Skylar Diggins-Smith earns All-Star nod from coaches after player voting snub

Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith earned her sixth WNBA All-Star selection and Atlanta Dream rookie Rhyne Howard will make her first appearance as two of the 12 reserves voted in by coaches. The Chicago Sky trio of Kahleah Copper, Emma Meesseman and Courtney Vandersloot, who will play at home at Wintrust Arena, were also announced as reserves by the league on Tuesday.

Diggins-Smith had the fan and media votes to be a starter, but was ranked 14th by a player vote. Fans on social pointed that out the day of the starter announcement and she retweeted one with a long "hm." There were differences in agreement from the three sectors for a few players.

Filling out the reserve guard spot is Ariel Atkins (Washington Mystics), Jewell Loyd (Storm) and Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings). In the frontcourt is Dearica Hamby (Aces), Natasha Howard (New York Liberty), Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun) and Alyssa Thomas (Sun).

The reserves were selected by head coaches and are comprised of three guards, five frontcourt players and four players of any position. Coaches could not vote for their own players.

The 10 All-Star starters as determined by a combination of fan, media and player vote were announced last week. The co-captain pairings of A'ja Wilson with Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart with Sylvia Fowles will draft their rosters during ESPN's team selection show on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

The All-Star game is Sunday, July 10 at 1 p.m. from Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Aces head coach Becky Hammon and Sky head coach James Wade earned spots as head coaches for their teams' records through June 24.

Hammon, working her first game in her first year, will coach Team Wilson with the Aces staff. Wade, the reigning coach of the year, is also coaching for the first time. He and the Sky staff will be with Team Stewart.

Skylar Diggins-Smith voted in by coaches

Diggins-Smith was the only top-10 guard in weighted score to rank in the double-digits by players. She came in 14th, enough to push her out of a starter position despite ranking fourth by fans and third by media. She finished sixth overall and the top four guards were named starters.

The ninth-year player is averaging 18.8 points per game, ranking fifth in the league and 1.3 off her career high with Tulsa (now the Dallas Wings) in 2014. Her 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game are both career highs and she's shooting 44.9% from the floor.

Candace Parker (13th), Elena Delle Donne (20th) and Tina Charles (11th) were all ranked in the double-digits by players, but climbed into the top-10 weighted score through solid fan and media voting totals. Parker was named a starter as the sixth and final frontcourt player.

Vandersloot and Loyd will make the second-most appearances of any reserve, earning their fourth All-Star nods. Vandersloot led the league in assists last year for the first time and is second currently (6.7 apg) behind Natasha Cloud's 7.5 apg. Loyd averages 16.6 ppg for the Storm (second behind only Stewart) and has drained 46 3-pointers, ranking fifth in the league.

Young All-Stars lead next generation

Howard was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft and is on her way to becoming a rookie of the year for what she's done in Atlanta. The Kentucky grad leads all rookies at 16.2 ppg (ranking 13th in the league) and has added 4.7 rpg. Her 1.6 steals per game is top among rookies and she has hit 47 3-pointers, good for fourth in the league. She is one of four making All-Star debuts in Chicago.

Copper, Meesseman, Atkins, Hamby, Howard, Jones and Ogunbowale are all making their second All-Star appearances. Thomas is on All-Star No. 3, but her first since 2019 after recovering from an Achilles injury and missing nearly all of last season.

Who are the WNBA All-Star starters?

The 10 starters are comprised of four guards and six frontcourt players. The final weighted vote came from votes by fans (50%), current players (25%) and a panel of national broadcasters and media members (25%). Brittney Griner, who remains detained in Russia and stands trial beginning on Friday, was named an honorary All-Star by the league.

Bird, who will extend her record appearances to 13, and Fowles, making her eighth appearance, were named co-captains in their final seasons. They'll share those duties with Wilson and Stewart, who finished first and second in fan voting.

Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, Chicago Sky champion Candace Parker and Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike will make repeat appearances. And this year's team includes three players making their All-Star debuts in Las Vegas Aces guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu.

When is the 2022 WNBA All-Star game?

The 2022 WNBA All-Star game will be held at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, home of the reigning champion Sky, on Sunday, July 10 at 1 p.m. ET. It is the first time the city will host the game.

The weekend festivities include a two-day "WNBA Live" event for the first time. That will be held at McCormick Place, the host of the 2022 Tournament of Champions and the Girls Nike Nationals the same weekend.

It returns to its former former after a special Olympic-year model in Las Vegas last year. The WNBA All-Stars upset Team USA, 93-85, and Wings' guard Arike Ogunbowale was named MVP.

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