Latest news with #WNBACountdown
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello's heartwarming message to Kayla Thornton after All-Star selection
The post Liberty coach Sandy Brondello's heartwarming message to Kayla Thornton after All-Star selection appeared first on ClutchPoints. Kayla Thornton is officially an All-Star for the first time in her 10-year WNBA career. The Golden State Valkyries forward was named one of 12 reserves for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, which will take place July 19 in Indianapolis. Her selection as a reserve drew praise from Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, who will serve as one of the All-Star coaches. Advertisement 'It would be such a reward for her,' Brondello said, as reported by Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. 'She's been a role player all her career, but to go into a new organization and do so well, I voted for her as an alternate to get there because she deserves it.' Thornton, who was selected in last year's expansion draft from the New York Liberty, has been a key part of the Valkyries' strong inaugural season. She had spent four seasons with New York before being drafted by Golden State. Known for her defense, physicality, and veteran presence, she has played a steady role throughout her career without receiving many accolades — until now. Reserves alongside Thornton include three rookies, veteran leaders Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Thornton is one of four first-time All-Stars this year, alongside Seattle's Gabby Williams and Washington Mystics rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. All four were selected by the league's 13 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players. Coaches selected three guards, five frontcourt players and four wildcards regardless of conference. Advertisement Iriafen and Citron will join Dallas' Paige Bueckers, a fan-voted starter, marking the first time since 2011 that three rookies will participate in the game. Other reserves include multiple-time All-Stars such as Skylar Diggins (7th), Alyssa Thomas (6th), Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young (4th), and returning selections Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Mitchell, Courtney Williams, and Angel Reese. Captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier will draft their teams from the pool of starters and reserves. The All-Star rosters will be finalized during ESPN's 'WNBA Countdown' on July 19, per Michael Voepel of ESPN. Related: Candace Parker opens up on why WNBA coaching might not be in the cards Related: Candace Parker's WNBA Mount Rushmore features some surprising names
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 WNBA All-Star draft live updates: Will Caitlin Clark select Fever teammates?
Will Caitlin Clark join forces with her Indiana Fever teammates during the 2025 WNBA All-Star game? 'There's a high chance that (Kelsey Mitchell) and (Aliyah Boston) will be on my team,' Clark said Monday during an open practice for season ticket holders. 'I'm going to do everything I can to get those two." Clark was named a 2025 WNBA All-Star captain on June 29 after receiving the most fan votes, giving her the unique opportunity to create her own roster through the WNBA All-Star Game draft, which airs Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell are both available after they picked up their third All-Star nods as a starter and reserve, respectively. Clark's All-Star team picks could be extra meaningful considering the 2025 WNBA All-Star game will be held at the Fever's Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on July 19. The selection of Clark, Boston and Mitchell marks the second consecutive year the Fever have a trio of players at the All-Star game. The Fever is tied with the Seattle Storm for the most representatives at this year's All-Star game. 2025 WNBA ALL-STAR STARTERS, RESERVES: Reese, Plum join roster as snubs abound Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who was also an All-Star captain after picking up the second-most fan votes, is in a similar position. Collier's teammate Courtney Williams will be available to draft after picking up her second All-Star selection as a reserve. Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 WNBA All-Star draft on Tuesday: How to watch the 2025 WNBA All-Star draft? Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier will unveil their All-Star teams during the WNBA All-Star Game draft, which will be broadcast on "WNBA Countdown Presented by Google' on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. 2025 WNBA All-Star game starters 2025 WNBA All-Star reserves The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Team Clark or Team Collier? Our experts draft their WNBA All-Star squads
Who will Caitlin Clark pick? Who will Napheesa Collier take? The WNBA All-Star Game captains will select their rosters in a draft at 7 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, airing on ESPN's 'WNBA Countdown.' Choosing their season-long teammates or optimizing their rosters with a balance of guards and bigs? Lots of interesting decisions await. Our WNBA experts at , Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman, joined 'No Offseason' host Zena Keita to take on the task in a mock draft. Based on a coin flip, Pickman represented Team Clark, and Merchant represented Napheesa Collier. Pickman: I'm going to take the other best player available. Before I get into the positional weeds, I will go with A'ja Wilson. We know Caitlin Clark is going to take Aliyah Boston first, but I personally, as Ben Pickman, will be taking A'ja Wilson. Merchant: I'm going to take (Breanna Stewart). Pickman: Give me Sabrina Ionescu. Guards have won the WNBA All-Star MVP every year since 2013. … Give me Sabrina for some more shooting. Merchant: We'll keep the UConn train rolling here. I'll take Paige. Keita: Staying within the lineage. Geno would be proud, Phee. OK, Caitlin, you're up. Pickman: Paige was going to be my next choice, so I have to reevaluate this draft. I am going to take Allisha Gray. Keita: Oh my gosh, just guard heavy over here. Pickman: All-Star Game performer. Keita: Whether she shows up in the game or the skills or anything, you know she's got a good track record coming in from last year. So far, Caitlin only has one big. Phee, you've got two bigs and Paige. Where do you want to go next? Merchant: There's no more guards left in this pool, so we'll just keep choosing bigs. That's fine. I'll go with Nneka (Ogwumike). Keita: Going across the country to Stanford. Merchant: No more UConns left. What are you going to do? Keita: They'll take the Cardinal in nicely. OK, Caitlin, who do you want next? Pickman: Again, because I am playing the role of myself, I am taking Satou Sabally. That means Aliyah Boston will get assigned to Sabreena's Napheesa Collier WNBA All-Star draft with Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier is tonight — but will air said 'I think there's a high chance that Kels and AB are on my team.'That's the goal. Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 7, 2025 Keita: We've got Caitlin's team so far: A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Allisha Gray, Satou Sabally. This is a solid starting lineup. I really like this balance here. And then Napheesa Collier, I'll tell you what, you've got some size. Some big bodies. Merchant: This is the issue with the way the pool is assigned, where the guards also include threes. So I'm just basically picking from fours and fives. Keita: Pretty much. Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, Nneka Ogwumike and Aliyah Boston. OK, Phee, now we are going to go into the reserves. You've got first pick, so you've got a chance to maybe bolster your perimeter. Merchant: Yeah, I think that's going to be necessary. I'm going to have to take some guards here. Very good guard group in the reserve selection. We can have some fun here. I do think … I kind of want some shooting. Let's go Kelsey Mitchell. I've got two Indiana people in Indiana at least, trying to make up for the fact that Caitlin's on the other team. Keita: That's OK. Caitlin will have to be on the sideline watching her pick-and-roll executed right in front of her. All right, Caitlin, what you want? Pickman: Before I make a total strategy shift, I'm going to take Kelsey Plum, and just continue to load up on guards. Kelsey Plum, a former All-Star Game MVP. Reunite her with A'ja Wilson in this game. Keita: There's a lot of size over here on the Phee side. Merchant: I feel good about it. It's all very versatile size. Stewie played the five over the weekend. She could easily play the one or the two for this particular roster. Keita: You pretty much have a team that can take the ball off the rim and go, outside of Aliyah Boston, maybe. Let's keep going, Phee, what do you want? Merchant: Speaking of players who can take the ball off the rim and go, I'm tempted to take Alyssa Thomas here, but she has not shown a lot of interest in All-Star Games before. So I'm not sure if this is the play that I want to take her. Let's just get a little more ballhandling. I'm going to go with Skylar Diggins. Keita: Love that choice. Skylar Diggins and Nneka getting to play again together. I like it. Caitlin, what's the rebuttal? Pickman: I'm going to take Angel (Reese). A little size, frontcourt presence and rebounding. Keita: Also somebody who can take the ball off the rim and go. There you go.⭐️2x ALL-STAR BARBIE⭐️Angel Reese is officially a 2025 WNBA All-Star🤩 Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) July 6, 2025 Merchant: All right, in terms of getting some more players on the same team who are teammates, we'll go with Courtney Williams here. Keita: You're getting a lot of buckets. I like the quick foot speed on this side. Pickman: Sabreena called it out. Alyssa Thomas, not really a fan of All-Star Games, not really a fan of putting up big numbers in them, I should say. But I will take AT. Keita: Let's pause real quick and see how we're looking. Caitlin team's … let's go guards. You've got Caitlin, but Caitlin's still dealing with that groin injury. Kelsey Plum, Allisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu. That's some solid (guard play). Alyssa Thomas and Angel Reese, both players who can give you that frontcourt size but also the ability to take the ball and go and distribute. … You've got some versatility. And then Satou Sabally, of course, that can play three, four, two, whatever you want. OK, Caitlin's team's looking solid. And of course, A'ja Wilson, you can never doubt her. Then Phee's team: You've got Napheesa Collier, Paige Bueckers, Nneka Ogumike, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Skylar Diggins, Courtney Williams. I like this veteran presence in the guards. This is cool. I like this. You've got some veterans that know how to be All-Stars, know how to play the game, know how to entertain us in the All-Star Game, and are also very competitive. I feel like this game might get spicy the way you have this broken out. Let's round out. You each have three more picks. Merchant: I am going to take Jackie Young. Pickman: I will keep a reunion together. I will take Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream, pairs with Allisha Gray. Keita: Very nice. Big guard energy. Phee, who do you want next? Merchant: We can keep all the Storm together. I'll take Gabby Williams. Pickman: We have three players left: Sonia Citron, Kayla Thornton and Kiki Iriafen. All three first-timers. Who is going to have the best game in an All-Star Game context? These are all good teammates, can be unselfish players at times. It'll be interesting to see if any of them have big games when the actual exhibition kicks off. I am going to take Kayla Thornton. I think repping for the Valkyries, wanting to show out for the expansion fans in this game. Keita: Now, Phee, you have a choice between two rookies. The Mystics. You've got to break them up regardless. Which one do you want? Merchant: I think I'm going to take Citron. I'm a little worried about leaving all of the really good offensive rebounders on Team Caitlin, but every time I see Citron guard Paige Bueckers, I don't think Paige likes it, so we're going to keep Citron. Keita: That means Caitlin / Ben, you're rounding out with Kiki Irafen. You've got some solid size presence. You had me in the first half, a little concerned, but now you've rounded out nicely with your reserves. Phee, I was a little concerned that you couldn't get the ball up the floor, but now you've got really good guard presence. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, WNBA, No Offseason Podcast 2025 The Athletic Media Company
The Herald Scotland
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier named WNBA All-Star Game captains
With the title of captain comes responsibilities. Clark and Collier will be tasked with drafting their All-Star teams playground-style from a pool of eight starters and 12 reserves. The remaining eight starters -- selected by fan votes (50%), current WNBA players (25%) and media members (25%) -- will be announced on Monday, June 30, while the 12 All-Star reserves will be selected by the league's head coaches on July 6. The WNBA All-Star Game draft will be broadcast on "WNBA Countdown Presented by Google" on July 8. The Fever shared a social media video of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing the news to Clark and the Fever. "Caitlin, I just want to personally congratulate you on being named captain for the 2025 WNBA All-Star team," Engelbert said over the phone, which was held by Fever head coach Stephanie White. Clark's teammates cheered and applauded. When Engelbert sent her best wishes for the upcoming 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final, Clark candidly replied, "We about to get that dub Cathy." Clark's availability for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will be something to monitor. Clark has missed a career-high seven games this season due to injury, including the Fever's last two games due to a left groin injury. Her status for the Fever's Commissioner's Cup championship game vs. the Lynx remains unclear. "Caitlin, I just want to personally congratulate you on being named captain for the 2025 WNBA All-Star team."@WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert surprised Caitlin Clark with a call to announce her as a captain in the #WNBAAllStar2025 Game ????? — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 29, 2025 The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will be held on July 19 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Fever, and could feature more Indiana stars. In the first returns of fan voting earlier this month, Fever center Aliyah Boston was ranked third, trailing Clark and Collier. Will Clark and Boston team up again? We'll have to wait and see. Clark is averaging 18.2 points and 8.9 assists per game, which marks a career-high. Collier learned she was an 2025 All-Star captain by way of her three-year-old daughter Mila, who wore a shirt that read, "Mama, you're a All-Star." Collier's husband Alex Bazzell was also involved in the unveiling, saying he's "incredibly proud. She's earned it. We're excited about it and hopefully more and more to come." called in friends and family to break the news. ???? — Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) June 29, 2025 Collier has led the Lynx to a league-best 13-2 record while averaging a league-high 24.5 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game, the fourth-highest in the league. She's a frontrunner for the 2025 WNBA MVP award. Clark and Collier faced off against each other in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, where Clark and Team WNBA handed the U.S. women's national team a loss before they went to the 2024 Paris Olympics and won another gold medal. Collier was held scoreless in three minutes of work off the bench for Team USA, while Clark had four points (2-of-9 FG, 0-of-7 3PT) and 10 assists in 26 minutes of work. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news -- fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Indianapolis Star
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Caitlin Clark leads WNBA All-Star Game fan voting, four Indiana Fever players in top 10
Caitlin Clark is leading WNBA All-Star fan votes in the league's first returns, according to a Friday release. Clark garnered 515,993 votes over the first week of fan voting, and she's the only player to eclipse 500,000 so far. Minnesota's Napheesa Collier is second is around 485,000 votes and Indiana's Aliyah Boston is third with around 447,000 votes. Caitlin Clark is No. 1 in All-Star fan voting in the first returns, the league just has 515,993 votes, while Minnesota's Napheesa Collier is second and Indiana's Aliyah Boston is third. This is the second straight season Clark has led fan voting. She was second in the early returns in fan voting in 2024, but jumped up to first with around 700,000 total votes by the end of the 2024 voting period. Factoring in media and player votes, Clark was an All-Star starter in her rookie season. The All-Star format in 2024 was Team USA vs. Team WNBA as players prepared for the Paris Olympics, but the 2025 edition, which will be in Indianapolis on July 19, is returning to captains picking their teams. Regardless of conference, the two All-Star starters that have the most fan votes will become captains, then do a televised draft to pick from the rest of the All-Star starters and reserves. If fan voting continues as it is, Clark could possibly be picking her own team for the All-Star Game in her home city. Four Fever players are in the top-10 of fan voting, including Clark at first, Boston at third, Kelsey Mitchell at seventh (277,664) and Lexie Hull at ninth (217,438). Fan voting runs through June 28. A culmination of fan voting (50%), player votes (25%), and media votes (25%) will determine the All-Star starters, then the coaches across the league will vote for the All-Star reserves. After voting has finished, the results of the roster draft will be televised during WNBA Countdown on ESPN on July 8. As of June 19 The WNBA All-Star Game is July 19. The 3-point contest and skills challenge is July 18. The game is in Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
