Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner were among the 12 players named WNBA All-Star Game reserves Tuesday by the league's head coaches.
Stewart and six other reserves were named to their first All-Star Game, which will be played Saturday (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET) at Seattle's KeyArena, Stewart's home court with the Seattle Storm.
Los Angeles' Ogwumike, the reigning WNBA regular-season MVP, joins Phoenix's Griner, the WNBA scoring leader, in the West frontcourt. Both are four-time All-Stars.
The West reserves also include Minnesota's Seimone Augusutus (seventh All-Star selection), Dallas' Skylar Diggins-Smith (third) and Los Angeles' Chelsea Gray (first).
In the East, Atlanta's Layshia Clarendon, Chicago's Allie Quigley, Connecticut's Alyssa Thomas and Connecticut's Elizabeth Williams will all make their All-Star debuts. Chicago's Stefanie Dolson returns for the second time, while Indiana forward Candice Dupree makes her sixth appearance.
Dupree joins Tina Thompson and Cappie Pondexter as the only players in league history to appear as All-Stars with three different teams (with Chicago in 2006, '07 and '09 and with Phoenix in 2014 and '15).
Overall, nine players will make their All-Star debuts, including East starters Tiffany Hayes, Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas. The All-Star Game rosters also feature nine former No. 1 WNBA draft picks.
Griner will miss the game after suffering knee and ankle injuries last week. Elena Delle Donne, voted an East starter, also will miss the game due to a sprained ankle. WNBA president Lisa Borders will select their replacements later this week.
