When the Golden State Valkyries signed Gabby Williams in free agency before the start of the season, it was a big splash for the second-year franchise and put a spotlight on the veteran forward.
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Williams certainly hasn’t wilted under the glare.
On Thursday, she was named a WNBA All-Star Game starter for the first time, a reward for averaging career-high and team-leading 15.8 points per game, to go with 1.5 steals per contest.
Williams, known for her lockdown defense, was an All-Star reserve last season when she was selected to the game for the first time.
After erupting offensively in a win last week over the Atlanta Dream, Williams received high praise from coach Natalie Nakase.
“I told you guys day one, she’s one of the best two-way players in the world,” Nakase said. “We’re just providing the stage for what we already knew. She’s absolutely a star, she’s our star.”
Caitlin Clark was voted to start in the game for the third consecutive season and will be joined by Indiana Fever teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.
It’s the second time in four years that three players from the same team were chosen to start the game, with Las Vegas doing it in 2023. Clark wasn’t able to play in last year’s game that the Fever hosted because she was injured right before the All-Star break.
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Clark and Mitchell will be joined this year in the backcourt by Dallas’ Paige Bueckers and Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles. It’s the fourth consecutive year that a rookie was chosen as an All-Star starter. Bueckers played last season.
A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, Natasha Howard and Williams were selected for the frontcourt for the game that will be played in Chicago on July 25. It will be Wilson’s and Stewart’s eighth All-Star appearance while Shepard will be making her first.
“It’s an honor to be an All-Star, even though I’ve had a few of them,” Stewart said. “Each one is really special and I’m not taking it lightly.”
Starters were chosen by a mixture of fan, player and media votes. The fan vote counted for 50% while media and player votes were 25% each. Each player’s score was calculated by averaging their weighted rank from all three areas.
The league’s head coaches will select the 12 reserves for the team. The 15 head coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. Coaches can’t vote for their own players.
New this year, two WNBA greats will serve as honorary general managers and select the two teams from the pool of All-Stars. Previously the top two fan vote-getters would serve as captains and select the squads.
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