NEW YORK, July 2, 2015 – Former WNBA MVP (2012) and current New York Liberty center Tina Charles ranks third amongst Eastern Conference front court players with 3,359 votes after early returns of WNBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Boost Mobile.
Charles, currently leads New York in points (15.1 ppg) and rebounds (9.0 rpg) and ranks 10th in the WNBA in scoring and fifth in rebounds. She has four double-doubles this season and is coming off a game in which she scored a season-high 26 points with 11 rebounds in a win at Chicago on Tuesday night.
Additionally, Liberty rookie guard Brittany Boyd is 10th in the Eastern Conference amongst guards with 1,191 votes, Swin Cash is eighth in the East front court with 1,402 votes, and rookie Kiah Stokes is 11th amongst Eastern Conference posts with 1,141 votes.
Voting for the 2015 All-Star Game is open through July 9, and fans can vote on Twitter or Facebook with the #wnbaballot or by visiting player pages on WNBA.com or the WNBA Mobile App.
Skylar Diggins of the Tulsa Shock and Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky lead their respective conferences. Diggins, a 2014 All-Star, has 11,099 votes compared with 10,589 for Delle Donne, who last year paced all Eastern Conference players in the balloting.
Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015, featuring the Eastern Conference All-Stars against the Western Conference All-Stars at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., will be nationally televised by ABC on Saturday, July 25, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Joining Diggins as the top vote-getters among Western Conference backcourt players is Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx (5,518). The West frontcourt is led by 2014 Samsung WNBA MVP Maya Moore of Minnesota (7,783), 2014 Samsung WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury (3,656), and Griner’s teammate from the defending champion Mercury, four-time All-Star Candice Dupree (3,410).
In addition to Delle Donne, the top vote-getter among Eastern Conference guards is the Atlanta Dream’s Shoni Schimmel, MVP of Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014 (4,419). Leading the way among frontcourt players in the East are 2011 league MVP Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever (5,558), three-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta (4,225), and Charles (3,359).
The 2015 Boost Mobile All-Star starters will be announced during an ESPN telecast of “SportsCenter” on Tuesday, July 14. Reserves will be announced on Tuesday, July 21, during ESPN2’s game telecast of the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks (tip-off at 11 p.m. ET). In the case of players who are unable to play due to injury – such as Diggins, who recently sustained a season-ending injury – replacement players will be named by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie. Any changes to the starting lineup necessitated by injury will be made by the head coach of the respective All-Star team.
Fans around the world can vote daily for their favorite WNBA players to become starters in the Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star Game 2015. Votes can be cast on multiple digital platforms, including WNBA.com, the WNBA App, Twitter and Facebook.
On WNBA.com, the program is highly integrated, with voting options available on the player index and player file pages, in addition to prominent branding of the campaign throughout the site as well as on all 12 individual WNBA team sites.
WNBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Boost Mobile — Early Returns
Also this year, Twitter and Facebook voting has been expanded to 10 unique player votes per day (previously one per day). Fans may cast votes on Facebook and Twitter using the designated hashtag #wnbaballot and the player’s first and last name, or Twitter handle (Twitter only). Fans can also add a team-specific hashtag to Twitter votes to show team spirit. Voters can submit one player name per post and create up to 10 valid posts – each for a different WNBA player – per Twitter or Facebook account per day.
As an incentive for fans to vote on Twitter, the WNBA is offering a Twitter sweepstakes with a chance to win prizes such as WNBAStore.com gift cards and Boost Mobile smartphones. Follow @WNBA on Twitter for more information.
Individual tickets for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 start at just $16 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by dialing 800-745-3000 or at the Mohegan Sun Box Office.
WNBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING 2015 PRESENTED BY BOOST MOBILE
EASTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS
Backcourt: Elena Delle Donne (Chi) 10,589; Shoni Schimmel (Atl) 4,419; Cappie Pondexter (Chi) 2,862; Courtney Vandersloot (Chi) 2,301; Ivory Latta (Was) 2,222; Alex Bentley (Con) 1,896; Marissa Coleman (Ind) 1,404; Allie Quigley (Chi) 1,326; Briann January (Ind) 1,289; Brittany Boyd (NY) 1,191; Kara Lawson (Was) 1,162; Tiffany Hayes (Atl) 1,118
Frontcourt: Frontcourt: Tamika Catchings (Ind) 5,558; Angel McCoughtry (Atl) 4,225; Tina Charles (NY) 3,359; Emma Meesseman (Was) 2,612; Natalie Achonwa (Ind) 1,948; Stefanie Dolson (Was) 1,727; Erika de Souza (Atl) 1,530; Swin Cash (NY) 1,402; Kelsey Bone (Con) 1,277; Chiney Ogwumike (Con) 1,189; Kiah Stokes (NY) 1,142; Alyssa Thomas (Con) 1,124
WESTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS
Backcourt: Skylar Diggins (Tul) 11,099; Seimone Augustus (Min) 5,518; Sue Bird (Sea) 4,693; Lindsay Whalen (Min) 4,091; DeWanna Bonner (Phx) 3,438; Kayla McBride (SA) 1,994; Odyssey Sims (Tul) 1,891; Jewell Loyd (Sea) 1,622
Frontcourt: Frontcourt: Maya Moore (Min) 7,783; Brittney Griner (Phx) 3,656; Candice Dupree (Phx) 3,410; Ramu Tokashiki (Sea) 2,378; Nneka Ogwumike (LA) 2,337; Rebekkah Brunson (Min) 2,139; Courtney Paris (Tul) 1,508; Plenette Pierson (Tul) 1,190; Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (Sea) 1,152