NEW YORK, NY (Associated Press) – Brittney Griner will have a place at the WNBA All-Star Game, being named an honorary starter Wednesday by Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after authorities at an airport outside of Moscow said she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her bag. Russian state-run news agency Tass reported last week that Griner’s detention was extended until at least July 2.
Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson received the most votes from fans and were selected as co-captains for the event. They will be joined by Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles, who both have announced they will retire at the end of the season. Bird will set a record with her 13th All-Star appearance. Fowles, who is injured right now, was selected for her eighth game.
Stewart and Fowles will be paired up as co-captains, as will Wilson and Bird, and will choose their teams. Joining Wilson, Stewart and Fowles in the frontcourt are Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones, Los Angeles’s Nneka Ogwumike and Chicago’s Candace Parker. The starting guards, in addition to Bird, are New York’s Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas teammates Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
The game will take place on July 10 in Chicago with a 3-point competition and skills challenge the day before.
