Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese was announced Tuesday night as a WNBA All-Star, part of a roster that includes Caitlin Clark and Arike Ogunbowale.
Reese and Clark were the only two rookies to make the All-Star team. Reese is averaging 13.2 points and 11.8 rebounds in 18 games and broke Candace Parker’s single-season record for consecutive double-doubles with her 10th straight Sunday. She extended the streak to 11 shortly before the All-Star announcement with 12 points and a season-high 19 rebounds in an 85-77 victory over the Atlanta Dream.
Earlier Tuesday, Reese was named Rookie of the Month for June after averaging 14.5 points and 13.2 rebounds in 11 games.
Reese teared up during her postgame news conference after being informed of her All-Star selection.
“I’m just so happy,” she said. “I know the work I put in. Coming into this league, so many people doubted me and didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player that I was in college or would be worse and wouldn’t be where I am right now.
“But I trusted the process and I believed and I’m thankful that I dropped to (No.) 7 (in the draft) and was able to come to Chicago. It’s just a blessing.”
Reese is the first Sky rookie to be named an All-Star since 2013, when Elena Delle Donne became the first rookie to lead All-Star voting midway through her Rookie of the Year season.
This year’s voting process accommodated a different structure for the All-Star Game, which will match the 12 WNBA All-Stars against the 12-player Team USA roster ahead of the Paris Olympics. Olympic players still could receive votes but were not included on the WNBA team.
Fan votes accounted for 50% with player and media votes 25% each. The four non-Olympic players who finished in the top 10 of voting — Aliyah Boston, Clark, Dearica Hamby and Ogunbowale — received automatic All-Star selections.
The remaining players were selected by the league’s head coaches from among the next 36 players in voting. Reese received one of the coaches votes.
While Reese did not finish in the top 10 of overall voting, she was fifth in fan voting after receiving 381,518 votes. Clark finished first in fan voting (700,735), ahead of Boston (618,680) and Olympians A’ja Wilson (607,300) and Breanna Stewart (424,135).
The WNBA All-Star Game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. July 20 at Footprint Center in Phoenix. Tickets sold out early last month.
WNBA All-Star roster
- DeWanna Bonner (Connecticut Sun)
- Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever)
- Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)
- Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream)
- Dearica Hamby (Los Angeles Sparks)
- Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun)
- Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty)
- Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx)
- Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever)
- Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings)
- Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm)
- Angel Reese (Chicago Sky)
U.S. Olympic roster
- Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx)
- Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury)
- Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces)
- Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)
- Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty)
- Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm)
- Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces)
- Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)
- Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
- Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut Sun)
- A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
- Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)
