NEW YORK — Indiana Fever rookie Aliyah Boston is an All-Star.
Boston was among 10 players chosen to start in the WNBA All-Star Game July 15 in Las Vegas. She could hardly contain her excitement in a video posted by the Fever on Twitter Monday.
"I mean, you come into the WNBA as a rookie and you set goals for yourself, but sometimes you ... this was not one of the ones I had set, because I just came in thinking I just want to be a great rookie, do what my team needs from me," Boston said. "I'm so excited. It's like, unreal. My family is pumped, and I'm just super excited. It's really a blessing."
Boston would be the first rookie to start an All-Star game since Shoni Schimmel did it in 2014. Overall, eight rookies have been chosen to start the All-Star Game.
Brittney Griner will be starting in the game a year after she was an honorary choice by the league while she was being detained in Russia.
The Phoenix Mercury's center was chosen by fans, media and players Sunday for her ninth All-Star game. Last season, all the players wore Griner No. 42 jerseys for the second half of the game that was played in Chicago.
A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart were the top vote-getters among fans and will be the captains of the two teams. The two players were also captains last year and are each making their fifth All-Star appearances. Wilson's team won the game last year.
Stewart was thrilled to have the chance to play with Griner again.
“I think all of us are really inspired in what she's doing and the way she's kind of handling herself,” Stewart said of Griner. “So it's another moment to just continue to celebrate her and watch her do her thing on the court.”
As far as drafting Griner, Stewart hopes she gets the opportunity, although Wilson has the first pick. Wilson led the fan vote with Stewart second. Stewart was the top choice among players and the media, with Wilson second.
“Team Wilson is backkkkk,” Wilson tweeted. “super blessed! thank you all who voted time to turn up the city …AGAIN”
Satou Sabally of Dallas and Nneka Ogwumike of Los Angeles round out the frontcourt starters.
“It’s one of the ultimate honors,” Ogwumike said. “Being named a starter or an All-Star at all is always a blessing. I am humbled to be able to play alongside such talented, professional women showcasing their amazing skills and athleticism to the fans.”
The backcourt starters are Las Vegas teammates Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, Seattle's Jewell Loyd and Dallas' Arike Ogunbowale.
The reserves will be chosen by the league's head coaches, who will choose three guards, five frontcourt players and four at either position. Coaches can't vote for their own players. The reserves will be announced on July 1.
Stewart and Wilson will draft their rosters on July 8.
Fan balloting accounts for 50% of the vote to determine starters for the game. WNBA players and a media panel account for 25% each. Player's scores were calculated by averaging their weighted rank from the three groups.