Cheyenne Parker Archives - Just Women's Sports

Alyssa Thomas, Elena Delle Donne and Napheesa Collier headline the 12 reserves who will compete at the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game. The reserves were announced on Saturday following a vote by WNBA head coaches. They will join the 10 All-Star starters — voted on by fans, media, and players — who were revealed last week.

Five players will make their All-Star debut in 2023: Gray, Magbegor, Mitchell and Parker, plus starter Aliyah Boston.

Sabrina Ionescu will make her second All-Star appearance thanks to the coach vote after she was ranked 19th amongst guards by her fellow players.

Of the reserves, Elena Delle Donne boasts the most All-Star Selections (nine), while Brittney Griner leads all All-Stars with nine.

While much fan and media attention is spent on comparing starters vs. reserves, that division becomes much less important once the All-Star game tips off. Both starters and reserves earn the “All-Star” label, playing time is typically divided more evenly than regular games, and there’s nothing to keep a reserve from being named All-Star MVP. Erica Wheeler (2019) was the most recent reserve to accomplish the feat.

All-Star captains A’ja Wilson and Breanna 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).

Also on Saturday, the WNBA confirmed that Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon (14-1) and Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White (12-4) will serve as All-Star head coaches thanks to their records through June 30. Hammon will coach Team Wilson, while White will coach Team Stewart.

Cheyenne Parker wants to clear a few things up.

In a piece published in The Players’ Tribune on Wednesday, the Atlanta Dream forward announced her pregnancy, addressed what this new chapter means for her career and opened up about her bout with COVID-19.

“Call it love, call it God’s plan, call it what you will ... I’ve been given a blessing.” @AtlantaDream forward Cheyenne Parker has a few things to get off her chest — including her pregnancy announcement. https://t.co/M4y424aCvZ
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) July 14, 2021

First and foremost, Parker says she’s a happy mom-to-be, although she admits the decision to become a parent wasn’t exactly planned.

“In my mind that was something that was going to happen after my playing career was over,” Parker writes.

Parker says she quickly realized she’d been given a “blessing.” Now into her second trimester, Parker says her season with Atlanta has come to an end, calling it “bittersweet.” She averaged a career-best 10.2 points per game through the first half of the season.

The 28-year-old addressed the challenge of starting a family while at the peak of her athletic career, writing that the mental aspects of pregnancy can be more challenging than the physical changes.

“I just don’t think people appreciate that enough about female athletes — and about the situation we’re in, if we want to be making these types of family decisions,” Parker writes. “I worked hard as hell to get to this level.”

Parker also used the piece as an opportunity to shed light on her experience with COVID-19 and her decision not to get vaccinated, which drew heavy public criticism.

At the time, Parker says she was trying to make the right decision for her baby as a newly pregnant woman, and that she still isn’t sure if she made the correct choice. “And I went back and forth about it for a while. It’s almost like I was paralyzed from trying to do the right thing,” Parker writes.

Finally, the WNBA star shouted out her union, the WNBPA, for securing paid maternity leave in the most recent CBA with the league.

“And I just sat there, staring at this ‘boring’ collective bargaining agreement…. and literally I’m crying tears of joy,” Parker writes.

2023 WNBA All-Star Game Reserves