With WNBA All-Star 2023 tipping Saturday in Las Vegas, we look back at where every player in the history of the mid-season classic went to high school.
The WNBA's inaugural season was 1997 and the first All-Star game took place in 1999 in front of more than 18,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.
Lisa Leslie was the MVP of that game and she is one of 13 total WNBA All-Stars to hail from California. Diana Taurasi, Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum are others from the Golden State.
Texas has produced the second-most All-Stars with 12, including Tamika Catchings, Sheryl Swoopes and Brittney Griner, who earned her ninth call to the game this season.
Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever will become the first rookie to start in the contest since 2014 and is second player to come from a Massachusetts high school. The other is Rebecca Lobo, a Hall of Famer who played in the first All-Star Game in 1999. Lobo will be one of the announcers for the 2023 game, which tips off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Sabrina Ionescu was a star at Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.) before going to Oregon and becoming the top selection in the 2020 WNBA Draft. Ionescu was named to her second All-Star Game this season and is one of 13 players in the history of the game to come from California. (Photo: Greg Jungferman)
California — 13Jayne Appel,
Carondelet (Concord)Layshia Clarendon,
Cajon (San Bernardino)Cynthia Cooper,
Locke (Los Angeles)Chelsea Gray,
St. Mary's (Stockton)Charde Houston,
San DiegoSabrina Ionescu,
Miramonte (Orinda)Lisa Leslie,
Morningside (Inglewood)Kelsey Plum,
La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla)Brandy Reed,
Balboa (San Francisco)Danielle Robinson,
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)Diana Taurasi,
Don Lugo (Chino)Tina Thompson, Morningside (Inglewood)
Adrian Williams-Strong,
Clovis West (Fresno)Texas — 12Ariel Atkins,
DuncanvilleKelsey Bone,
Fort Bend Dulles (Sugar Land)Tamika Catchings, Duncanville
Brittney Griner,
Nimitz (Houston)Lindsey Harding,
Cy-Fair (Cypress)Allison Hightower,
Seguin (Arlington)Nneka Ogwumike, Cy-Fair (Cypress)
Jia Perkins,
GranburyPlenette Pierson,
KingwoodOdyssey Sims,
MacArthur (Irving)Sheryl Swoopes,
BrownfieldTeresa Weatherspoon,
West Sabine (Pineland)Florida — 9Candice Dupree,
Wharton (Tampa)Marie Ferdinand-Harris,
Edison (Miami)Sylvia Fowles,
Gulliver Prep (Miami, Fla.)Tiffany Hayes,
Winter HavenTari Phillips,
Edgewater (Orlando)Michelle Snow,
PensacolaErica Wheeler,
Parkway Academy (Miramar)Riquna Williams,
PahokeeShavonte Zellous,
Jones (Orlando)Georgia — 7Diamond DeShields,
NorcrossAllisha Gray,
Washington County (Sandersville)Dearica Hamby, Norcross
Taj McWilliams-Franklin,
Josey (Augusta)DeLisha Milton-Jones,
Bradwell Institute (Hinesville)Maya Moore,
Collins Hill (Suwanee)Courtney Williams,
Charlton County (Folkston)New York — 7Nicky Anosike,
St. Peter's Girls (Staten Island)Sue Bird,
Christ the King (Middle Village)Stefanie Dolson,
Minisink Valley (Slate Hill)Chamique Holdsclaw, Christ the King (Middle Village)
Epiphanny Prince,
Bergtraum (New York)Breanna Stewart,
Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero)Sue Wicks,
Center MorichesIllinois — 6Yolanda Griffith,
Carver (Chicago)Jewell Loyd,
Niles West (Skokie)Candace Parker,
Naperville Central (Naperville)Cappie Pondexter,
Chicago Marshall (Chicago)Allie Quigley,
Joliet Catholic (Joliet)Tangela Smith,
Chicago Washington (Chicago)Louisiana — 6Seimone Augustus,
Capitol (Baton Rouge)Alana Beard,
Southwood (Shreveport)Cheryl Ford,
SummerfieldVickie Johnson, Coushatta
Sheri Sam,
Acadiana (Lafayette, La.)Sophia Young,
Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport)New Jersey — 6Essence Carson,
Eastside (Camden)Tamecka Dixon,
LindenAdrienne Goodson,
BayonneAsjha Jones,
PiscatawayCrystal Langhorne,
WillingboroDeMya Walker,
Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly)North Carolina — 6Jessica Breland,
Bertie (Windsor)Angel McCoughtry,
Patterson (Lenoir)Chasity Melvin,
Lakewood (Roseboro)Wendy Palmer,
Person (Roxboro)Cheyenne Parker,
Southwest Guilford (High Point)Andrea Stinson,
North Mecklenburg (Huntersville)Indiana — 5Alex Bentley,
Ben Davis (Indianapolis)Skylar Diggins-Smith,
WashingtonKatie Douglas,
Perry Meridian (Indianapolis)Ruth Riley,
North Miami (Denver)Jackie Young,
Princeton
Maryland — 5Rebekkah Brunson,
Oxon HillMonique Currie,
Bullis (Potomac)Brionna Jones,
AberdeenJonquel Jones,
Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro)Nikki Teasley,
St. John's Catholic Prep (Buckeystown)Pennsylvania — 5Swin Cash,
McKeesportKahleah Copper,
Prep Charter (Philadelphia)Kayla McBride,
Villa Maria Academy (Erie)Dawn Staley,
Murrell Dobbins Vo-Tech (Philadelphia)Alyssa Thomas,
Central Dauphin (Harrisburg)Virginia — 5Kara Lawson,
West Springfield (Springfield)Sugar Rodgers,
King's Fork (Suffolk)Jasmine Thomas,
Oakton (Vienna)Kristi Toliver,
HarrisonburgElizabeth Williams,
Princess Anne (Virginia Beach)Ohio — 4Jantel Lavender,
Cleveland Central Catholic (Cleveland)Kelsey Mitchell,
Princeton (Cincinnati)Natasha Howard,
Waite (Toledo)Katie Smith,
Logan
South Carolina — 4Allison Feaster,
ChesterShannon Johnson,
HartsvilleIvory Latta,
YorkA'ja Wilson,
Heathwood Hall Episcopal (Columbia)
Mississippi — 3Ruthie Bolton, McLain
Jennifer Gillom,
Lafayette (Oxford)Tamika Whitmore,
Tupelo
Missouri — 3Danielle Adams,
Lee's SummitNapheesa Collier,
Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis)Betty Lennox,
Fort Osage (Independence)Tennessee — 3Rhyne Howard,
Bradley Central (Cleveland)Glory Johnson,
Webb (Knoxville)Nikki McCray,
ColliervilleAlabama — 2DeWanna Bonner,
FairfieldMerlakia Jones,
Carver Montgomery (Montgomery)
Connecticut — 2Nykesha Sales,
BloomfieldRita Williams,
McMahon (Norwalk)Delaware — 2Elena Delle Donne,
Ursuline Academy (Wilmington)Betnijah Laney,
SmyrnaMassachusetts — 2Aliyah Boston,
Worcester Academy (Worcester)Rebecca Lobo,
Southwick Regional (Southwick)Michigan — 2Tonya Edwards,
Northwestern (Flint)Deanna Nolan, Flint Northern (Flint)
Oregon — 2Kara Braxton,
Westview (Portland)Soni Schimmel,
Franklin (Portland)Washington — 2Briann January,
Lewis & Clark (Spokane)Courtney Vandersloot,
Kentwood (Covington)West Virginia — 2Vicky Bullett,
MartinsburgRenee Montgomery,
South CharlestonWisconsin — 2Anna DeForge,
NiagaraArike Ogunbowale,
Divine Savior Holy Angels (Milwaukee)Arizona — 1Nicole Powell,
Mountain Pointe (Phoenix)Arkansas — 1Shameka Christon,
Hot Springs
District of Columbia — 1Marissa Coleman,
St. John's (Washington)
Kansas — 1Jackie Stiles, Claflin
Kentucky — 1Kym Hampton,
Iroquois (Louisville)Minnesota — 1Lindsay Whalen,
Hutchinson
South Dakota — 1Becky Hammon,
Stevens (Rapid City)Utah — 1Natalie Williams,
Taylorsville