NEW YORK (AP) – A’jah Wilson and Brenna Stewart held the WNBA All-Star Draft to select current and former teammates.
Wilson took Las Vegas Aces teammates Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young with the top two picks in the draft on Saturday. He kept all four Aces players together for next Saturday’s game in Las Vegas, drafting Kelsey Plum as his first backup choice. Wilson’s team will be coached by Becky Hammon of the Aces.
“I mean, look, when it comes to games like this, you’ve got to have a great point guard and I feel like he’s going to be great,” Wilson said of Gray. “He throws money everywhere, takes us to the bathroom. It makes a good team, he’s a great playmaker, so I had to go with Chelsea.
Stewart took New York’s starting quarterback Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu with his first two picks in the reserve draft. He made Brittney Griner his first draft pick. Griner will return to the All-Star Game a year after being selected as an honorable mention while being held in Russia.
“BG is my pick because they continue to perform on and off the field,” Stewart said. “I think we can all say that what he’s done is impressive and he dominates within himself. We need his dunks, we need his energy, we need everything. .”
Both Wilson and Stewart selected players who played together or went to the same college in the draft. Wilson hosted former South Carolina Gamcox students Aaliyah Boston and Allisha Gray.
“I’m very happy with all my choices. I didn’t know if I was going to get them all, but those are the people I have relationships with,” Stewart said. “The All-Star Game is about celebrating your success and having fun at the same time. I’m so excited to be doing this with Sabrina and Slott and Jewell and Eazy and Bee G.
Stewart drafted former Seattle teammates Jewell Loyd and Ezy Magbegor. The New York Liberty star also drafted former UConn teammate Nafessa Collier.
Other players drafted by Wilson included starter Arike Ogunbowale and reserves Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Cheyenne Parker and Elena Delle Donne.
Stewart’s team also includes starters Satu Saballi and Nneka Ogwumike and backups Kelsey Mitchell and Kalea Cooper.
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