2014 WNBA Champion and WNBA leading scorer Brittney Griner has been named a Western Conference All-Star as a reserve for Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017, the league announced today. Griner will miss the game due to injuries suffered on July 14. The Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 Game will take place at KeyArena in Seattle on Saturday, July 22 and will be televised on ABC with tip-off at 12:30 p.m. Phoenix time.
With this year’s selection, Griner has now been an All-Star in all four possible seasons in her career (2013, 2014, 2015 2017; no All-Star game in 2016 due to Summer Olympics). Griner joins teammate Diana Taurasi on the 2017 Western Conference squad.
A front-runner for the league’s MVP award, Griner has had a breakout season in 2017, averaging a league-leading and career-best 22.3 points in 18 games. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is averaging a career-high 8.2 rebounds and leads the league in total blocks (45) and blocks per game (2.5) for a fourth-straight year. Griner’s offensive explosion this season includes four of the league’s 10 30-point games this summer, including a 2017 WNBA season-best 38-point effort against Indiana on June 7. The 6-9 center is shooting 57.7 percent from the field and a career-high 83.5 percent from the free-throw line.
History has been made! Diana Taurasi is the new all-time leading scorer in WNBA history as she attempts to lead the Mercury to a WNBA-record tying fourth championship. Tickets for the next Mercury home game on Wednesday, July 19, and the remaining five regular-season Mercury home games, can be purchased by calling 602.252.WNBA or by visiting PhoenixMercury.com.