NEW YORK – Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike was named a 2019 WNBA All-Star, the league announced today. This is the 2016 MVP’s sixth All-Star selection. Ogwumike will join teammate Chelsea Gray for the game in Las Vegas on July 27 at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Gray was named an All-Star starter on July 11.

For the season, Ogwumike is averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Those per-game numbers are good for third in the league in rebounding, fifth in steals and 10^th in scoring. Ogwumike is 20^th in the WNBA in field goal percentage.

In 2019, Ogwumike has transformed into a formidable 3-point shooter, shooting 39.5% from long distance on 2.5 attempts per game, good for 10^th in the WNBA in percentage. Ogwumike set a career high in 3-pointers made on July 7 against the Washington Mystics when she connected five times. On July 12 at Indiana, Ogwumike tied her career high with six steals.

Ogwumike has seven double-doubles in 15 appearances this season and has scored in double-figures 12 times. She’s scored 20-plus points four times and broke the 30-point barrier when she scored a season-high 31 points against the Mystics on July 7 in a 98-81 win. For the week ending on July 14, Ogwumike was named one of two WNBA Players of the Week when she averaged 18 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.67 steals per game.

The New York Liberty’s Tina Charles and the Indiana Fever’s Candice Dupree lead the list of 12 players – six guards and six frontcourt players from across the WNBA – who will serve as reserves in AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019.

The reserves were selected by the league’s head coaches, who voted for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference.  The coaches were not able to vote for their own players.

Joining Charles and Dupree as frontcourt reserves are the Phoenix Mercury’s DeWanna Bonner, the Minnesota Lynx’ Sylvia Fowles, the Los Angeles Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike and the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas.

Reserves at the guard position are the Chicago Sky’s Diamond DeShields, Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot, Minnesota’s Odyssey Sims, the Washington Mystics’ Kristi Toliver,  and the Indiana Fever’s Erica Wheeler.

The 10 starters for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019, announced on July 11, were selected by fans, current players and media.  As the two All-Star starters who finished with the most fan votes during WNBA All-Star Voting 2019 presented by Google, Washington’s Elena Delle Donne and the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson will serve as team captains and draft the All-Star Game rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves.

AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019 featuring Team Delle Donne vs. Team Wilson will be played on Saturday, July 27 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, home of the Aces.  The 16^th WNBA All-Star Game will be televised live by ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Joining Delle Donne and Wilson as starters in the frontcourt are Las Vegas’ Liz Cambage, Phoenix’s Brittney Griner, the Seattle Storm’s Natasha Howard and Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones.  The four starting guards are Los Angeles’ Chelsea Gray, Seattle’s Jewell Loyd, Las Vegas’ Kayla McBride and New York’s Kia Nurse.

Delle Donne and Wilson will select their respective rosters in the WNBA All-Star Draft by choosing first from the remaining pool of eight starters and then from the pool of 12 reserves.  By virtue of finishing with the most fan votes, Delle Donne will make the first pick in the first round (Starters).  Wilson will have the first pick in the second round (Reserves).  Additional details about the All-Star Draft will be announced at a later date.

Las Vegas head coach Bill Laimbeer and Washington head coach Mike Thibault have earned spots as the head coaches for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019.  With Las Vegas having clinched the best record in the WNBA through July 12 (10-5, .667), Laimbeer and his staff will coach Team Delle Donne.  Thibault, whose Mystics posted the second-best record through July 12 (9-5, .643) will guide Team Wilson.