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WNBA Women's National Basketball Association

Sisters Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike Headline Reserves for WNBA's All-Star 2014

July 15, 2014 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK, July 15, 2014 - Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike, who in April became only the second set of siblings ever selected with the top overall pick in an American professional sports draft, have again made history. Chiney, the No. 1 overall pick by the Connecticut Sun this year, and Nneka, the No. 1 overall selection by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2012, have been chosen by the league's head coaches as reserves for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014, the WNBA announced today. With that, Chiney, who will be making her first All-Star appearance, and Nneka, who will be making her second, become the first pair of sisters ever selected to participate in the WNBA's All-Star event.

Also highlighting the reserves are former regular-season MVP Tina Charles (2012), former MVP of the WNBA Finals presented by Boost Mobile Seimone Augustus (2011), former All-Star MVP Katie Douglas (2006), and third-year forward Jessica Breland, who is enjoying a stellar 2014 campaign just two years after being out of the league following just one season.

Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014 will take place at US Airways Center in Phoenix on Saturday, July 19, and will be nationally televised on ESPN, with tip-off at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT).

For the Eastern Conference, Chiney Ogwumike, Charles of the New York Liberty, Breland of the Chicago Sky, and Erika de Souza of the Atlanta Dream will serve as frontcourt reserves. Douglas of the Sun and Briann January of the Indiana Fever were both voted in as backcourt reserves. Douglas will be making her fifth All-Star appearance and Charles and de Souza their third, while Breland and January will join Chiney Ogwumike in making their All-Star debuts.

Among the reserves for the Western Conference are a pair of two-time WNBA champions from the Minnesota Lynx - backcourt star Augustus and backcourt star Lindsay Whalen. Joining Augustus and Nneka Ogwumike as frontcourt reserves are Candice Dupree of the Phoenix Mercury and Glory Johnson of the Tulsa Shock, while Danielle Robinson of the San Antonio Stars joins Whalen as a reserve in the backcourt. This marks the fifth All-Star appearance for Augustus and the fourth for both Dupree and Whalen, while Johnson and Robinson join Nneka Ogwumike in returning to the All-Star stage for a second time.

Among the Eastern Conference reserves, Charles and Chiney Ogwumike enter Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014 tied for third in the league in double-doubles (8 apiece). Charles also ranks sixth in scoring (17.1 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (9.0 rpg), while Ogwumike ranks seventh in both scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg), and sixth in blocks (1.3 bpg) . Breland, who overcame cancer while at the

University of North Carolina, and was out of the WNBA in 2012, is having a career year, averaging 11.8 ppg (more than double her previous best of 5.3 ppg) and 7.7 rpg (nearly double her prior best of 4.0 rpg). De Souza is tied for second in the league in rebounding (9.7 rpg) and ranks 10th in scoring (15.2 ppg), while Douglas - now in her 14th WNBA season - is averaging 13.5 ppg. January is averaging a career-best 11.1 ppg in her sixth WNBA campaign.

For the Western Conference, Johnson sits in fourth place among WNBA rebounders (9.3 rpg) and is 13th in scoring (14.8 ppg). Nneka Ogwumike (15.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Dupree (15.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg) rank among the top 15 in both scoring and rebounding, while Robinson is among the top 10 in both assists (5.2 apg) and steals (1.86 spg). Whalen ranks third in assists (5.6 apg) and 12th in scoring (15.0 ppg), and her Lynx teammate, Augustus, ranked sixth among WNBA scorers (17.2 ppg) prior to sitting out the last six games due to knee bursitis.

The Ogwumike sisters are two of nine former No. 1 overall draft selections on this year's All-Star rosters. The others include starters Diana Taurasi (2004, by Phoenix), Candace Parker (2008, Los Angeles),

Angel McCoughtry (2009, Atlanta), Maya Moore (2011, Minnesota), and Brittney Griner (2013, Phoenix), as well as fellow reserves Augustus (2006, Minnesota) and Charles (2010, Connecticut).

Reserves were chosen by the league's 12 head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team and selected reserves by voting for six players within their own conference, including two guards, three frontcourt players, and one player regardless of position.

Following are the reserves selected for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014:

Eastern Conference Reserves: Western Conference Reserves:

Jessica Breland, Frontcourt (Chicago Sky) Seimone Augustus, Backcourt (Minnesota Lynx)

Tina Charles, Frontcourt (New York Liberty) Candice Dupree, Frontcourt (Phoenix Mercury)

Erika de Souza, Frontcourt (Atlanta Dream) Glory Johnson, Frontcourt (Tulsa Shock)

Katie Douglas, Backcourt (Connecticut Sun) Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt (Los Angeles Sparks)

Briann January, Backcourt (Indiana Fever) Danielle Robinson, Backcourt (San Antonio Stars)

Chiney Ogwumike, Frontcourt (Connecticut Sun) Lindsay Whalen, Backcourt (Minnesota Lynx)

Replacement players, who will take the roster spot of players who cannot play due to injury, will be named by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie. Any changes to the starting lineup necessitated by injury will be made by the head coach of the respective All-Star team.

Under WNBA guidelines, the coach of the previous season's conference champion serves as the All-Star coach for that conference, provided that the coach remains in the same position. Since Fred Williams, head coach of the 2013 Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream, is now at the helm in Tulsa, the East head coach - Atlanta's Michael Cooper - was selected based on the club with the best winning percentage through games on June 29. Cooper earned the honor after guiding his club to an 11-4 mark (.733) at that point in the season. Minnesota Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, who guided the Lynx to the 2013 WNBA title, will lead the West squad.

Individual tickets for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014 start at just $20 and can be purchased online at PhoenixMercury.com/allstar, through Ticketmaster viaTicketmaster.com, by dialing 800-745-3000, or at the US Airways Center Ticket Office. For every All-Star Game ticket sold, the Mercury will donate $1 to its "All-Stars and Stripes" program benefiting local military heroes and their families.

BOOST MOBILE WNBA ALL-STAR 2014 ROSTERS (alphabetical)

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

Head Coach: Michael Cooper (Atlanta Dream)

Player Team Position Ht. DOB From Yrs.

Jessica Breland^ Chicago Sky Frontcourt 6-3 2/23/88 North Carolina 2

Tamika Catchings* Indiana Fever Frontcourt 6-1 7/21/79 Tennessee 13

Tina Charles New York Liberty Frontcourt 6-4 12/5/88 Connecticut 4

Elena Delle Donne* Chicago Sky Frontcourt 6-5 9/5/89 Delaware 1

Erika de Souza Atlanta Dream Frontcourt 6-5 3/9/82 Brazil 8

Katie Douglas Connecticut Sun Backcourt 6-0 5/7/79 Purdue 13

Briann January^ Indiana Fever Backcourt 5-8 1/11/87 Arizona State 5

Angel McCoughtry* Atlanta Dream Frontcourt 6-1 9/10/86 Louisville 5

Chiney Ogwumike^+ Connecticut Sun Frontcourt 6-4 3/21/92 Stanford R

Cappie Pondexter* New York Liberty Backcourt 5-9 1/7/83 Rutgers 8

Shoni Schimmel*^+ Atlanta Dream Backcourt 5-9 5/4/92 Louisville R

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

Head Coach: Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx)

Player Team Position

Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx Backcourt 6-0 4/30/84 LSU 8

Skylar Diggins*^ Tulsa Shock Backcourt 5-9 8/2/90 Notre Dame 1

Candice Dupree Phoenix Mercury Frontcourt 6-2 8/16/84 Temple 8

Brittney Griner* Phoenix Mercury Frontcourt 6-8 10/18/90 Baylor 1

Glory Johnson Tulsa Shock Frontcourt 6-3 7/27/90 Tennessee 2

Maya Moore* Minnesota Lynx Frontcourt 6-0 6/11/89 Connecticut 3

Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks Frontcourt 6-2 7/2/90 Stanford 2

Candace Parker* Los Angeles Sparks Frontcourt 6-4 4/19/86 Tennessee 6

Danielle Robinson San Antonio Stars Backcourt 5-9 5/10/89 Oklahoma 3

Diana Taurasi* Phoenix Mercury Backcourt 6-0 6/11/82 Connecticut 10

Lindsay Whalen Minnesota Lynx Backcourt 5-9 5/9/82 Minnesota 10

* denotes member of the starting lineup, as voted by the fans

^ denotes first-time All-Star selection

+ denotes rookie

WNBA ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY

Date Location W L

July 14, 1999 Madison Square Garden (New York) West 79 East 61

July 17, 2000 America West Arena (Phoenix) West 73 East 61

July 16, 2001 TD Waterhouse Centre (Orlando) West 80 East 72

July 15, 2002 MCI Center (Washington) West 81 East 76

July 12, 2003 Madison Square Garden (New York) West 84 East 75

July 9, 2005 Mohegan Sun Arena (Connecticut) West 122 East 99

July 12, 2006 Madison Square Garden (New York) East 98 West 82

July 15, 2007 Verizon Center (Washington) East 103 West 99

July 25, 2009 Mohegan Sun Arena (Connecticut) West 133 East 118

July 23, 2011 AT&T Center (San Antonio) East 118 West 113

July 27, 2013 Mohegan Sun Arena (Connecticut) West 102 East 98

* No All-Star Game was held in 2004, 2008, and 2012 due to the Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, and London, respectively. Similarly, no All-Star game was played in 2010, due to the FIBA World Championships in Czech Republic. An exhibition game was conducted at Radio City Music Hall in the summer of 2004, and in 2010, an exhibition game was held at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. with a USA vs. WNBA format in the "WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun."

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