Minnesota’s Brunson, New York’s Rodgers Named As Replacement Players For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017

NEW YORK, July 19, 2017 – Forward Rebekkah Brunson of the Minnesota Lynx and guard Sugar Rodgers of the New York Liberty have been named by WNBA President Lisa Borders to replace two injured players in Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 on Saturday, July 22 at KeyArena in Seattle (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

The WNBA also announced today that Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller and his staff will coach the Eastern Conference in place of New York Liberty head coach Bill Laimbeer and his staff while Laimbeer tends to a family matter.

Rodgers will make her All-Star debut in her fifth WNBA season. She will fill the spot vacated by Washington Mystics forward-guard Elena Delle Donne, who injured her ankle on July 14 after being selected as a starter for the East in voting by fans, WNBA players and media. Miller, in his role as East head coach, will choose Delle Donne’s replacement in the starting lineup.

The 26-year-old Rodgers is third in the WNBA in made three-point shots (39). She is averaging 12.7 points per game and posting career highs in rebounds (4.2 rpg), assists (2.6 apg) and steals (1.2 spg). Rodgers will also participate in the WNBA Three-Point Contest at halftime of Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017.

Laimbeer earned the right to coach the East All-Stars after the Liberty finished with the best regular-season record in the conference in 2016. The Connecticut staff was selected to fill in by virtue of having the best record in the conference this season as of July 10. Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve will lead the West after leading the Lynx to the West’s top record last season.

Brunson, 35, will be making her fourth All-Star appearance and first since 2013. She will replace Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, who suffered knee and ankle injuries on July 14. Griner had been voted to the Western Conference team as a reserve by the conference’s head coaches.

Now in her 14th WNBA season, Brunson is the WNBA’s career leader in offensive rebounds (1,107). She has earned four WNBA championships, including three with Minnesota (2011, 2013 and 2015).

Under Miller and assistants Steve Smith and Nicki Collen, the Sun has rebounded from a 1-5 start to hold the third-best record in the league (12-8).

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Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 – Replacement Players Announced

Individual tickets for Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 start at just $15 and can be purchased at http://seattlestormbasketball.com/ticketcentral/#/all-star or by calling 206-217-WNBA (9622).

The 2017 WNBA regular season runs through Sept. 3. For more information on the WNBA and game tickets, fans may visit www.wnba.com.

Following are the rosters for Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017:

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

PLAYER TEAM POSITION HT. BIRTHDATE COLLEGE YRS. ASG

Starters
Tina Charles* New York Liberty Frontcourt 6-4 12/5/88 Connecticut 7 5
Elena Delle Donne*@ Washington Mystics Frontcourt 6-5 9/5/89 Delaware 4 4
Tiffany Hayes*^ Atlanta Dream Guard 5-10 9/20/89 Connecticut 5 1
Jonquel Jones*^ Connecticut Sun Frontcourt 6-6 1/5/94 George Washington 1 1
Jasmine Thomas*^ Connecticut Sun Guard 5-9 9/30/89 Duke 6 1

Reserves and Replacement Players
Layshia Clarendon^ Atlanta Dream Guard 5-9 5/2/91 California 4 1
Stefanie Dolson Chicago Sky Frontcourt 6-5 1/8/92 Connecticut 3 2
Candice Dupree Indiana Fever Frontcourt 6-2 8/16/84 Temple 11 6
Allie Quigley^ Chicago Sky Guard 5-10 6/20/86 DePaul 8 1
Sugar Rodgers+ New York Liberty Guard 5-9 12/8/89 Georgetown 4 1
Alyssa Thomas^ Connecticut Sun Frontcourt 6-2 4/12/92 Maryland 3 1
Elizabeth Williams^ Atlanta Dream Frontcourt 6-3 6/23/93 Duke 2 1

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

PLAYER TEAM POSITION HT. BIRTHDATE COLLEGE YRS. ASG

Starters
Sue Bird* Seattle Storm Guard 5-9 10/16/80 Connecticut 14 10
Sylvia Fowles* Minnesota Lynx Frontcourt 6-6 10/6/85 LSU 9 4
Maya Moore* Minnesota Lynx Frontcourt 6-0 6/11/89 Connecticut 6 5
Candace Parker* Los Angeles Sparks Frontcourt 6-4 4/19/86 Tennessee 9 4
Diana Taurasi* Phoenix Mercury Guard 6-0 6/11/82 Connecticut 12 8

Reserves and Replacement Players
Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx Guard 6-0 4/30/84 LSU 11 7
Rebekkah Brunson+ Minnesota Lynx Forward 6-2 12/11/81 Georgetown 13 4
Skylar Diggins-Smith Dallas Wings Guard 5-9 8/2/90 Notre Dame 4 3
Chelsea Gray^ Los Angeles Sparks Guard 5-11 10/8/92 Duke 2 1
Brittney Griner@ Phoenix Mercury Frontcourt 6-9 10/18/90 Baylor 4 4
Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks Frontcourt 6-2 7/2/90 Stanford 5 4
Breanna Stewart^ Seattle Storm Frontcourt 6-4 8/27/94 Connecticut 1 1

* denotes starter, as voted by the fans, media and current WNBA players
^ denotes first-time All-Star selection
@ denotes injured, unable to play
+ denotes replacement player selected by WNBA President
Yrs denotes number of seasons completed entering 2017
ASG denotes number of All-Star selections including 2017

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Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 – Replacement Players Announced

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
July 19, 2014 US Airways Center (Phoenix) East 125 West 124
July 25, 2015 Mohegan Sun Arena (Connecticut) West 117 East 112

* No All-Star Game was held in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 due to the Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, respectively. No All-Star Game was played in 2010 due to the FIBA World Championships. An exhibition game was conducted at Radio City Music Hall in 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.”

About the WNBA
The WNBA – which features 12 teams and is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world – is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. The league, which counts Verizon as its leaguewide marquee partner, tipped off its 21st season on May 13, 2017.