WNBA Las Vegas Aces

A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young Named WNBA All-Star Starters

Published on June 25, 2023 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Las Vegas Aces News Release


Las Vegas, NV - The WNBA announced today that three members of the Las Vegas Aces-A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young-have been named starters to the 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game. Wilson was the leading All-Star vote getter for the second consecutive season, and will serve as a team captain for the third time in her career. New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart will serve as the other team captain.

The 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game sis et to be played on Saturday, July 15 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Tip on ABC is slated for 5:30 pm PT.

After winning the franchise's first WNBA Championship a year ago, the Aces have a league-best 12-1 record in 2023 and are 33-6 over their last 39 games including the 2022 postseason.

All three Las Vegas All-Stars are making early cases for WNBA Most Valuable Player. Wilson, the reigning league MVP, is 8th in the league in scoring (19.3), 6th in rebounding (9.4), 5th in field goal percentage (.535) and 2nd in blocked shots (2.15). In more advanced statistics, the five-time All-Star is 3rd in the league in win shares (3.2), 4th in offensive win shares (2.0), 2nd in defensive win shares (1.2), 7th in offensive efficiency rating (120.1), and 3rd in defensive efficiency rating.

Young, the WNBA's 2022 Most Improved Player, has taken another leap forward this year, ranking 5th in the league in scoring (20.2), 3rd in field goal percentage (.588), and tied for 2nd in three-point field goal percentage (.500). The two-time All-Star is also making .818 percent of her shots from the free throw line, giving her the opportunity to become the first player in WNBA history to post a seasonal shooting percentage slash line of .600/.500/.800 or better.

Gray, long known as the Point Gawd, has added Shooting Gawd to her résumé over the past year. She ranks 3rd in the WNBA in assists this season (6.7), but is also making 50.4 percent of her field goal attempts (12th in the league), 500 percent of her three-pointers (tied for 2nd), and 94.4 percent of her free throw attempts (6th). Over her past 38 games, including the 2022 playoffs, the 2022 WNBA Final MVP is averaging 16.4 points and 6.6 assists while connecting on a shooting percentage slash line of .549/.487/.907.

Voting will now begin for the 12 AT&T WNBA All-Star reserves, who will be selected by the league's head coaches. The head coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. They may not vote for their own players. The reserves will be announced on Saturday, July 1. If a player is unable to play in AT&T WNBA All-Star, a replacement will be named by WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

The captains will draft their rosters by selecting first from the pool of eight remaining starters and then from the pool of 12 reserves. ESPN will broadcast the WNBA All-Star Team Selection Special on Saturday, July 8 (10 am PT).

Fans accounted for 50 percent of the vote to determine the starters for the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, while current WNBA players and a media panel accounted for 25 percent each. Wilson finished with a WNBA-high 95,860 fan votes, followed by Stewart (87,586). For more results from fan voting, click here.

After all votes were tallied, players were ranked by position (guard and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups -fan votes, player votes and media votes. Each player's score was calculated by averaging their weighted rank from the fan votes, the player votes, and the media votes. The four guards and six frontcourt players across the WNBA with the best scores were named All-Star Game starters. Fan voting served as the tiebreaker for players in a position group with the same score.

Below are the overall scores, based on results from all three voting groups, for the top 10 finishers at each position. Each player's score is weighted based on 50 percent for fan vote, 25 percent for player vote and 25 percent for media vote.

The head coaches for the 2023 AT&T WNBA All-Star will be the head coaches of the two teams with the best records following games on Friday, June 30, regardless of conference. The head coach with the best record as of that date will coach the team whose captain earned the most fan votes.

The AT&T WNBA All-Star Game will be the centerpiece of two full days packed with WNBA activities, including the WNBA STARRY® 3-Point Contest and Kia WNBA Skills Challenge, which will air on ESPN on Friday, July 14 at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

The WNBA also will host its "WNBA Live" fan festival, now in its second year. An exciting, interactive event open to the public, "WNBA Live" will provide fans an opportunity to experience the intersection of the WNBA, entertainment and culture leading up to the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game.

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