No bench? No problem, at least for the Las Vegas Aces.

In Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, the Las Vegas Aces took a 99-82 win against the New York Liberty. Of those 99 points, 91 came from four Aces starters.

Kelsey Plum (26), Jackie Young (26), Chelsea Gray (20) and A’ja Wilson (19) dominated for Las Vegas, which outscored New York by 20 points in the second half to take the 1-0 series lead. No four players have combined for more points in a WNBA Finals game, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

The Aces’ other eight points came from Alysha Clark, the first player off the bench for the defending champions. Clark played 28 minutes; the rest of the Aces’ bench played just five minutes combined.

Kiah Stokes, the fifth starter for Las Vegas, is a defensive specialist, often trading places with Clark depending on possession. In Game 1, Stokes finished with zero points, but she had five rebounds and three assists.

Before Candace Parker’s injury, she held Stokes’ role as the second post player in the starting lineup alongside Wilson, averaging 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds. Yet even with Parker on the sidelines, the Aces’ starting lineup is fearsome for opponents, as they proved again Sunday.

With the victory, Las Vegas has won its first six games of the 2023 postseason. The No. 1 seed Aces swept the No. 8 seed Chicago Sky and the No. 4 seed Dallas Wings to reach the championship series. Five other teams in WNBA history have won their first six postseason games, and all went on to win the title, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Las Vegas Aces are betting favorites to win the 2023 WNBA Finals over the New York Liberty. Yet recent history between the two teams suggests that maybe it should be the other way around.

The best-of-five series could go down in history as one of the best ever. A battle between two superteams, the Liberty are making their first Finals appearance since 2002, while the Aces are looking to repeat as champions.

Still, even after Las Vegas’ historic 34-6 season, New York has had them on the ropes.

The teams split their regular season meetings, 2-2, with each team winning the games on its home court. But in a fifth meeting, in the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup final on Aug. 15, the New York Liberty emerged victorious, 82-63.

The Aces’ first win against the Liberty came back in June. The next four games in their 2023 series came in August, and the Liberty held a 3-1 record in those contests, including the Commissioner’s Cup final. And it’s those four games that New York head coach Sandy Brondello thinks will make the Finals interesting.

“It helped us a lot, playing [those four times] in August,” she said. “The chess match begins now. … I’m excited, I know Becky will be excited. It’ll be a hard-fought battle, and we’re battle tested, so I look forward to that.”

It’s also, as she pointed out, the superteam “narrative” that WNBA fans have been eying from the start of the season. Regardless of which team wins the series, one could argue that as a whole, the league has won this season.

“I think it’s good. That’s the narrative everyone wanted for the start,” Brondello said. “I didn’t like the superteam thing, but these players, they’ve played great. I think it’ll be a great series, and it’s good promotion for the WNBA.”

New York will start the series with two games on the road after the Aces locked down the No. 1 overall seed. And it’ll be a testy atmosphere at Las Vegas’ Michelob Ultra Arena, with both games having already sold out. The Aces haven’t lost much at home this season, and the Liberty have electrified their city too.

Like Brondello said, it’s going to be a battle.

“This is a special group,” Aces guard Chelsea Gray said. “Our composure in our huddles and how tight and how locked in we were with each and every person, whether you’re in the game or out the game, anybody that came in knew what we were doing, especially on the defensive end. So I wouldn’t want to go to war with anybody else.”

Alyssa Thomas is leading the triple-double revolution.

Triple-doubles were a rare occurrence through most of WNBA history. Then came the year of the triple-double, with nine recorded during the 2022 season. And the pace has not slowed in 2023, with 11 as of Oct. 1.

Give credit to Thomas for the explosion. The Connecticut Sun forward recorded the first of her career on July 22, 2022, but finished that season with four — breaking the WNBA career record. And on Oct. 1, she recorded her seventh of 2023.

Thomas is the only WNBA player with more than two triple-doubles in a single season.

“Even myself as a coach, you have to intentionally tell yourself to not take these moments for granted,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said. “Like it just seems so routine that Alyssa Thomas gets a triple-double or close to a triple-double or a double-double. … It’s not routine, it’s exceptional.”

Five other players have recorded multiple triple-doubles: Candace Parker (3), Sabrina Ionescu (3), Sheryl Swoopes (2), Courtney Vandersloot (2) and Chelsea Gray (2).

“I think the game is changing,” Parker said following her third career triple-double in June 2022. “I think we’re gonna very soon see this on a nightly basis. We’re going to see those playmakers who have the ball in their hands.”

How many triple-doubles have been recorded in WNBA history?

In total, 31 triple-doubles have been recorded across the league’s 27 seasons, with 26 during the regular season and five during the playoffs. The 31 triple-doubles have come from 14 total players.

Swoopes recorded the first playoff triple-double in 2005, while Vandersloot did so in 2021. Thomas joined the club with two in the 2022 WNBA Finals, and then added another in the 2023 semifinals.

Sheryl Swoopes (2)

Swoopes recorded the league’s first-ever triple-double on July 27, 1999, while playing for the Houston Comets. She recorded 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. She would later get her second triple-double on September 3, 2005, with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Margo Dydek

While with the Utah Starzz, Dydek had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks on June 7, 2001. Dydek remains the only WNBA player to have recorded a triple-double through blocks and not assists.

Lisa Leslie

Leslie set a new bar on September 9, 2004, recording 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks for the Los Angeles Sparks. That stood as the record for most points in a triple-double until Ionescu broke it in 2022.

Deanna Nolan

On May 21, 2005, Nolan recorded the first of two triple-doubles that year. That 2005 season became the first with multiple triple-doubles. She had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Detroit Shock.

Temeka Johnson

As a member of the Seattle Storm, Johnson recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on July 24, 2014.

Candace Parker (3)

It took nine seasons for Parker to record her first triple-double. On July 28, 2017, she had 11 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Her other two came with the Chicago Sky in 2022, with Parker recording the first triple-double of the year on May 22, with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. While she became the oldest player to record a triple-double in WNBA history in that game, she later became the first player to record three triple-doubles in league history with another on June 23 (10 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists).

Courtney Vandersloot (2)

Vandersloot recorded the first of her two triple-doubles on July 20, 2018, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists. She registered her second triple-double during the 2021 postseason, notching 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Chelsea Gray (2)

As a member of the Los Angeles Sparks, Gray recorded a triple-double on July 7, 2019. She had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

In 2023, she notched the second of her career with the Aces in a rivalry win over the Liberty. She finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Sabrina Ionescu (3)

Ionescu’s first triple-double came on May 18, 2021, when she recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists — the highest point total since Leslie’s triple-double in 2004.

She bested that number with a 27-point, 13-rebound and 12-assist performance on June 12, 2022. Then, against the Aces on July 7, Ionescu set the record for points in a triple-double with 31 — the first 30-plus-point triple-double. She added 13 rebounds and 10 assists in that game.

Moriah Jefferson

Jefferson added her name to the list on June 28, 2022, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double in Minnesota Lynx history.

Courtney Williams

On June 30, 2023, Williams contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for the Chicago Sky in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks.

Satou Sabally

The Dallas Wings’ Satou Sabally recorded her first triple-double on July 28, 2023, putting up 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the Dallas Wings’ win over the Washington Mystics.

She is the second player in Wings history to achieve a triple-double, joining Deanna Nolan. Nolan had one in 2005 when the franchise was in Detroit.

Sug Sutton

The final pick of the 2020 WNBA Draft at No. 36 overall, Sutton has bounced around the league over the last four seasons, but she inked her name in the history books with her first triple-double on Sept. 8, 2023. The 24-year-old guard had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Phoenix Mercury in a 94-73 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

Alyssa Thomas (11)

Thomas recorded the first triple-double of her career and the first in Connecticut Sun history on July 22, 2022. The star forward tallied 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 2, 2022, Thomas posted 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become just the third player in WNBA history to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season — joining Parker and Ionescu, who also did so in 2022.

She added yet another — and the first in WNBA Finals history — on Sept. 15, with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in a Game 3 win against the Las Vegas Aces. Then she followed it up with still another in the team’s series-clinching loss to Las Vegas, notching 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first WNBA player to post back-to-back triple-doubles.

On June 20, 2023, Thomas posted her fifth career triple-double, with 13 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists. Her sixth came just five days later on June 25, in a 14-point, 11-rebound and 12-assist performance. Then, just two days after that, Thomas recorded her third triple-double in eight days, with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Her eighth came on July 30, 2023, with Thomas putting up 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. And her ninth came on Aug. 1, with 21 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists.

Thomas kept it rolling, with her 10th coming on Sept. 5, 2023. She recorded 27 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, as well as 6 steals. She’s the first player in WNBA history with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals in a game.

“I’m doing something that’s never been done in the league before,” Thomas said following that performance. “And I’m making it look easy. And by no means are triple-doubles easy. Credit goes to my teammates.”

In the 2023 playoffs, she posted the 11th triple-double of her career in the WNBA semifinals, with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.

The announcement of the 2023 WNBA MVP award, won by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, elicited a flood of reactions on social media.

Stewart won the award with 446 points, but received fewer first-place votes than runner-up Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun. Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson finished in third place.

Dawn Staley, who coached Wilson at South Carolina, congratulated Stewart on her victory and Thomas on her historic season. But she had harsh words for one voter, who put Aces guard Chelsea Gray in third place on the ballot over Wilson.

“To the fourth place voter, your hate is real and on display,” Staley wrote on X.

U.S. women’s national team and San Diego Wave star Alex Morgan also complimented Stewart.

Several WNBA players and members of the media called out the voting process. Each voter on a national panel of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters listed their top five candidates, with the No. 1 player on each ballot receiving 10 points. Each subsequent spot on the ballot received fewer points, from seven for a second-place vote down to one for a fifth-place vote.

 

Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud wanted to see members of the voting panel stand behind their choices. Voters can reveal their ballots, but they are not required to do so.

Cloud already had slammed the WNBA awards voting process after being shut out for the All-Defensive Team selections, writing in a since-deleted post: “Voting for this league is a joke.”

Meanwhile, Indiana Fever rookie Aliyah Boston joked about her own MVP prospects. The former South Carolina star appeared on one MVP ballot, receiving a single point for a fifth-place vote, but she remains the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award.

“I’m almost there don’t play,” she wrote on X.

When the Las Vegas Aces played the New York Liberty, it was supposed to be the game of the season. Supposed to be a drag-it-out, fight to the finish. Supposed to be a preview of the WNBA Finals to come — and maybe it was.

But instead of a down-to-the-wire contest, it was a blowout. The Aces completely dominated the Liberty with a 98-81 victory. The game was billed as the “Battle of the Superteams,” but it wasn’t a battle, and there weren’t two superteams on the court. There was just one team that was much, much better than its opponent.

Which begs the question, “Can anyone beat the Aces?”

In a single game, sure. The Connecticut Sun already did it, handing the Aces their lone loss of the season. But in a playoff series, it’s hard to imagine anyone stringing together enough wins to stop Las Vegas from repeating as WNBA champions.

Let’s start with the obvious: the roster. The reason the Aces fall into the superteam category is because their starting five is that of an All-Star Game. MVP A’ja Wilson, former MVP Candace Parker, Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, Most Improved Player Jackie Young and All-WNBA First teamer Kelsey Plum. A simple list of those names is impressive, but it’s how they come together that makes Las Vegas so dominant.

The win over New York proves it’s not enough to have stars on the court. The Liberty have their own awe-inducing starting lineup with former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, WNBA assists leader Courtney Vandersloot, former Most Improved Player Betnijah Laney and All-WNBA second-teamer Sabrina Ionescu.

Here’s the difference: New York looked like an All-Star team, and Las Vegas looked like a championship team.

The Liberty still look like a collection of stars playing on the court but not playing together, while the Aces are a unit, dripping with team chemistry.

They know how to feed the hot hand — it’s why Wilson, Plum, Young and Gray routinely rotate as the team’s leading scorer in any given game — and how to exploit defensive matchups.

Against the Liberty, Plum’s 18 points led the way, as the Aces focused on guard play and beating defenders off the dribble. Plum and Young were able to break down their defenders with quick first steps, while also using switches on screens to their advantage. The Liberty couldn’t stay in front, which created lanes for attacking and, in turn, opened up the entire offense.

In other situations, the Aces can use Wilson as their anchor and run offense through last season’s MVP. They have options, and they know when to use them.

Then there’s the defense. Becky Hammon has been very vocal about wanting more out of her team on the defensive end, and she’s getting it. The Liberty are averaging 87.5 points per game this season — second in the league behind the Aces — but Las Vegas held them below that average on Thursday night.

Individually, the Aces also contained Stewart and Ionescu to outputs well below their season averages. Stewart scores 22.1 points per game and is nearly impossible to stop, but Vegas held her to 16 points. And Ionescu reached less than half her season average of 15.3, contributing seven points in the loss.

That’s been a theme this season: The Aces hold their opponents to 77.7 points per game, which is second in the league. That, combined with their explosive offense, has Vegas winning their games by a WNBA-leading average of 15.5 points.

Of course, it is possible to beat Las Vegas. The Sun did it, with a 94-77 win in their second meeting of the season on June 4. In that game, two major statistics stand out.

First, the Sun kept Vegas off the glass. Averaging 34.8 rebounds per game this season, the Aces pulled down just 26 in that loss compared to 34 from the Sun. But rebounding isn’t actually one of the Aces’ major strengths. They are 7th out of 12 teams in that category, so keeping them off the boards doesn’t mean an automatic chance at victory. In fact, Las Vegas recorded just 27 rebounds against the Liberty.

The biggest factor in the Sun’s victory was DeWanna Bonner, who scored a career-high 41 points on 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Four players have scored over 40 points in a game this season — Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale, Stewart and Bonner — so it’s not exactly a common feat. The Sun needed a superhuman performance to top Las Vegas, and that’s not something that teams can conjure up on a nightly basis.

So, yeah, the Aces are beatable. But just barely.

The Liberty game only served to prove that Las Vegas is by far the best team in the WNBA, and it’s going to take a special string of games for anyone to stop the defending champs from repeating.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Editor’s note: This story was first published in the first week of the 2023 WNBA season. The Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty will face off for the first time this season at 10 p.m. ET Thursday.

The Superteam Era of the WNBA officially has begun.

Fans have gotten their first glimpses of the new-look New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces squads. And while 10 other teams – like the Washington Mystics, who topped the Liberty 80-64 to open the season – have four months to make their cases, it’s easy to see why New York and Las Vegas are the favorites to battle it out for the WNBA title.

Here’s how they stack up.

Starting Five

Las Vegas Aces

Candace Parker, F, 6-4: The 37-year-old forward is looking to be the first WNBA player to win championships with three franchises after signing with the Aces as a free agent. She already has rings with the Sparks and the Sky in 2016 and 2021. Parker, who has been candid about being near the end of her professional career, is a two-time WNBA MVP and seven-time all-WNBA first team member. Over her 15-year career, Parker has maintained a reputation as a player who does everything. Last season she averaged 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

A’ja Wilson, F, 6-4: Five seasons into her career and A’ja Wilson has already won two MVP awards. The South Carolina product has been dominant since her Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018, but the 2022 season was her best yet. Wilson led the Aces to their first WNBA title, averaging 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game.

Chelsea Gray, G, 5-11: After being snubbed for the All-Star game last year, Gray’s second half of the season became a revenge tour. Her play earned the point guard the Finals MVP trophy, as Gray averaged 21.7 points and 7.0 assists per game through the postseason while shooting 61.1% from the field and 54.4% from beyond the arc. Gray showed off her skills as a playmaker for others, and a shot-creator for herself, making over 60% of her contested looks.

Kelsey Plum, G, 5-8: Plum has gotten better every season since she was drafted No. 1 in 2017, and in 2022 she took a major step forward. The guard finished second in the WNBA in scoring with 20.2 points per game while also averaging a career-high 5.1 assists. After coming off the bench in 2021, coach Becky Hammon moved Plum back to a starting role and heavily relied on the guard throughout the season. She played 32.8 minutes per game, which ranked second in the league.

Jackie Young, G, 6-0: Young started the 2023 season on a high note, scoring 23 points in 26 minutes during the Ace’s first game of the season. Young is looking to build on a 2022 season that saw her named the league’s Most Improved Player. That’s largely because of the addition of a 3-point shot to her game. Young shot 25% in 2021 and 23.1% in 2020, but after dedicating herself to the craft, she shot 43.1% from long range in 2022. Young’s ability to shoot 3s adds another weapon to the Aces’ arsenal.

New York Liberty

Betnijah Laney, F, 6-0: Laney has been in the league since 2015 but had a breakout season in 2020 for Atlanta. She’s been a key piece for the Liberty since 2021, and while she missed most of last season with an injury, she’s back in top form and could end up being the unsung hero of this superteam. With big names around her, Laney likely won’t receive the same type of attention, but she will be impactful. The 29-year-old averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 2021. She also brings toughness, a scorer’s mentality and established chemistry with Ionescu.

Breanna Stewart, F, 6-4: The offseason’s most sought-after free agent landed with the Liberty after playing six seasons with the Storm. Stewart wasted no time establishing herself, setting a franchise record with 45 points in New York’s home opener. She already has won two WNBA titles and was named Finals MVP in both instances. When she signed with the Liberty, the UConn product instantly catapulted the team to the top of the WNBA.

Jonquel Jones, F, 6-6: When Jones was traded to the Liberty back in January, the move set off the superteam era. The opportunity to play with the 2021 MVP enticed Stewart and Vandersloot to sign with the Liberty, and it likely motivated Parker to sign with the Aces in order to give her a chance at a title as well. Jones is a versatile scoring threat who plays both inside and beyond the arc. In her last season in Connecticut, Jones led the Sun to the WNBA Finals and averaged 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

Courtney Vandersloot, G, 5-8: The one thing the Liberty needed after signing Jones and Stewart was an elite, pass-first point guard. They got that in Vandersloot, who is third on the WNBA’s all-time assists leaderboard and holds the record for most assists in a single game with 18. Vandersloot played all 12 of her WNBA seasons with the Sky and won a title with Chicago in 2021 before joining the Liberty.

Sabrina Ionescu, G, 5-11: The 2020 No. 1 pick transitioned seamlessly into the league, but last season was telling for the star guard. She plays best off the ball, which is why Vandersloot was such a key addition. Ionescu averaged 17.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 2022, while also posting her lowest turnover mark yet at 3 per contest. Known as the triple-double queen in college, she continues to do a little bit of everything in the WNBA.

Bench Players

Las Vegas Aces

Key players: Alysha Clark, Kiah Stokes, Riquna Williams

The one knock on the Aces last season was their lack of bench. It didn’t end up mattering, as the team secured a title, and Riquna Williams ended up playing big minutes in the Finals, but Becky Hammon & Co. still bolstered the bench unit in the offseason. They added an elite defender in 10-year WNBA veteran Alysha Clark. The Aces also retained Kiah Stokes, who brings rebounding and rim protection.

New York Liberty

Key Players: Marine Johannès, Kayla Thornton, Stephanie Dolson, Han Xu

Everyone off the bench for the Liberty brings something different to the court, which is what you want from secondary players. Johannès could easily be a starter for another team, and she’s an elite passer and crafty shot-creator. Thornton is an experienced vet who played six seasons mostly in a starting role for the Wings, and Dolson brings experience as well with nine WNBA seasons under her belt. Han Xu is a question mark for the Liberty, as she hasn’t seen much time in their first two games, but her size (6-10) and unique skill set (which includes 3-point shooting) make her a threat off the bench.

Head Coach

Las Vegas Aces

Becky Hammon set the bar high in her first season with the Aces, leading them to the franchise’s first WNBA title. She’s an experienced coach who spent years as an assistant for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs before taking the Aces job. Hammon also played 15 years in the WNBA and was a 6-time all star. The signing of Candace Parker put the Aces in position to compete for the title again, but it didn’t come without controversy. The Aces traded Dearica Hamby to the Sparks in order to make space for Parker, but a WNBA investigation found that Hamby was mistreated during the trade due to her pregnancy. Hammon denied the claims, but she was suspended for the first two games of the season.

New York Liberty

Sandy Brondello, like Hammon, has experience playing in the WNBA as well as coaching. She played professionally from 1992-2004, and she also represented the Australian National team, winning two silver medals in the Olympics. She got into coaching in 2005 as an assistant for the San Antonio Silver Stars, the franchise that became the Las Vegas Aces. Brondello made her name as a coach with the Mercury, coaching in Phoenix from 2014-2021 and winning a WNBA championship in 2014 before taking the Liberty job in 2022.

Team History

Las Vegas Aces

The Aces joined the WNBA in 1997 first as the Utah Starzz, then became the San Antonio Silver Stars (later just the Stars) before moving to Las Vegas in 2018. The franchise had one conference title in 2008, and then the Aces secured the first title last season.

New York Liberty

The Liberty joined the WNBA in 1997 as well but have stayed put in the New York City area (if not always in their current home borough of Brooklyn). The team has won three conference titles, in 1999, 2000 and 2002, but has yet to win a WNBA title.

The WNBA on Sunday announced the 10 players — four guards and six frontcourt players — who will start the 2023 All-Star Game.

For a second straight year, the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson and the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart will serve as team captains after receiving the most fan votes of any All-Star starter.  Wilson received a grand total of 95,860 fan votes, while Stewart clocked in at 87,586.

In addition to Wilson and Stewart, the other frontcourt starters include Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings), Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever) and Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks).

The four starting guards are Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings) and Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces).

Boston, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 WNBA Draft, is the eighth rookie selected to start an All-Star Game but first since 2014. She is also the only first-time All-Star of the group, while Griner is the starter with the most All-Star appearances (9).

Wilson and Stewart will draft their teams during a special WNBA All-Star selection show on Saturday, July 8 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN). The WNBA All-Star Game will be played at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 15, with the game airing on ABC (5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET).

How does WNBA All-Star voting work?

WNBA All-Star starters were determined by a combination of fan voting (50%), media voting (25%) and current player voting (25%).

Twelve reserves will be selected by the league’s head coaches, who each vote for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position — though they are restricted from voting for their own players.

2023 WNBA All-Star Starters

See below for two tables that show the breakdown of All-Star voting by fans, media members, and current players for the top-10 athletes at each position. Starters are indicated with an asterisk (*).

The polls are closed for 2023 WNBA All-Star voting, and the game’s starters will be announced Sunday. From there, the WNBA’s 12 head coaches will select the 12 reserves, and the two top vote-getters will serve as captains and draft their respective All-Star teams on July 8.

For the first part of the process, media members were tasked with selecting four guards and four forwards/centers on their ballots. Whoever receives the most votes will start in the All-Star Game on July 15 in Las Vegas.

Here’s how I voted.

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Jackie Young has been one of the best players on a star-studded Aces team. (Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Guards

Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces

Young took home the Most Improved Player award last season, and so far this year, she’s been even better. Las Vegas is bursting with talent, but Young has often been the best player on the court for her team and has turned herself into one of the best guards in the league. The Notre Dame product is averaging 21 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She’s shooting 50% from beyond the arc, making 2.3 3-pointers per contest, and has also been aggressive on the attack and in transition.

Young has been consistent in her play since she opened the season with 23 points in a win over Seattle. Of all the guards, she was the easiest All-Star selection for me.

Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm

The Storm may be struggling, but Loyd certainly isn’t. She’s leading the WNBA with 26.2 points per game and leading Seattle with 3.7 assists per game. The 29-year-old guard is a prolific shot creator, and without Breanna Stewart in Seattle this season, she’s taken on a bigger scoring role. Last year, Loyd was one of the league’s top guards, averaging 16.3 points per game. This year, she’s increased that number by 10 points. So far, Loyd has recorded four 30-plus point games, including a career-high 39 in a 109-103 win over Dallas on June 17.

Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces

Last season’s Finals MVP is picking up right where she left off. The Aces rank first in the league in scoring, and their offense starts with Gray. She leads the team and is third among all WNBA players with 6.3 assists per game. Gray can also create shots for herself, averaging 13.6 points per game. Of all those qualities, it’s the veteran’s efficient scoring that makes her stand out to me. Gray is making 51.8% of her 2-point shots, 51.2% of her 3-point shots and 92.3% of her free-throw attempts.

Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream

After playing her first six seasons with the Dallas Wings, Gray is wasting no time establishing herself with the Dream. The guard is averaging 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, all of which are career-high marks. Gray is also an excellent on-ball defender, meaning she impacts nearly every aspect of the game for Atlanta.

Gray is aggressive when both driving to the rim and attacking the glass. She’s the third-best rebounder among guards in the WNBA and has recorded two double-doubles this season. This is the best season of Gray’s career, and she is certainly worthy of making her first All-Star appearance.

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Brittney Griner was playing at an All-Star level until she got hurt on June 13. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Forwards/centers

Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury

I expected Griner to take some time getting reacclimated to the WNBA after she returned home in December from wrongful detainment in Russia, but that was not the case. She opened the season with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field and four blocked shots. Since then, the Mercury center has been consistent on both ends of the floor. She’s averaging 20.1 points per game, which is sixth in the league, and 2.5 blocks per game, which is first.

Until getting injured in an 83-69 loss to Seattle on June 13, when she played just nine minutes and scored two points, Griner had scored at least 18 points in every appearance.

Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun

Connecticut coach Stepahnie White calls Thomas the “most underrated superstar in the WNBA.” While Thomas may fly under the radar, her impact on the court cannot be overstated.

Thomas does everything for the Sun. She averages 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 2.1 steals per contest, leaving her just two assists shy of averaging a triple-double for the season. She recorded the fifth triple-double of her career on June 20, with 15 rebounds, 13 points and 12 assists in an 85-79 win over the Storm. Thomas is also efficient with her decision-making, averaging just three turnovers per contest.

Satou Sabally, Dallas Wings

Injuries plagued Sabally in the first few seasons of her career, but now the Oregon product is healthy and playing her best basketball. Sabally is a versatile scorer who, at 6-foot-4, can get points from inside or outside, off a post-up or off the dribble. She’s averaging 20 points (up from 11.3 last season), 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Sabally is one of just three players in the WNBA averaging a double-double on the season. The forward should be a shoe-in All-Star selection.

Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks

The Sparks have battled injuries so far this season, but with different lineups nearly every night, Ogwumike has been the consistent bright spot. In her 12th season in the WNBA, Ogwumike is averaging a career-best 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, nearing a double-double. She is also averaging a career-high 3.6 assists per game, showing off her ability to read defenses and find open shooters. Ogwumike also has six double-doubles so far this season.

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

The reigning WNBA MVP has continued her dominance for the Aces, leading her team to a league leading 11-1 record so far. Wilson has led her team in either points or rebounds in 10 of those 12 games. She’s averaging 18.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest, while also making a difference on the defensive end with 2.2 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

Wilson has been held to single-digit scoring just once this season, with eight in a win over Minnesota on June 18. But in that game, she proved her ability to impact the Aces in multiple ways, recording season-highs in rebounds (14) and blocks (four).

Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty

It’s taking the WNBA’s newest superteam time to develop chemistry, but through the growing pains, Stewart has been one of the league’s best players. In her first home game for the Liberty, Stewart recorded a double-double with 45 points and 12 rebounds, setting a new franchise record. She’s averaging a team-high 23.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.7 steals per game, while also dishing out four assists per game. Stewart is second in the WNBA in scoring and first in rebounding.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

No matter where Candace Parker goes in Las Vegas, she’s recognized. At the airport, the grocery store, and even at the gas station when she’s filling up at the pump, people call out to her with a familiar refrain.

“Go Aces!” they yell and wave.

The 37-year-old WNBA legend can’t help but smile. The Aces started the 2023 season right where they left off after winning the 2022 championship. At 8-1, they are in first place in the WNBA standings and hadn’t lost a game until three weeks into the season.

The energy around town is palpable, and Parker feels it wherever she goes. The same fans that once rooted against her when she was with the Los Angeles Sparks (2008-2020) and then the Chicago Sky (2021-2022) are now cheering for her, elated to see her in an Aces jersey. Parker engages them, calls back and interacts with fans, young and old.

“We had a season ticket event with all our season ticket holders,”she says, “and just being able to meet all the fans that are little kids was a treat for me. Because I love getting to know [them].”

Parker’s reception of the fans is not an act. It’s a reflection of her genuine appreciation and awareness of just how far the WNBA has come. It’s also a reminder of how far she’s come in her basketball career, and the journey she’s still on.

Parker burst onto the national basketball scene in 2004 as the first woman to win the dunk contest during the McDonald’s All-American High School Game. She then went on to win back-to-back NCAA titles under the legendary Pat Summit at Tennessee. Among Parker’s long list of accolades are a collection of moments cemented in time: becoming only the second player in WNBA history to dunk in a basketball game (Lisa Leslie was the first), winning Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (2008), playing for Team USA and collecting two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012) along the way, and winning her first WNBA championship with Los Angeles in 2016.

After all, Parker is a moments person. Small moments. Big moments. Happy moments. Hard moments. It doesn’t matter. She savors each one down to the very last drop, then tucks the memory away in her back pocket like a Polaroid for safe keeping.

With 10.5 seconds left to go in Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals, the Sky were up 78-74 against the Phoenix Mercury, and Chicago veteran Courtney Vandersloot was at the foul line. As Vandersloot hit the first free throw and then the second, Parker couldn’t contain her emotions. She began to cry. After spending 13 seasons with the Sparks, she had returned to her hometown city with the goal of bringing the Sky their first WNBA title in franchise history.

In that moment, it was happening right before her eyes. Winning the WNBA championship in front of her family and friends, and for the city of Chicago, Parker reveled in the joy to the fullest extent. But in the days and weeks that followed the championship celebration and parade, she began to think about her future.

“I was like, I could just go out on a high, this is it. I mean, 14 seasons? That’s a lot, like, whatever,” she says. “I had my ankle injury that kind of kept me in and out. It was a tough season.”

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Parker celebrates bringing a WNBA championship to her hometown with the Chicago Sky in 2021. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Still, the thought of running it back with the same roster and playing another season fully healthy drew her back in. Chicago went 26-10 during the regular season and entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed with expectations of another Finals trip. But after they beat the Liberty in Round 1, the Sky’s storybook run came to an end against the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals. Despite Parker’s best efforts in the series, the Sky were eliminated in Game 5 after letting the Sun go on a 24-5 run in the fourth quarter.

The retirement rumors swirled. But Parker wasn’t ready to bow out.

“We lost last year and the way in which we lost, having a 14-point lead going into the fourth quarter, kept me up at night and just ate at my soul,” she says. “It was kind of just one of those things where I was like, I can’t end like this. The last time I play basketball, we’re not gonna blow a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. So, I think that kind of refocused and motivated me.”

Parker wants to win. And having the opportunity to win in different places, in different systems, with different pieces is a challenge she enjoys. She also loves to compete, even when she’s not on the basketball court.

“I mean, I’m an idiot. I’ll be on the Peloton and it’s like Pedals By Patty is trying to beat my score and I’m like, ‘Nooo!’” Parker laughs. “It’s just the competitive element. Even on chill days, I can’t let Pedals By Patty beat me.”

Feeding that competitive fire, Parker knew she wanted to play basketball for at least one more season. The only question was where. Going back to Chicago had been a dream opportunity, but the move had also been hard on Parker’s family, especially her daughter Lailaa. Flying back West for a couple of hours at time, and Lailaa missing school when she came to Chicago, didn’t make for a sustainable schedule. She also had a newborn son to care for with wife Anna Petrakova.

With her house still in Los Angeles, Parker says she considered a return to the Sparks. But it was Lailaa who suggested Las Vegas as a possibility, which had a lot to do with Aces point guard Chelsea Gray.

Gray and Parker became close friends while teammates with the Sparks from 2016 to 2020. They were in each other’s weddings. Parker introduced Gray to good wine. Gray and her wife, Tipesa, are godparents to Parker’s son. They’d spend hours sitting by a fire pit together talking about basketball and about life. And since they’d gone their separate ways to play for different teams, somehow they grew even closer.

“When you’re teammates, you know you’re gonna see that person in like a day or two. If it’s an off day, you know the next day you’re gonna see them,” Gray says. “And sometimes, it’s taken for granted — those moments. So being away from each other, we would have our long talks, but via FaceTime just to check in and talk about a bunch of stuff to make sure we’re not missing anything.”

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Parker and Chelsea Gray became close friends during their five years together on the Sparks. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)

Watching each other succeed from afar became routine during the past two WNBA seasons, with Parker’s championship in 2021 and Gray’s transcendent playoff performance in 2022. Gray waited until the aftermath of the Aces championship to reach out to her friend.

“(At first) we were talking like, ‘How’s her body feeling?’ Like outside of just trying to get her in Las Vegas, just having casual conversation,” Gray says. “And then I’d make the statement, ‘I’m putting on my Las Vegas Aces point guard hat — listen, this is a franchise that’s doing right by its players, that wants the best, that wants to win championships.’

“And that’s when the conversation kind of turned.”

“One thousand percent Chelsea had an impact,” Parker adds. “I mean, we were close when we played together, but we’ve gotten closer even since.”

After her initial chats with Gray, Parker spoke with Aces head coach Becky Hammon. She also connected with Aces president Nikki Fargas — someone Parker has known since her days at Tennessee, where Fargas was a former player and an assistant coach.

“Obviously, I go back with Nikki,” Parker says. “I can’t call her Nikki Fargas, it’s Nikki Caldwell. But we go back, and we started having conversations.”

Despite those encouraging conversations and her ties to Gray and Fargas, Parker says her final decision came down to what was best for her and her family. The flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles is only 40 minutes, a fact that stuck with her when she ultimately chose to sign with the Aces on a one-year contract.

When Parker first arrived in Sin City, she says it took about a week and a half to get to know the lay of the land. She set up her home and got her family settled. Her teammates gave her tips on the best places to eat, shop and get her nails done. She reunited with Gray on the court and got to know her new teammates during training camp.

“Being away from her and then having her come back and seeing her every day in practice, it’s really cool to see,” Gray says. “Like, damn, I miss seeing you play this closely. And it’s been a cool dynamic to see her play with others that haven’t ever had that experience.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t really feel real still,” Kesley Plum marveled during a post-practice press conference before the season. “For me, I’ve just been really impressed with her humility. I think that Candace has come in from the jump and just been like, ‘Alright, what do I need to learn?’ Figure out the offense, learning our defensive schemes, how we do things. I know that our connection, with us two and then her with the rest of the team, is just going to continue to grow.”

Nearly a month into the WNBA season, the Aces look as if they haven’t lost a step since adding Parker to their championship roster. While her stats don’t jump off the page like they used to at 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, she’s still making an impact and has embraced her role as a supporting cast member on a team of All-Stars. She’s also enjoying all the amenities the organization has to offer — including the state-of-the-art practice facility and the fact that, for the first time in her 16-year career, she actually has a locker.

“I mean our practice facility is unbelievable. We have everything here, I don’t have to really go out of house,” Parker says. “It’s not like we gotta get on the court and off the court at this time because somebody else has to come in. That’s what I’ve been through in my career. I’ve been through two-a-days, I’ve been through 6 a.m. flights, I’ve been through all that.

“Now to be able to be in a place that makes sense, I think that’s a credit to the growth of women’s basketball as well.”

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Parker has embraced her role as part of the Aces' stacked lineup. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

In her 16 WNBA seasons, Parker has seen the league evolve for the better in a variety of ways. Owners are spending money and investing in their players. Player visibility has never been higher. At the college level, NIL deals are changing the way players are marketed, setting them up to enter the pro game with a large following of dedicated fans.

“I think the progress in women’s sports has been being able to recognize women and know them from a long time ago,” she says. “You see that in the NBA. The players own their brand. It’s so important to understand the value and power of that. It’s not just about the game.”

Parker knows the importance of visibility, both as a longtime player and as an NBA analyst for Turner Sports. She sees the disparity between the men’s and women’s games firsthand and is doing her part to help close the gap.

“What it does with her sitting in the analyst seat is it allows people to really hear how smart women are when it comes to the game of basketball,” says ESPN WNBA analyst LaChina Robinson, who has been covering Parker since she came into the league.

“We’re just getting to the point where people are realizing how great of players women are, but now you’re adding another layer of she can talk the game. For people who need that validation, that women belong in sport, it’s just another opportunity to show that. Candace’s IQ is off the charts. It’s just awesome to hear her do that on such a big platform like the NBA.”

Broadcasting is only one facet of Parker’s life outside of playing basketball. She’s also dabbling in private equity, tech, wine, tequila and even artificial intelligence, setting herself up for life after the WNBA.

“I have a million things I want to do. It’s not gonna be just one thing. I truly believe the biggest thing I’ve taken from basketball is to be versatile,” she says. “That’s in income, but it’s also in the things that you do. I just like to do a lot of different things. My wife always jokes, ‘You will not be bored.’”

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Parker talks on the set of TNT's NBA studio show with analyst Ernie Johnson. (Jack Arent/NBAE via Getty Images)

Back in 2020, when Parker last played with the Sparks during the WNBA’s pandemic-induced bubble season, she had already begun to think about what might be next. It was her 13th season in the WNBA, and she knew she had more basketball behind her than she did in front of her. Her career up until that point had been just as rewarding as it had been draining, with many challenging seasons mixed in with the championship years.

“I never thought of quitting after a hard season, 100 percent. If anything, I wanted to come back more and prove whatever I needed to prove,” Parker confesses. “I didn’t think I even needed to prove anything, but whatever. I think 2019 was really difficult. It was really hard. Just from a physical standpoint, from a health standpoint, but also from the moving piece of an organization.”

During the 2019 season, Parker battled through an injury, appearing in 22 games and recording 11.2 points per game, the lowest scoring average of her career. After going 22-12, the Sparks secured the third seed in the playoffs before being swept in the semifinals by the Connecticut Sun. In an odd twist, Parker played only 11 minutes in a must-win Game 3. Then-head coach Derek Fisher explained her benching in the fourth quarter as a way to initiate “a spark.” Shortly afterward, Penny Toler was dismissed as general manager and an ESPN report revealed growing tensions within the organization. Last year, Fisher was fired 12 games into the season amid additional team controversy.

As Los Angeles struggled to find its way forward and a new identity as an organization after years of success, Parker felt a shift. The WNBA’s power structure was changing, and she was changing as a player, a person and a mother. After the 2020 season, there was a rebirth. Parker emerged rejuvenated in Chicago. Now, at this stage in her basketball career and life, there’s a new feeling.

“Instead of using the word content, I think it’s peace,” says Gray. “Like she has a bit of peace about her in all facets of her life and the decisions that she makes, and being OK with that. Like, surrendering control but also having fun while she’s doing it. I don’t think she’s content or satisfied with where she is. I just think she’s at peace with how she’s going about life.”

When Parker does walk off the court for the final time, she’ll leave behind a lasting legacy as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time. For multiple reasons.

“Candace’s legacy is definitely far and wide-reaching,” says Robinson. “I don’t know that we had ever seen anyone that had inside/outside scoring, handles, passing ability, athleticism at the rim — just an incredible combination of skill set. Off the court, Candace has been one of those players that has allowed us a look into the challenges and the rewards of being an athlete mom, and when it comes to the marketing of the league, she has been arguably the most marketable player the league has ever seen and a trailblazer for Black women in that space.”

Parker is currently eighth all-time in the WNBA in career points (6,485) and second among active players, third in total rebounds (3,415) and seventh in assists (1,593). She’s also tied for first in the league with three regular-season triple-doubles in her career and first with three double-doubles in rebounds and assists. Parker is known just as much for her defense as her offense, ranking fifth all-time in blocks (612) and earning Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.

More significantly, Parker has become one of the most recognizable players in the history of the league. But before she became known around the world as CP3, she was simply “Ace” in the early days. Maybe it’s serendipitous then that she ended up playing for the Aces in what could be the final season of her career.

Parker will know when her playing days are over, just like she’ll know when it’s time to start her next life venture. Candace Parker is a moments person, after all, and the moment to hang it up hasn’t come just yet.

“I think the closer you get to the end, whenever that will be, I think the more you don’t take for granted,” she says. “And I said back in 2021 sometime — you don’t have to tell your story, time will. I firmly believe that. I’m still in the league, so … that’s a win.”

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League. Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

The Las Vegas Aces have won their first WNBA championship, defeating the Connecticut Sun 78-71 in Sunday’s Game 4 to clinch the league title.

Chelsea Gray bounced back after a quiet Game 3 to lead the Aces with 20 points, shooting 69.2 percent from the field and draining two of her three 3-point attempts.

The star point guard added six rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block for a comprehensive performance, willing her side to the championship and earning herself WNBA Finals MVP honors.

Fueled by an All-Star snub, Gray had an emphatic postseason, averaging 21.7 points, seven assists and 3.2 rebounds through the Aces’ playoff run.

“When you got a point guard like Chelsea Gray, I ain’t even worried about a damn thing,” A’ja Wilson said of Gray after the game.

Chicago Sky star Candace Parker also applauded her former Los Angeles Sparks teammate.

“I knew… we all knew… now the world knows… #FinalsMVP,” Parker posted on her Instagram story.

The Sun got off to a slow start in Game 4, with eight turnovers and just 35.5% shooting from the field in the first half.

The momentum, however, shifted just ahead of the break as Jonquel Jones got going late in the second quarter. The former WNBA MVP finished the contest with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Connecticut deployed a physical game to hang tough with the Aces, but Riquna Williams got hot down the stretch for Las Vegas. Williams notched 17 points off the bench, including 11 in the final frame, and drained five shots from beyond the arc.

Alyssa Thomas recorded her second triple-double of the WNBA Finals, posting 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. The forward’s impressive outing, however, was not enough to lift Connecticut over a determined Las Vegas squad.

Five Aces players finished in the double figures, with Wilson contributing 11 points and 14 rebounds, Kelsey Plum adding 15 points and Jackie Young recording 13 points.