Caitlin Clark won’t be part of Friday’s WNBA All-Star Game competitions
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix’s Brittney Griner and New York’s Jonquel Jones are among the biggest names that will participate in the WNBA’s special competitions on Friday during the league’s All-Star weekend.
The WNBA also announced that Phoenix Mercury first coach and general manager Cheryl Miller will coach the WNBA All-Stars on Saturday. The national team will be led by Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
But the league’s Skills Challenge and 3-point Contest won’t include a handful of the league’s most popular players, including Indiana’s Caitlin Clark, Chicago’s Angel Reese and New York’s Sabrina Ionescu.
The Skills Challenge will include Griner, teammate Sophie Cunningham, Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey and Indiana’s Erica Wheeler, who was the WNBA All-Star Game MVP in 2019.
The 3-point Contest includes Jones, Gray, Mabrey, Washington’s Stefanie Dolson and Minnesota’s Kayla McBride.
Griner is the only member of the U.S. Olympic Team who will participate in either competition.
Clark, who on Wednesday set the WNBA single-game assists record with 19 assists in the team’s loss to the Dallas Wings, won’t be the only Fever player to hit the hardwood in Phoenix. She will be joined by Indiana’s leading scorer, guard Kelsey Mitchell (17.1 points per game), and forward Aliyah Boston, who leads the Fever in blocks (8.8) and rebounds (1.4) per game.