Help send Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Sophie Cunningham to the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Fans can vote daily at Vote.WNBA.com now through June 21. We know they’re awesome, but here are some of the reasons they’re worthy of an All-Star nomination this season.
BACKCOURT, GUARD, DIANA TAURASI
DISHING IT OUT: Diana Taurasi is currently fourth in the league in assists per game, averaging 6.0 assists a game – the second most in her career, dating back to when she averaged 6.2 in the 2013 season.
BONAFIDE BUCKET: The GOAT is currently averaging 15.3 points a game and is 185 points away from reaching 10,000 for her career (no other player in league history has scored 8,000 points). Already the all-time scoring leader in WNBA history, Taurasi approaches yet another milestone of her iconic career.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING: After scoring 54 points through the first three games of the season, Diana Taurasi joined Karl Malone, Robert Parish and Kareb Abdul-Jabbar as the only age 40+ players in WNBA/NBA history to score 45+ points through a team’s first three games of a season (and the only of the three to score 50+).
FRONTCOURT, CENTER, BRITTNEY GRINER
SCORCHING START: Playing in her first regulation games since the 2021 WNBA Finals, Brittney Griner is off to a hot start to the year, averaging 20.1 points (7th in the league), a career-best 62.4% from the field (2nd in the league), 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks (2nd in the league).
BLOCK PARTY: Griner has blocked 20 shots in eight games this season, and now has 736 career regular season blocks (third most in league history). Griner has posted four games with 3+ blocks this season and now has 130 career regular season games of 3+ blocks, trailing only Margo Dydek and Lisa Leslie for most all-time.
WELCOME HOME, BG: In home opener against Chicago on May 21, Griner recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks – her 4th career regular season game recording 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and 4+ blocks (tied with Tina Charles for fourth most all time behind Candace Parker, Sylvia Fowles and Lisa Leslie).
BACKCOURT, GUARD, SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM
SPICY SOPH-THREE: Sophie Cunningham is one of only seven players in the league to make three or more three-pointers in five games this season, joining the likes of Lexie Brown, Sabriana Ionesecu, Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale, Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart. Over the past four games, Ogunbowale (17) is the only player to make more threes than Cunningham (13).
CLUTCH CUNNINGHAM: Cunningham came up big to help the Mercury close out the road win against the Indiana Fever on June 11 as she posted 11 of her 13 points and two steals in the fourth quarter. With the Mercury shorthanded and missing three starters on the road against the 6-3 New York Liberty on Sunday, Cunningham scored 13 points (including 3-of-4 from three) in the fourth quarter to rally Phoenix from down 19 to down eight. Although the Liberty ended up comfortably securing the victory, Cunningham gave her undermanned team a chance late in the game.
ON THE RISE: After a breakout campaign in 2022 in which Cunningham averaged a career-high 12.6 points per game, she is now averaging 14.6 points in nine games to start the season. Cunningham Is averaging 18.5 in her last four games, including a season-high 27 points (9-of-15 from the field and 5-of-10 from deep) at New York on Sunday.
Player and league stats/rankings as of June 19.