Early returns for WNBA All-Star fan voting are in, and only two rookies are among the top 10 vote-getters: Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Sky forward Angel Reese.
But Clark, who is second in All-Star votes (216,427) behind two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, has a nearly 100,000-vote advantage on Reese, who is seventh (118,490).
Team WNBA will battle Team USA in the 20th All-Star Game on July 20 in Phoenix. The WNBA team will be determined by a combination of fan, media, player and coach voting.
Any vote-getter in the top 10 who isn’t already one of the 12 players named to the Team USA roster for the Olympics in Paris will earn a spot on Team WNBA.
The names of the next 36 players with the highest vote totals, made up of at least nine guards and 15 frontcourt players, then will be provided to the 12 WNBA coaches, who will vote to fill the remaining spots for the 12-player Team WNBA roster. Coaches won’t be able to vote for their own players.
Beyond the fan vote, Reese has a strong case for an All-Star bid after a historic start to her rookie season. She notched her seventh consecutive double-double and eighth overall in the Sky’s victory Thursday against the Wings.
‘‘A lot of great rookies have been in this league,’’ Reese said. ‘‘Sylvia [Fowles], Candace [Parker], Elena Delle Donne. To be named with some of the great players that have come before me is amazing.’’
Reese also leads all rookies in rebounds and steals and is second in points behind Clark. She is second in the WNBA in rebounds per game behind Wilson at 10.8.
‘‘I watch a lot of film with Dave [Simon], our player-development guy,’’ Reese said about her growth through the first five weeks of the season. ‘‘He’s done a great job being able to grab the numbers from where I’m struggling from. He has a shot chart, and around the basket is something that I wanted to clean up a lot.’’
Reese was shooting 33% from the field through the Sky’s first nine games but is shooting 48.2% in their last five. Her 18 rebounds Thursday against the Wings were a career high.
‘‘She’s just out there to win,’’ Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said of Reese. ‘‘She’s not worried about breaking records. She’s out there to win, and she’s competing every night, just playing hard, doing what she does. It’s paying off for her and for us.’’
The Sky drafted Reese and center Kamilla Cardoso in April to lead the franchise into the future. Cardoso was among the top 20 vote-getters in early returns with 75,513, putting her in 16th place. Reese and Cardoso were the only Sky players among the top 30.
The other rookies among the top 30 in early voting are Sparks forward Cameron Brink, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee this week against the Sun; Aces guard Kate Martin; Sparks wing Rickea Jackson; and Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards.
