage? Just ask ESPN analyst Lisa Leslie. That's what the Seattle Times did.

"It's going to be important for Team (Parker) to set tempo," Leslie said. "She has Liz Cambage inside and Tina Charles. These (centers) are very dominant."

But Leslie gives the final edge to Team EDD because of one player -- Bird

"She understands about the tempo. I played with Sue Bird and got a few (All-Star) MVPs. She knows how to play in that game. ... It's going to be a battle of the racetrack and controlling the tempo."

 

Team Elena Delle Donne

 

Seimone Augustus, Minnesota, guard

Sue Bird, Seattle, guard

DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix, frontcourt

Elena Delle Donne, Washington, frontcourt

Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota, frontcourt

Brittney Griner, Phoenix, frontcourt

Kayla McBride, Las Vegas, guard

Breanna Stewart, Seattle, frontcourt

Diana Taurasi, Phoenix, guard,

Kristi Tolliver, Washington, guard

A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas, frontcourt

 

 

Team Candace Parker

 

Rebekkah Brunson, Minnesota, frontcourt

Liz Cambage, Dallas, frontcourt

Tina Charles, New York, frontcourt

Skyler Diggins-Smith, Dallas, guard

Chelsea Gray, Los Angeles, guard

Jewell Loyd, Seattle, guard

Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta, guard

Maya Moore, Minnesota, frontcourt

Chiney Ogwumike, Connecticut, frontcourt

Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles, frontcourt

Candace Parker, Los Angeles, frontcourt

Allie Quigley, Chicago, guard