The 2006 WNBA All-Star Game will be hosted by the New York Liberty on Wednesday, July 12 at Madison Square Garden and will be televised nationally on ESPN at 7:20 p.m. EDT. ESPN’s pregame show, WNBA Shootaround, begins at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
In addition, the game will be seen in a record 198 countries around the globe with commentary in 33 languages via 57 telecasters. This year’s record global television distribution breaks last year’s reach of 193 countries through 52 telecasters in 31 languages. The following telecasters will televise the game for the first time: Bahamas (NBA TV–Cable Bahamas, China (Nusports.cn), Iceland (NBA TV– Digital Island, Italy (Sportitalia), Mexico (TVC and NBA TV–PCTV, Middle East (NBA TV–Orbit), Serbia (Sport Klub), and Venezuela (NBA TV–Intercable).
WNBA rosters for the 2006 season feature 29 international players from 18 countries and territories on team rosters this season. Among the international players named WNBA All-Star 2006 starters, are the Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson (Australia) and the Connecticut Sun’s Margo Dydek (Poland).
The game will showcase the league’s stars ranging from savvy veterans like the Los Angeles Sparks’ Lisa Leslie, Detroit’s Katie Smith and Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi to the All-Star debuts of three rookies, Minnesota’s Seimone Augustus, Phoenix’s Cappie Pondexter and San Antonio’s Sophia Young.
By virtue of their teams’ respective conference championships in 2005, Connecticut’s Mike Thibault will coach the East All-Stars and Sacramento’s John Whisenant will guide the West All-Stars.
2006 WNBA ALL-STARS:
EAST ALL-STAR STARTERS
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Tamika
Catchings
F
Indiana
6-0
166
Tennessee
'01
Nykesha
Sales
F
Connecticut
6-0
184
Connecticut
'98
Margo
Dydek
C
Connecticut
7-2
223
Poland
Becky Hammon
G
New York
5-6
136
Colorado
State '99
Lindsay
Whalen
G
Connecticut
5-8
150
Minnesota
'04
EAST ALL-STAR RESERVES
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Katie
Douglas
F
Connecticut
6-0
175
Purdue
'00
Cheryl
Ford
F
Detroit
6-3
195
Louisiana
Tech '03
Tamika
Whitmore
F
Indiana
6-4
193
Memphis
'98
Katie
Smith
G
Detroit
5-11
175
Ohio
State '95
Alana
Beard
G
Washington
5-11
160
Duke
'04
Deanna
Nolan
G
Detroit
5-10
160
Georgia
'01
WEST ALL-STAR STARTERS
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Sheryl
Swoopes
F
Houston
6-0
145
Texas
Tech '93
Lauren
Jackson
F
Seattle
6-5
185
Australia
Yolanda
Griffith
C
Sacramento
6-3
176
Florida
Atlantic '93
Sue
Bird
G
Seattle
5-9
155
Connecticut
'02
Dawn
Staley
G
Houston
5-6
134
Virginia
'92
WEST ALL-STAR RESERVES
POS.
TEAM
HT.
WT.
SCHOOL
Sophia
Young
F
San Antonio
6-1
165
Baylor
'06
Tina
Thompson
F
Houston
6-2
178
U.S.C.
'96
Lisa
Leslie
C
Los Angeles
6-5
170
Southern
California '94
Diana
Taurasi
G
Phoenix
5-11
172
Connecticut
'04
Seimone
Augustus
G
Minnesota
6-1
175
Louisiana
State '06
Cappie
Pondexter
G
Phoenix
5-9
160
Rutgers
'06
About the Eastern Conference Reserves:
Washington’s Alana Beard is making her second All-Star appearance and ranks sixth in the WNBA this season with 18.7 points per game. Beard was averaging over 20 points per game until spraining her right ankle in the first quarter on July 1 vs. Los Angeles.
In her sixth WNBA season, Connecticut’s Katie Douglas earns her first All-Star appearance and is enjoying her finest season with 15.9 points per game, 1.9 steals per game while shooting .480 from the field and .467 from three-point range.
Detroit’s Cheryl Ford, making her third All-Star appearance, leads the league with 11.8 rebounds per game while teammates Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith have also been selected. Nolan, averaging 13.3 points per game and 3.7 assists per game, also earns her third All-Star appearance. Smith will make her sixth overall All-Star appearance, but first for the Eastern Conference. Acquired in a midseason trade with the Minnesota Lynx in 2005, Smith is posting 11.9 points per game this year.
Tamika Whitmore, in her eighth WNBA season, will make her first All-Star appearance as the leading scorer of the Indiana Fever with 16.3 points per game.
About the Western Conference Reserves:
Three rookies will make their WNBA All-Star debuts, marking the first time in league history that three players directly out of college and in their first year of professional basketball have been named as All-Stars. Minnesota’s Seimone Augustus, the top pick in this year’s draft, is tied for first in the league with 22.7 points per game. Phoenix’s Cappie Pondexter also posts 22.7 points per game and recently recorded a rookie record by scoring 35 points vs. Detroit. San Antonio’s Sophia Young is posting 11.4 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game in 2006.
Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi ranks third in the league in scoring at 22.2 points per game and will make her second All-Star appearance.
Houston’s Tina Thompson earns her sixth All-Star appearance and posts 17.1 points per game.
Los Angeles’ Lisa Leslie, a three-time All-Star MVP, has been named an All-Star every year the game has been played along with Nykesha Sales. Leslie is averaging 20.6 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game for the top team in the Western Conference.
About the WNBA
Featuring 14 teams and the greatest female basketball players from around the world, the WNBA is the longest-running and most successful women’s professional team sports league in U.S. history. The league’s historic 10th Anniversary season, which tipped off on Saturday, May 20, features significant interactivity with fans who will play a key role in selecting the league’s All-Decade Team, the WNBA’s Greatest Moments and the starters for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game Presented by Vonage set to take place on July 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City (live on ESPN at 7:30 ET).
The WNBA’s “10 Years of Caring” initiative, which tipped off during the week of May 8, is another way in which the league is celebrating its milestone season. The “10 Years of Caring” platform, which underscores the continued commitment of WNBA teams and players to the communities in which they live and play, will see all 14 teams active in their respective markets, engaging with fans in a variety of programs throughout the year.
