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Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell has been selected as a reserve for the WNBA All-Star Game, marking her third straight year on the roster, the league announced Sunday.
Mitchell joins Fever teammates Caitlin Clark, who was named an All-Star captain after leading fan voting for the game, and Aliyah Boston, who was voted in as a starter.
The WNBA All-Star Game is scheduled for July 18-19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Mitchell joins Boston and Tamika Catchings as the only Indiana Fever players to earn three WNBA All-Star selections.
Mitchell is averaging 19.3 points per game and has scored in double digits in all 18 Fever games this season.
First-timers
Kayla Thornton, Gabby Williams, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron will be making their All-Star debuts in Indianapolis after all being chosen as reserves for the game.
Thornton has been in the league for nine years and finally is getting her chance to play in the exhibition game. She was selected in the expansion draft by Golden State last year from New York and has helped the expansion team get off to a good start.
Williams has been in the league for six seasons, although she’s missed time to play with France’s national team. She’s having a strong season for Seattle this year.
Washington rookies Iriafen and Citron join Dallas’ Paige Bueckers as first-year players on the All-Star team. Bueckers was chosen as a starter. It’s the first time that three rookies will be playing in the game since 2011.
Other reserves chosen include Seattle’s Skylar Diggins, Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum, Minnesota’s Courtney Williams, Las Vegas’ Jackie Young and Chicago’s Angel Reese.
“It means a lot to go with these other two,” said Diggins, who will be making her seventh All-Star appearance, of playing with teammates Nneka Ogwumike and Williams.
Thomas will be making her sixth all-star appearance and first with Phoenix.
“Anytime you’re an All-Star, it’s a huge honor,” Thomas said. “There are a lot of great players in the league. To be around this long and it to be my sixth is a great honor.”
The reserves were selected by the WNBA’s 13 head coaches, who each voted for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. The coaches were not able to vote for their own players.
Captains Clark and Collier will draft their teams for the All-Star Game. First they’ll chose from the eight other starters: Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Bueckers, Ogwumike, Allisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Boston.
The All-Star teams will be revealed on Tuesday.
Some notable players left off the team were Washington’s Brittney Sykes, Atlanta’s Brionna Jones, New York’s Natasha Cloud and Los Angeles’ Dearica Hamby.
Connecticut was the only team without an All-Star selection.
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