Lynx Augustus Named WNBA All-Star Reserve

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The WNBA tonight announced Seimone Augustus was voted by the coaches as a reserve for the 2017 Western Conference All-Star team. Augustus will be making her seventh career All-Star appearance (2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015), the most selections in franchise history. She joins Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore, who were named All-Star starters last Tuesday. The Lynx trio will be coached in this year’s game by head coach Cheryl Reeve, who is joined on the bench by assistants Shelley Patterson and James Wade.

This year marks the fifth time in franchise history the Lynx have had three or more representatives at the All-Star Game (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015). Minnesota joins Detroit/Tulsa/Dallas and Los Angeles as the only teams in WNBA history to have three or more players as All-Stars five times (Houston-4, New York-4, Orlando/Connecticut-4, Sacramento-3) The Seattle Storm will host the Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 at KeyArena on Saturday, July 22, and the game will be nationally televised by ABC at 2:30 p.m. CT.

At the season's midpoint, the 12th year pro out of Louisiana State University is shooting career-high percentages from the field (52.2%, ninth in the WNBA) and from three-point range (46.7%, second), and is also averaging a career-best 3.3 apg (18th). Augustus led the Lynx with a season-high 19 points July 14 at Phoenix and dealt out nine assists June 11 at Dallas, her top total since 2008.

Joining Augustus as backcourt reserves are Dallas’ Skylar Diggins-Smith and Chelsea Gray of the Los Angeles Sparks while Nneka Ogwumike of Los Angeles, Brittney Griner of the Mercury and Breanna Stewart of Seattle were voted in as frontcourt reserves. For the Eastern Conference, Layshia Clarendon of the Dream and Allie Quigley of Chicago will serve as backcourt reserves. Stefanie Dolson of the Sky, Candice Dupree of Indiana, Alyssa Thomas of the Sun and Elizabeth Williams of Atlanta were voted in as frontcourt reserves. In selecting the reserves, the 12 WNBA head coaches voted for six players within their own conference: two backcourt players, three frontcourt players, and a player from either position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. 

Alongside Fowles and Moore, starters for the Western Conference include Seattle’s Sue Bird, Los Angeles’ Candace Parker and Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi. The Eastern Conference starters are New York’s Tina Charles, Washington’s Elena Delle Donne, Atlanta’s Tiffany Hayes and Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas.

Eastern Conference Reserves:
Layshia Clarendon, Backcourt (Atlanta)
Stefanie Dolson, Frontcourt (Chicago)
Candice Dupree, Frontcourt (Indiana)
Allie Quigley, Backcourt (Chicago)
Alyssa Thomas, Frontcourt (Connecticut)
Elizabeth Williams, Frontcourt (Atlanta)

Western Conference Reserves:
Seimone Augustus, Backcourt (Minnesota)
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Backcourt (Dallas)
Chelsea Gray, Backcourt (Los Angeles)
Brittney Griner, Frontcourt (Phoenix)
Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt (Los Angeles
Breanna Stewart, Frontcourt (Seattle)

Wednesday’s game vs. Dallas is the annual “Day Game” presented by Delta Dental, with over 13,000 day campers and fans from across the state invading Xcel Energy Center. Kids will be participating in on-court contests throughout the game, which tips off at 12 noon. Tickets are still available by calling 612-673-8400 or by visiting lynxbasketball.com/tickets.