WNBA Women's National Basketball Association

WNBA All-Star Ballot Leaders

June 12, 2007 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK, NY (June 12, 2007) - Two Eastern Conference players - Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings and Detroit Shock guard Deanna Nolan - lead all players after receiving the most votes during first returns of the 2007 WNBA All-Star Balloting Program Presented by AOL and T-Mobile. Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, who has received the third largest number of votes overall, leads all Western Conference players.

In addition to Catchings, Nolan and Bird, rising superstars stand out among the top vote-getters across the WNBA. Becky Hammon, Tamika Whitmore, Swin Cash, Kara Braxton, Tammy Sutton-Brown, Lauren Jackson and Katie Smith round out the top ten fan favorites.

The WNBA All-Star Game will be hosted by the Washington Mystics at Verizon Center on Sunday, July 15 and will be televised nationally on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Catchings, who is averaging 17.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals in 2007, leads all players with 31,917 votes. Nolan, who is posting 14.0 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds, follows closely behind with 27, 965 votes. Rounding out the Eastern Conference selections by position are their teammates, Fever forward Tamika Whitmore (22,750), Shock guard Katie Smith (19,512) and Shock center Kara Braxton (21,387).

Bird, who is averaging 12.0 points, 4.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds, leads Western Conference players with 24,335 votes. Her Storm teammate, Lauren Jackson, leads all Western Conference forwards (20,464) while Phoenix Mercury forward Diana Taurasi (18,554) completes the lineup alongside a pair of Silver Stars teammates, guard Becky Hammon (24,228) and center Ruth Riley (12,240).

Starters for the WNBA All-Star Game will be determined by fan balloting which began on May 22 and runs through June 24 in WNBA arenas, online and through a variety of other outlets. Second returns will be announced in the weeks to come, while starting lineups will be announced on Tuesday, July 3. Reserve players will subsequently be selected by the League's Eastern and Western Conference head coaches and announced by the league on Tuesday, July 10.

WNBA players will be extremely visible around town during All-Star Weekend, participating in community outreach initiatives that will leave lasting and positive impressions in the Washington, D.C. area. Several projects will take place, including the Nike/WNBA Court Refurbishment and the opening of a Reading and Learning Center through the WNBA Cares Legacy Event in conjunction with Toyota. Also on July 15, select WNBA players will again compete against each other in the Dribble, Dish & Swish Skills Challenge as well as the Three-Point Shoot Out, both of which are sponsored by adidas and included in the price of admission to the All-Star Game. Additionally, the second annual All-Star Salute: Celebrating Inspiration Luncheon will take place in the nation's capital that week, honoring women who inspire, motivate and help ignite the dreams and aspirations of women in all fields of endeavor. The event will be highlighted by the presentation of the WNBA Inspiration Award which will be given to an individual or group who on a daily basis demonstrates the ability to inspire others through their commitment, passion and dedication to work, family and community.

Tickets at all price points can be purchased through WNBA.com, via Ticketmaster.com, at select Macy*s Department Stores in the Washington, D.C. area, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-202-397-SEAT. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Verizon Center Box Office. By hosting the 2007 All-Star Game, Washington, which also hosted the game in 2002, will join New York as the only cities to stage multiple WNBA All-Star games. In addition to hosting the league's first All-Star event on July 14, 1999, New York's Madison Square Garden was the site of the All-Star Game in 2003 and again last year during the league's 10th anniversary season. The Western Conference dominated play with a perfect 6-0 record before MVP Katie Douglas led the Eastern Conference to a 98-82 victory in last year's WNBA All-Star Game.

Now in its second decade of play, the WNBA features comprehensive national television coverage. ESPN2 and ABC will combine to televise up to 36 games nationally during the 2007 regular season and playoffs. Highlighting ESPN2's 16 regular season telecasts will be the second straight year of "WNBA Tuesdays", which includes 5 doubleheaders and WNBA action on 11 of 14 Tuesday nights in-season. NBA TV will complement ABC and ESPN2's coverage by televising 70 regular season and up to nine playoff games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST RETURNS

Forwards: Tamika Catchings (Ind) 31,917; Tamika Whitmore (Ind) 22,750; Swin Cash (Det) 22,111; Cheryl Ford (Det) 18,441; Shameka Christon (13,436); Nykesha Sales (Conn) 6,176; Candice Dupree (Chi) 5,695; Crystal Robinson (Wash) 4,813; Cathrine Kraayeveld (NY) 3,912; Asjha Jones (Conn) 3,530; Delisha Milton-Jones (Wash) 2,922; Monique Currie (Wash) 2,701.

Centers: Kara Braxton (Det) 21,387; Tammy Sutton-Brown (Ind) 21,166; Chasity Melvin (Chi) 8,996; Margo Dydek (Conn) 7,629; Jessica Davenport (NY) 7,299; Kayte Christensen (Chi) 2,904.

Guards: Deanna Nolan (Det) 27,965; Katie Smith (Det) 19,512; Tully Bevilaqua (Ind) 16, 748; Anna DeForge (Ind) 15,719; Loree Moore (NY) 14,428; Alana Beard (Wash) 10,217; Katie Douglas (Conn) 9,440; Sherill Baker (NY) 7,713; Lindsay Whalen (Conn) 7,220; Nikki Teasley (Wash) 3,877; Stacey Dales (Chi) 2,633; Dominique Canty (Chi) 2,089.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST RETURNS

Forwards: Lauren Jackson (Sea) 20,464; Diana Taurasi (Phx) 18,584; Sheryl Swoopes (Hou) 9,232; Vickie Johnson (SA) 8,762; Sophia Young (SA) 8,536; Chamique Holdsclaw (LA) 8,462; Tina Thompson (Hou) 6,939; Nicole Powell (Sac) 4,067; DeMya Walker (Sac) 2,800; Penny Taylor (Phx) 2,529; Svetlana Abrosimova (Minn) 2,161; Barbara Turner (Hou) 1,741; Carla Thomas (LA) 1,300; Tamika Raymond (Minn) 732.

Centers: Ruth Riley (SA) 12,240; Janell Burse (Sea) 12,126; Yolanda Griffith (Sac) 10,250; Taj McWilliams-Franklin (LA) 6,509; Michelle Snow (Hou) 6,435; Tangela Smith (Phx) 3,315; Nicole Ohlde (Minn) 1,989.

Guards: Sue Bird (Sea) 24,335; Becky Hammon (SA) 24,228; Betty Lennox (Sea) 12,075; Seimone Augustus (Minn) 10,128; Cappie Pondexter (Phx) 6,976; Marie Ferdinand-Harris (SA) 6,912; Kara Lawson (Sac) 6,076; Ticha Penicheiro (Sac) 5,560; Lindsey Harding (Minn) 3,590; Kelly Miller (Phx) 3,299; Mwadi Mabika (LA) 1,962; Temeka Johnson (LA) 1,716; Hamchetou Maiga-Ba (Hou) 1,330; Roneeka Hodges (Hou) 1,021.

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