A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark top initial round of fan voting for WNBA All-Star Game – MASHAHER

With the WNBA All-Star Game approaching, fan voting has begun — and on Friday, the WNBA revealed who was getting the most love from fans. In a statement released Friday, the WNBA noted the players in the league who received the most fan votes in the early wave of All-Star voting.

Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson topped voting with 217,773 votes. Wilson, who currently leads the league in scoring and rebounding with 27.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, was a team captain for last season’s All-Star Game.

Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark took the second spot with 216,427 votes, followed by teammate and second-year forward Aliyah Boston with 171,864. Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale round out the top five with 151,984 and 130,838 votes, respectively.

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, Aces gueard Kelsey Plum, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby fill out the rest of the top ten in voting.

Final All-Star rosters will be voted on with a mixture of fan, player, media and coach input. Per the WNBA, fan votes will account for 50% of the vote, while current WNBA players and a panel of national sportswriters and broadcasters will each receive 25%.

This year’s WNBA All-Star Game will be held in Phoenix on July 20. While previous have adopted various formats, such as last year’s Team Wilson vs. Team Stewart approach, this year will feature a matchup between the All-Star members of the USA women’s national team and the non-Olympic WNBA All-Stars — a sort of sendoff before the Team USA players head to Paris.

Clark, Boston and Reese, who were not named to the Olympic roster, are likely to be the biggest names on the WNBA side. Sparks forward Cameron Brink, another big rookie name, was 11th in voting but will likely miss the All-Star game after suffering a torn ACL earlier this week.

Here is a full list of the top 30 All-Star contenders, with the number of fan votes received. Asterisks indicate players who have been selected for the Team USA roster.

1. *A’ja Wilson, Frontcourt (LVA) 217,773

2. Caitlin Clark, Guard (IND) 216,427

3. Aliyah Boston, Frontcourt (IND) 171,864

4. *Breanna Stewart, Frontcourt (NYL) 151,984

5. Arike Ogunbowale, Guard (DAL) 130,838

6. *Sabrina Ionescu, Guard (NYL) 118,949

7. Angel Reese, Frontcourt (CHI) 118,490

8. *Kelsey Plum, Guard (LVA) 117,217

9. *Napheesa Collier, Frontcourt (MIN) 103,550

10. Dearica Hamby, Frontcourt (LAS) 97,094

11. Cameron Brink, Frontcourt (LAS) 95,728

12. Kate Martin, Guard (LVA) 91,565

13. Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt (SEA) 89,023

14. DeWanna Bonner, Frontcourt (CON) 82,636

15. Jonquel Jones, Frontcourt (NYL) 78,593

16. Kamilla Cardoso, Frontcourt (CHI) 75,513

17. NaLyssa Smith, Frontcourt (IND) 72,719

18. Kelsey Mitchell, Guard (IND) 66,820

19. *Kahleah Copper, Guard (PHO) 66,013

20. *Alyssa Thomas, Frontcourt (CON) 62,713

21. *Jewell Loyd, Guard (SEA) 61,918

22. *Brittney Griner, Frontcourt (PHO) 61,141

23. *Jackie Young, Guard (LVA) 60,579

24. DiJonai Carrington, Guard (CON) 50,338

25. Rickea Jackson, Frontcourt (LAS) 43,512

26. Aaliyah Edwards, Frontcourt (WAS) 42,452

27. Temi Fagbenle, Frontcourt (IND) 39,474

28. Skylar Diggins-Smith, Guard (SEA) 38,785

29. Katie Lou Samuelson, Frontcourt (IND) 35,976

30. Kayla McBride, Guard (MIN) 32,449