Moore tops voting for WNBA All-Star Game

Maya Moore of the Lynx was the top vote-getter for the WNBA All-Star Game.
Maya Moore of the Lynx was the top vote-getter for the WNBA All-Star Game.

NEW YORK - Elena Delle Donne and Candace Parker will captain the WNBA All-Star teams.

Maya Moore was the top vote-getter but told the league she was unable to perform the captain duties, giving Parker the chance as the third-place finisher in the voting done by fans, players, coaches and the media.

"I'm honored to be named captain and am excited to be joined by two of my teammates," Parker said. "It should be fun and it's good to see the league mixing it up with the captain format."

Parker and Delle Donne will draft players from the 20 other All-Stars who were announced Tuesday.

"I'm glad that Maya turned down her role so that I can have the first pick," Delle Donne said laughing in a phone interview. "I've got everyone's name written down and their position. You can't pick wrong as you have really great players out there."

Delle Donne wouldn't say who she's picking first, but did say she feels loyalty to Mystics teammate Kristi Toliver to draft her.

"The one pick I will give away is that she will be on my team," she said.

Parker has two Sparks teammates in the pool with Nneka Ogwumike and Chelsea Gray.

Other players Delle Donne and Parker can choose from include Sue Bird, who made a record 11th All-Star Game breaking a tie with Tamika Catchings for most all-time.

"Seventeen years ago, if you told me I'd be setting a new record with 11 All-Star appearances, I would have called you crazy," Bird said. "It's a testament to my teammates and coaches throughout the years, and an absolute honor given all of the greats who have played in this league."

Rookie A'ja Wilson will play in her first All-Star contest as well as Jewell Loyd. Dallas Wings center Liz Cambage will play in her second one. Earlier Tuesday, she broke the WNBA single-game scoring record when she had 53 points against New York.

"That was incredible, it bumped her up the list for sure," Delle Donne said.

The WNBA took conference affiliation out of the midseason game and 16 of the 22 All-Stars were from the Western Conference. That group includes Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and Seimone Augustus. Fowles, Moore and Augustus will get a chance to play in front of their home fans as the All-Star Game is July 28 in Minnesota.

"It's going to be great," Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. "There's so much talent out there, it's like coaching a USA Basketball team. It's going to be nice to coach some players that normally I don't get the chance to."

Brondello, who will coach Australia in the women's basketball world cup in September, will be teamed with Parker.

Delle Donne's team will be led by Seattle coach Dan Hughes, who has guided the Storm to the league's best record.

The two captains will draft their teams today. The two teams will be revealed Thursday night.

Fans accounted for 40 percent of the vote, while current players, current head coaches and a media panel accounted for 20 percent each. Players were not allowed to vote for their teammates. Head coaches could not vote for players on their own team.

Moore was the leading vote-getter among fans (47,620). She was followed by Delle Donne (42,171), Parker (38,575), Bird (37,098) and Taurasi (35,687). Fans cast 44 percent more votes than they did last year (873,437 vs. 604,680).