WNBA having captains draft all-star teams, same as NBA

NEW YORK — The Women’s National Basketball Association is finished with East vs. West in the all-star game. The mid-season showcase will feature the 22 top players voted into the game, and captains will sort out the rosters from there.

Under the league’s new format, two captains will draft teams from the players who were voted as all-stars, and for the first time there’s no requirement that they’re split evenly among conference lines.

It’s a similar format to what the National Basketball Association used this past season.

“Obviously watching the NBA go through it, it was kind of a unique twist that made it a little more fun and a little more competitive,” said Sue Bird, who is tied with Tamika Catchings for most all-star appearances at 10.

Canadians in the league include Hamilton’s Kia Nurse, a rookie with the New York Liberty.

The captains for the game on July 28 in Minneapolis will be the players with the highest vote totals from a combination of fans, media, coaches and player ballots.

Fans will only vote for their top 10 choices, while players, coaches and the media panel will each vote for 22 players, selecting nine guards and 13 frontcourt players. Players and coaches may not vote for members of their own team.

The coaches with the best records following games on July 13 will lead the all-star teams. The head coach with the top record at that point will coach the team captained by the highest votegetter. The coaches and captains will choose the starters for the game. The starting lineups will be revealed on ESPN the day before the all-star game.