The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game, which will be held in Chicago for the first time ever, is now just a week away. Last month, the full player pool for the game was announced, and on Saturday, it was time to determine the rosters for Team Wilson and Team Stewart with the All-Star Draft.
This year, the league returned to the captain's picks format, and former MVPs A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart were named captains by virtue of receiving the most fan votes. As a special tribute to some retiring legends, Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles were also named co-captains for the event. Bird was initially paired with Wilson, while Fowles was initially paired with Stewart, but the two made a trade to swap co-captains since Bird and Stewart are both on the Storm. .
The coaches for the game will be Becky Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces and James Wade of the Chicago Sky. Hammon will lead Team Wilson, while Wade will helm Team Stewart. Of course, there's not much actual coaching necessary during the All-Star Game.
Wilson had the first pick and selected Chicago Sky legend Candace Parker, while Stewart followed that up by taking Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young with the second pick. In addition to the deal involving the co-captains, there was another post-draft trade as Stewart sent Sabrina Ionescu to Wilson in exchange for Nneka Ogwumike
Here's a look at the full rosters (starters in bold):
Team Wilson
| Player | Team | Position | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | Frontcourt | Captain |
Sylvia Fowles | Seattle Storm | Frontcourt | Captain |
Candace Parker | Chicago Sky | Frontcourt | No. 1 |
Kelsey Plum | Las Vegas Aces | Backcourt | No. 3 |
Sabrina Ionescu | New York Liberty | Backcourt | No. 6 |
Rhyne Howard | Atlanta Dream | Backcourt | No. 8 |
Dearica Hamby | Las Vegas Aces | Frontcourt | No. 10 |
Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | Backcourt | No. 12 |
Ariel Atkins | Washington Mystics | Backcourt | No. 14 |
Brionna Jones | Connecticut Sun | Frontcourt | No. 16 |
Natasha Howard | New York Liberty | Frontcourt | No. 18 |
Team Stewart
| Player | Team | Position | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | Frontcourt | Captain |
Sue Bird | Seattle Storm | Backcourt | Captain |
Jackie Young | Las Vegas Aces | Backcourt | No. 2 |
Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | Frontcourt | No. 4 |
Nneka Ogwumike | Los Angeles Sparks | Frontcourt | No. 5 |
Jewell Loyd | Seattle Storm | Backcourt | No. 7 |
Kahleah Copper | Chicago Sky | Backcourt | No. 9 |
Skylar Diggins-Smith | Phoenix Mercury | Backcourt | No. 11 |
Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun | Frontcourt | No. 13 |
Arike Ogunbowale | Dallas Wings | Backcourt | No. 15 |
Emma Meesseman | Chicago Sky | Frontcourt | No. 17 |
In addition to the players that will be participating in the game, the league has named Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner an honorary All-Star. She remains detained in Russia indefinitely on alleged drug charges. Her trial began on July 1 after more than 130 days of detainment.
