Earlier this week, Sky guards Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley said they would prefer to play for the same All-Star team this weekend. But former Sky star Elena Delle Donne crushed that dream this week.
In the first televised WNBA All-Star Draft Tuesday, Aces forward A’ja Wilson and Delle Donne, who were named captains after receiving the highest fan votes, revealed their teams for this Saturday’s All-Star game at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Wilson picked Diamond DeShields and Quigley in back-to-back rounds. Then, Delle Donne took Vandersloot off the board with the 16th overall pick.
What happens now?
“She’s not scoring,” Vandersloot chirped at Quigley after Sunday’s game.
Quigley, a three-time All-Star, responded: “There’s no defense in the All-Star game.”
Delle Donne picked Mercury center Brittney Griner with the first overall pick, and Wilson, who won’t participate in All-Star weekend due to an injury, picked Sparks point guard Chelsea Gray with the second pick.
After the draft, Delle Donne traded Lynx forward Napheesa Collier to Team Wilson for Liberty veteran Tina Charles. The two captains also swapped coaches, so Aces coach Bill Laimbeer would coach Team Wilson, and Mystics coach Mike Thibault would be Team Delle Donne.
Below are the two All-Star rosters:
Team Delle Donne
Starters
- Delle Donne
- Griner
- Jewell Loyd (Storm)
- Jonquel Jones (Sun)
- Kia Nurse (Liberty)
Reserves
- Kristi Toliver (Mystics)
- DeWanna Bonner (Mercury)
- Nneka Ogwumike (Sparks)
- Tina Charles (Liberty)
- Vandersloot
- Alyssa Thomas (Sun)
Team Wilson
- Wilson*
- Griner
- Kayla McBride (Aces)
- Liz Cambage (Aces)
- Natasha Howard (Storm)
Reserves
- Sylvia Fowles (Lynx)
- DeShields, Quigley
- Erica Wheeler (Fever)
- Collier (Lynx)
- Candice Dupree (Fever)
- Odyssey Sims (Lynx).
*Laimbeer will name the replacement for Wilson in the starting lineup
