WNBA 2019 All-Star Voting Guide

PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 05: DeWanna Bonner #24 of the Phoenix Mercury passes the ball during the first half of WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun at Talking Stick Resort Arena on July 5, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Voting for the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas has begun. There are three ways for fans to vote for their choices of up to 10 players who they most want to see in the game this year.

2019 WNBA All-Star Fan Vote

Similar to other leagues, the WNBA has a fan vote that decides which players will start the game on Saturday, July 27. There are three different ways fans can vote. Ballots can be cast on the WNBA website, on specific players’ pages.

Ballots can also be cast on the WNBA Android and iOS app’s All-Star Vote tab. On both the desktop and app platforms, fans can submit one ballot per 24-hour period. Users of both platforms must supply first and last names, email addresses and country along with complete a reCaptcha to finalize their votes.

Google’s desktop page and the Google app can also be used to cast votes. Those wishing to use Google to do so simply need to use the search term “WNBA vote” by itself or along with a player or team name. Fans using Google to vote can submit up to 10 votes per 24-hour period but can’t vote for any player more than once during that time. To submit votes on Google, fans must have a Google account and sign in to that account.

Voting concludes on all three platforms at 1:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 9. Fans can vote for up to four backcourt players and six frontcourt players regardless of which conference the team they play on belongs to.

Many fans choose to simply vote for players they feel an emotional connection to or vote a “straight ballot” of players on their favorite teams. For fans who wish to vote for the players who have put together the best seasons to this point regardless of other affiliations, the choices are clear.

Four Best Frontcourt Players

In no particular order since fans can vote for up to four of these players on their ballots each day, these are the four guards most deserving of All-Star nods based on their 2019 regular-season statistics through Monday, June 17.
Kayla McBride, Las Vegas Aces: McBride currently ranks third in the league in scoring at 18 points per game and is the only guard in the top six of that category. Her scoring proficiency is naturally due to her shooting percentage, which is an impressive 52.6 including shooting 52.2 percent from 3-point range. McBride also averages five rebounds, two assists and a steal per game, making her one of the best guards in the WNBA so far this season.

Chelsea Gray, Los Angeles Sparks: Gray’s 16.7 points per game average is good for seventh in the league currently and while she isn’t shooting at the same clip as McBride, 45.7 percent from the field overall including 45.8 from downtown are respectable. Gray has been one of the best distributors in the league as well, averaging over five assists per contest. Gray’s average of 30 minutes per game shows how vital she is to Los Angeles’ success as well.

Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm: Filling in for the injured Sue Bird at the point for Seattle this year was going to be a tough task but Loyd has done it admirably. She is averaging 15.9 points, three rebounds, three assists and nearly two steals in over 32 minutes per game for the defending champions who are on pace to make the playoffs again this year without Bird or forward Breanna Stewart.

Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever: Indiana has been a pleasant surprise for many fans so far this season and Mitchell is one of the reasons why. The former second overall selection is showing her potential in her second season, averaging nearly three assists per game while posting a scoring average just below Loyd’s at 15.8 per game. If the Fever stay in playoff position for the remainder of the regular season, Mitchell will continue to be a big part of that.

Six Best Frontcourt Players

DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix Mercury: Phoenix has gotten off to a disappointing 2-4 start but it’s been difficult to blame Bonner for that. Bonner not only leads the league in scoring at 23.8 points per game but has also been great at getting the ball out when defensive help comes, averaging almost four assists per contest. Bonner definitely deserves votes.

Natasha Howard, Seattle Storm: Howard was already an important part of Seattle’s championship season in 2018 but there were questions about how she would fare in 2019 with extra defensive attention paid to her because of Stewart’s absence. Howard has answered those questions by nearly averaging a double-double with 19.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in over 31 minutes per game.

Tina Charles, New York Liberty: The Liberty have been playing better as of late but Charles’ play has been consistent throughout regardless of the win/loss column. In 30 minutes per game, Charles is averaging over 17 points and eight rebounds despite drawing constant double teams as one of New York’s most feared scoring options. She may be in her 10th season but she is just as deserving of an All-Star spot as ever.

Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury: If her averages of 17.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 35.3 minutes aren’t worthy of a vote, and it’s hard to make a sound argument as to why they aren’t, then consider that she recently completed her 11th career regular-season dunk. Another part of Phoenix’s loaded starting frontcourt deserves votes for the All-Star game for both her efficiency on the court and her entertainment value.

Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun: A strong contender for MVP so far this season, Jones is one of only two qualified players to average a double-double (17.2 points and 12 rebounds). To pad her résumé she’s also shooting over 50 percent from the field and is blocking shots at a rate of almost three per game. Any ballot that doesn’t contain the focal point of the offense for the 8-1 Sun is simply incomplete.

Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks: The other player to average a double-double so far this season is Ogwumike. There are questions about whether she can keep up her averages of 15.3 points and 10.1 rebounds once Candace Parker gets back to her regular spot in the rotation, as Parker is set to make her season debut on Tuesday at home against the Washington Mystics but based on Ogwumike’s body of work so far, she’s highly deserving.

The 2019 WNBA All-Star Game will be at Mandalay Bay Events Center and will include a skills challenge as well as a 3-point contest on Friday, July 26. Coverage of the game will be provided by ABC starting at 3:30 p.m. ET and tickets are available. Whether fans vote for the most statistically worthy players, their favorite players or go all in on their favorite teams the league wants to make sure all fans have an opportunity to be heard.

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