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A16 sports
Thursday 23 June 2022

Brittney Griner chosen as honorary WNBA All-Star starter

By DOUG FEINBERG U.S." The State Department
AP Basketball Writer in May designated Griner
NEW YORK (AP) — Brittney as wrongfully detained,
Griner will have a place at moving her case under
the WNBA All-Star Game, the supervision of its spe-
being named an honor- cial presidential envoy for
ary starter Wednesday by hostage affairs, who is ef-
Commissioner Cathy Engel- fectively the government's
bert. chief hostage negotiator.
Griner has been detained Russian state-run news
in Russia since Feb. 17 af- agency Tass reported last
ter authorities at an airport week that Griner's deten-
outside of Moscow said she tion was extended until at
had vape cartridges con- least July 2. Another Ameri-
taining cannabis oil in her can, Paul Whelan, has
bag. been held in Russia since
"During each season of December 2018 on espio-
Brittney's career in which nage charges he and the
there has been an All-Star U.S. government say are
Game, she has been se- false.
lected as an All-Star," En- Breanna Stewart and A'ja
gelbert said. "It is not dif- Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) drives past Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker (3) Wilson received the most
during the first half of Game 1 of the WNBA basketball Finals, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Phoenix.
ficult to imagine that if BG Associated Press votes from fans and were
were here with us this sea- selected as co-captains
son, she would once again doubt, show off her incred- ting that she be named as and we continue to work for the event. They will be
be selected and would, no ible talents. So, it is only fit- an honorary starter today on her safe return to the joined by Sue Bird and Syl-
via Fowles, who both have
announced they will retire
at the end of the season.
Bird will set a record with
her 13th All-Star appear-
ance. Fowles, who is in-
jured right now, was select-
ed for her eighth game.
Stewart and Fowles will be
paired up as co-captains,
as will Wilson and Bird, and
will choose their teams.
Joining Wilson, Stewart and
Fowles in the frontcourt
are Connecticut's Jonquel
Jones, Los Angeles's Nneka
Ogwumike and Chicago's
Candace Parker. The start-
ing guards, in addition to
Bird, are New York's Sabri-
na Ionescu and Las Vegas
teammates Kelsey Plum
and Jackie Young.
""For icons like Sylvia and
Sue to be voted into the
AT&T WNBA All-Star Game
as starters in their 15th and
19th seasons, respectively,
is extraordinary," Engelbert
said. "And when you see
the starting lineups dotted
with first-time All-Stars like
Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey
Plum, and Jackie Young, it
just seems right that Sylvia
and Sue — who have said
this will be their final season
— join A'ja and Breanna
as co-captains for an All-
Star event that will in some
ways symbolize the passing
of the torch to a new gen-
eration of WNBA stars."
Starters were chosen by a
combination of fan, media
and player voting.q