![Arike Ogunbowale [1296x729]](https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2024/0611/r1344529_1296x729_16-9.jpg)
PGA Tour commissioner optimistic about PIF talks
The USA Basketball women's national team for the 2024 Paris Olympics has officially been named and kicks off group play July 29 as the program pursues its eighth consecutive gold medal.
With the 12 Olympians selected, WNBA All-Star voting will tip off Thursday to help determine the roster that will go up against Team USA in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on July 20 in Phoenix.
All-Star voting -- featuring a combination of input from fans (50%), current WNBA players (25%) and media members (25%) -- will conclude June 29.
The top 10 vote-getters will automatically be named to the All-Star Game, with those players not already on the U.S. 5-on-5 Olympic roster assigned to Team WNBA.
The 12 WNBA head coaches will then take the names of the next 36 highest vote-getters and fill out the remaining spots on the 12-player All-Star squad.
Rosters will be announced July 2, and starters will be determined by each respective team's coach.
Team USA versus Team WNBA is a familiar format. The 2021 All-Star Game used the same configuration, with the WNBA All-Stars prevailing behind Arike Ogunbowale's 26 points. There were also midseason showcases in 2004 and 2010 between Team USA and squads of WNBA stars, but those weren't officially considered All-Star Games.
Two and a half weeks is a lot of time for players to play themselves into or out of consideration, and this year's booming interest in the league and the rookie class in particular could impact the fan voting component of the selection process.
It's early, but here are our projections for which players should make the Team WNBA roster. (Players listed alphabetically.)
DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut SunForward | 6-foot-4
Bonner turns 37 in August, but she's having one of the best seasons of her career, averaging 18.6 points and 5.6 rebounds and moving into the No. 5 spot in the league's all-time scoring list. She's angling for her sixth overall and fifth All-Star bid in six seasons, and this one would present an opportunity for her to go up against her Sun teammate and fiancée Alyssa Thomas, who was named to her first Olympic team. Plus, Bonner will get to show out in the city where she played the first 10 seasons of her WNBA career (and won two titles).
Caitlin Clark, Indiana FeverGuard, 6-foot
The highs and lows of Clark's first 13 WNBA games have been thoroughly covered and analyzed, but between the heavily weighted fan vote and her overall solid career start, she'll likely be headed to Phoenix. The rookie, who ranks fourth in the league in assists per game, joins Olympian Jackie Young as the only players this season averaging at least 16 points and 6 assists. Regardless of whether you think Clark should have made the Olympic team, it's hard to deny that it's a tantalizing prospect to see her go against Team USA as part of the WNBA All-Stars. Allisha Gray, Atlanta DreamGuard, 6-foot
Gray's trade to Atlanta from Dallas prior to last season prompted a sort of career renaissance, as she emerged as one of the top two-way wings in the league in 2023 on her way to guiding Atlanta back to the playoffs. The former South Carolina standout earned her first All-Star nod last year and could return to that stage next month thanks to her strong start. Her 15.3 points per game includes 45.1% shooting from 3, one of the best percentages in the WNBA.
Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles SparksForward | 6-foot-3
Few have been as dominant this summer as Hamby, who entered this season with clear aspirations of not just getting an All-Star bid but MVP votes. The former two-time Sixth Player of the Year is one of four players averaging a double-double with 20.0 points and 11.4 rebounds, which rank sixth and second in the league, respectively. Hamby was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022, then with the Las Vegas Aces, but this would be her first nod since her trade to the Sparks and having her second child in early 2023.
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta DreamGuard, 6-foot-2
Howard has been an All-Star each year she has been in the WNBA, and the trend could continue -- though her situation is unique. The 2022 No. 1 pick was named to the U.S. 3x3 Olympic squad alongside Cameron Brink, but Howard would have to get voted onto Team WNBA if she is to play in the All-Star Game. Howard (15.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.7 APG) continues to do it all for the Dream and is second in the league with 2.5 steals per game.
Brionna Jones, Connecticut SunForward, 6-foot-3
Jones has returned from her June 2023 Achilles injury as smoothly as she could hope, with her 13.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game helping the Sun claim the top spot in the standings and rounding out their big three alongside Thomas and Bonner. Jones, who ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (59) and is known for anchoring the paint on defense, is looking for her third consecutive All-Star bid in years in which she's healthy.
Jonquel Jones, New York LibertyForward | 6-foot-6
Jones, who was born in the Bahamas but has played for Bosnia and Herzegovina's national team, gave Ogunbowale a run for the 2021 All-Star Game MVP, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds for Team WNBA. Then still part of the Sun, Jones would go on to win league MVP that summer. Fast forward three years and Jones is poised to pick up her fifth All-Star nod and first since being traded to the Liberty. She is averaging 15.5 points and 8.8 boards. She has been on a tear recently, scorching the Sun and Mystics with a combined 51 points (including seven 3s), 16 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 blocks.
Marina Mabrey, Chicago SkyGuard, 5-foot-11
Mabrey would be the only veteran first-time All-Star on this list, although she was on the fringe of that conversation last year. The Chicago guard is stepping up even more this season under first-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon, having a career year in all phases of the game (15.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.2 APG). She brings a flair to the floor that, combined with some hot shooting, could make for an entertaining performance in Phoenix.
Ezi Magbegor, Seattle StormCenter/forward | 6-foot-4
The conversation around Seattle in the offseason surrounded the Storm's newly formed big three of Jewell Loyd plus free agency acquisitions Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith. But Magbegor's presence (13.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG) makes Seattle's core more akin to a big four. The 24-year-old Australian Olympian and 2023 WNBA All-Star continues to stand out with her defensive impact in particular, where she's tied for first in the league in blocks per game (3.0) and anchors a unit that's one of the best in the WNBA.
Kayla McBride, Minnesota LynxGuard | 5-foot-11
No one is shooting as well as McBride, who is hitting a blistering 51.7% of her 3-pointers on the season and went 15-for-23 from the arc this past weekend. The former Notre Dame star, who is averaging 17.8, has been a stalwart for the Lynx the past four seasons and has helped Minnesota become a top-three team. It's only fitting that McBride earns her fourth All-Star nod this season and first since 2019, when she was still with the Aces. At this rate, she might be in consideration for the 3-point contest.
Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas WingsGuard | 5-foot-8
Ogunbowale, who ranks second in the WNBA in scoring behind A'ja Wilson (26.4 PPG), is a no-brainer. Her nifty handles and clutch shooting are practically made for All-Star Games, as was evident in the 2021 Team USA vs. Team WNBA showdown when she was named All-Star Game MVP. The three-time All-Star has been in the national team player pool and has competed for USA Basketball in the past, but has yet to be named to a World Cup or Olympic roster. If that spurs any extra motivation, Ogunbowale could come out firing once more in Phoenix.
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle StormForward | 6-foot-2
Ogwumike missed three contests this season with ankle and eye injuries, but success in her first season in Seattle has been undeniable as the Storm's second-best scorer behind Jewell Loyd (18.2 PPG) and second-highest rebounder behind Magbegor (7.7 RPG). The former longtime Sparks star -- someone who was controversially omitted from the U.S. Olympic rosters in 2012, 2016 and 2021 -- has been a fixture in All-Star Games. The only time since she didn't make one was in 2021, when she was injured most of the year.
