The 2015 WNBA All-Star Game is an
exhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
game. It was played on July 25, 2015. The
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...
hosted a
WNBA All-Star Game
The Women's National Basketball Association All-Star Game, commonly referred to as the WNBA All-Star Game, is an annual exhibition basketball game played in the United States between the best players of the Western and Eastern Conference of ...
for the fourth time. The Sun previously hosted the game in
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
,
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, and
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
.
Starters for the game were selected by fan voting. Fans were able to select three
frontcourt
Basketball is a sport with five players on the court for each team at a time. Each player is assigned to different positions defined by the strategic role they play. Guard, forward and center are the three main position categories. The standard ...
players and two
guards.
Elena Delle Donne
Elena Delle Donne (born September 5, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player for 10 seasons as a member of the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky. Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to ...
of the
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...
led voting with 18,034 votes.
Maya Moore
Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the "greatest winner in the hist ...
won the MVP of the All-Star game and led the Western Conference to a 117–112 victory over the Eastern Conference.
Coaches
Coaches were determined by the previous year's conference championships.
Sandy Brondello
Sandra Anne Brondello (born 20 August 1968) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Australian women's nation ...
, coach of the defending
WNBA and
West
West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...
champion
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...
coached the Western Conference, while
Pokey Chatman
Dana "Pokey" Chatman (born June 18, 1969) is currently an assistant coach for the Seattle Storm in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Chatman is the former head coach of the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky of the WNBA. She is als ...
, coach of the defending
East
East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
champion
Chicago Sky
The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...
, coached the East. It was the first time coaching the All-Star Game for both coaches.
Players
Eastern Conference
In addition to Elena Delle Donne,
Shoni Schimmel of the
Atlanta Dream
The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Dream compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded for the ...
were voted as backcourt starters for the East, with
Angel McCoughtry of the Dream,
Tamika Catchings
Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely considered as one of the ...
of the Fever, and
Tina Charles of the
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...
as frontcourt starters.
Reserves included
Stefanie Dolson and
Emma Meesseman
Emma Meesseman (born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe S.K. (women's basketball), Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League and EuroLeague Women. After playing basketball in Belgium, Meesseman was ...
of the
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was ...
,
Cappie Pondexter of the Chicago Sky,
Alex Bentley and
Kelsey Bone of the Sun, and
Marissa Coleman of the Fever.
Western Conference
Guard
Skylar Diggins of the
Tulsa Shock
The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; ...
was the top vote getter in the West, and was joined in the backcourt by
Seimone Augustus
Seimone Delicia Augustus (born April 30, 1984) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. She is currently an assistant coach for the LSU Tigers women's basketball, Louisiana State University women's basketball team. She was ...
of the
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...
. Starting frontcourt for the West were
Maya Moore
Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the "greatest winner in the hist ...
of the
Minnesota Lynx
The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...
,
Brittney Griner
Brittney Yvette Griner (; born October 18, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's natio ...
and
Candice Dupree of the
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...
. Both Diggins and Augustus were unable to play due to a knee injury, and was replaced in the starting lineup by
Sue Bird
Suzanne Brigit Bird (born October 16, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played her entire career with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Bird was drafted first overall pick by t ...
of the Storm and
DeWanna Bonner of the Mercury respectively.
Reserves included
Lindsay Whalen
Lindsay Marie Whalen (born May 9, 1982) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Whalen played college basketball at the ...
of the Lynx,
Nneka Ogwumike
Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike (; born July 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks first overall in ...
of the Sparks,
Plenette Pierson of the
Tulsa Shock
The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; ...
, and
Danielle Robinson of the
San Antonio Stars
The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before th ...
. Whalen was unable to play due to an eye injury, and
Jantel Lavender of the Sparks,
Kayla McBride of the Stars, and
Riquna Williams
Riquna "Bay Bay" Williams (born May 28, 1990) is an American basketball player who is a free agent. She played collegiately for the Miami Hurricanes of the University of Miami, where she majored in sports administration.
Riquna's nickname is Bay ...
of the Shock were named as an injury replacement for Diggins, Augustus, and Whalen respectively.
Rosters
;Notes
*INJ Injured
*ST Starting in place of injured player
*REP Injury replacement
Game
References
{{NBA on ABC
2015 WNBA season
WNBA All-Star Game