WNBA Women's National Basketball Association

Replacement players named for WNBA All-Star Game

July 11, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK (JULY 10, 2006), - Connecticut Sun forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Charlotte Sting forward Tangela Smith, Chicago Sky forward Candice Dupree and Houston Comets center Michelle Snow have been named as replacement players for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game Presented by Vonage, it was announced today by WNBA President Donna Orender.

McWilliams-Franklin, Smith and Dupree will fill the spots on the Eastern Conference roster vacated by Tamika Catchings, Becky Hammon and Nykesha Sales. Snow will replace her Comets teammate Tina Thompson on the Western Conference squad. Sales is unable to play due to an Achilles tendon injury; Hammon is out with a sprained left ankle sustained over the weekend; Catchings is hobbled by acute Achilles tendonitis and Thompson will be unavailable with a strained right calf.

McWilliams-Franklin, posting 11.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in 2006, will make her fifth All-Star appearance and brings the number of Sun players on the All-Star roster to five, a WNBA record. In addition to McWilliams-Franklin and Sales, Connecticut players Margo Dydek and Lindsay Whalen will start for the East and Katie Douglas will make her first All-Star appearance as a reserve.

Smith, in her ninth WNBA season but making her first All-Star appearance, leads the Sting this season with 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Smith ranks among WNBA career leaders in blocks, field goals made, field goals attempted, blocks per game, rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, points and minutes. Snow, the WNBA's Most Improved Player in 2003, makes her second All-Star appearance and is averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season. The Comets will be represented by four players at the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game presented by Vonage. In addition to Snow and Thompson, Houston's Sheryl Swoopes and Dawn Staley were voted as starters by the fans earlier this month. Aside from the Sun's record five players, this marks just the third time in league history that any team has had four players make an All-Star roster in the same year. Houston joins Detroit (2006) and New York (1999) in this category.

Dupree, the sixth pick in the WNBA draft this past April, becomes the fourth rookie named to the squad, joining fellow first-year pros Seimone Augustus, Cappie Pondexter and Sophia Young, the first, second and fourth picks, respectively. The Temple University product is leading the Sky in scoring and rebounds, averaging 13.4 points and 5.7 boards per game. She also tops the Chicago roster in terms of minutes played, averaging 31.2 per outing.

By virtue of their teams' respective conference championships in 2005, Connecticut's Mike Thibault will coach the East All-Stars and Sacramento's John Whisenant will guide the West All-Stars. Thibault will name an alternative to replace Sales in the starting lineup later this week. It would have marked Sales' first start as an All-Star despite the fact that she and Lisa Leslie are the only two players in WNBA history to be named to each of the seven all-star squads in league history.

The 2006 WNBA All-Star Game Presented by Vonage will be hosted by the New York Liberty on Wednesday, July 12 at Madison Square Garden and will be televised nationally on ESPN at 7:20 p.m. EDT. ESPN's pregame show, WNBA Shootaround, begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

In addition, the game will be seen in a record 198 countries around the globe with commentary in 33 languages via 57 telecasters. This year's record global television distribution breaks last year's reach of 193 countries through 52 telecasters in 31 languages. The following telecasters will televise the game for the first time: Bahamas (NBA TV-Cable Bahamas, China (Nusports.cn), Iceland (NBA TV- Digital Island, Italy (Sportitalia), Mexico (TVC and NBA TV-PCTV, Middle East (NBA TV-Orbit), Serbia (Sport Klub), and Venezuela (NBA TV-Intercable).

WNBA rosters for the 2006 season feature 29 international players from 18 countries and territories on team rosters this season. Among the international players named WNBA All-Star 2006 starters, are the Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson (Australia) and the Connecticut Sun's Margo Dydek (Poland).

With tickets starting at $10, fans can enjoy the unique experience of seeing the WNBA's superstars together in one place at Madison Square Garden, the World's Most Famous Arena. Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster Retail Locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-877-WNBA-TIX. Tickets are also available for purchase at Madison Square Garden's Box Office, through WNBA.com and at the NBA Store in New York.

Check out the Women's National Basketball Association Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 11, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central