On Saturday, the WNBA held its marquee event. The league held its 16th All-Star Game. The event took place in Las Vegas.
Over the past few weeks, the league has prepared for this event by determining their team captains, their starters and the reserves of this game. The team captains were chosen due to being the leading vote-getters. Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics was the leading vote-getter and became team captain. A’ja Wilson became the second team captain after being second in All-Star votes. Once the other starters and reserves were announced, the two team captains selected their rosters in the WNBA All-Star draft.
With the rosters set, it was finally time for Team Delle Donne and Team Wilson to face off.
Every year, the WNBA gives the WNBA All-Star Game MVP to the player with the best performance. The league established the All-Star game in 1999 (two years after its first season), where former Los Angeles Sparks center and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie won the award. Leslie finished the game with 13 points as the West beat the East 79-61.
Leslie won the Game MVP two more times after her win in the inaugural All-Star game. She won in 2001 and 2002. The West won both games as she scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots in 2001. She had 18 points and 14 rebounds the following year. Leslie won a total of three MVPs during her time in the league. The only other player to do so is Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx, who won in 2015, 2017 and 2018. In last year’s game, Moore had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Swin Cash (then playing for the Seattle Storm) won the All-Star MVP in 2009 and 2011. Cash set a scoring record in 2009 as she scored 22 points. She followed up with 21 points in 2011.
Besides the multiple-time All-Star MVPs, there are several players that won throughout the years. Tina Thompson of the Houston Comets won in 2001, Nikki Teasley of the Sparks won in 2003. The next three All-Star games had three different MVPs as Sheryl Swoops, Katie Douglass and Cheryl Ford won in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Candace Parker won in 2013, and Shoni Schimmel won in 2014, as they were the last two MVPs before Maya Moore. So, the league has had an excellent, diverse group win All-Star MVP.
This year, the MVP went to a member of Team Wilson. This player had a fantastic game and was on fire from deep. She finished the game with 25 points and tied the All-Star record for most 3-pointers with seven. She joins Shoni Schimmel (who made seven 3-pointers in 2014’s game) and Kristi Toliver (who did the same in 2018). This year’s MVP was Indiana Fever guard Erica Wheeler.
Wheeler has an interesting backstory as she went undrafted out of Rutgers and went to play internationally. She earned a try-out with the Atlanta Dream in 2015 but was cut. Then, she briefly joined the New York Liberty before going back to international leagues. Wheeler found a home with the Indiana Fever in 2016 and has played for them since then.
Wheeler is a first-time All-Star. She earned her spot and made a name for herself on the big stage. She finished the game with 25 points including seven 3-pointers and seven assists while putting the league on notice. Wheeler won MVP as Team Wilson beat Team Delle Donne 129-126. Her win made her the first undrafted player to win All-Star MVP and the fifth undrafted player to be named an All-Star.
Wheeler’s MVP win was emotional as she could not hold back her tears. She dedicated her win to her mother (who she lost to cancer) as she told the world “I belong.”
“My main goal today was, ‘I want to be unforgettable once we play this game.’ And I think I did that,” Wheeler said.
The 2019 WNBA All-Star game was a good one. It was a competitive game that nearly came down to the wire and Wheeler’s game was unforgettable.
Wheeler joins the ranks of WNBA greats such as Lisa Leslie, Swin Cash, and others, and did it through hard work and perseverance. Her win is well-deserved.