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2009 WNBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING PRESENTED BY T-MOBILE FIRST RETURNS - Diana Taurasi Leads all Players, Tamika Catchings Tops the East - NEW YORK, NY, July 2, 2009 – Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi leads all players and Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings tops the Eastern Conference after receiving the most votes following first returns of 2009 WNBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile. Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie, who has announced that this will be her final season, is the leading vote-getter among WNBA centers. The 2009 WNBA All-Star Game will be nationally televised on ABC on Saturday, July 25 (3:30 p.m. ET). It will mark the second time that the midseason classic is played at Mohegan Sun, which also hosted the WNBA All-Star festivities in 2005. In addition to Taurasi and Leslie, top vote-getters by position in the Western Conference following first returns include forwards Cappie Pondexter and Lauren Jackson and guard Sue Bird. Joining Catchings as fan favorites in the Eastern Conference are center Sylvia Fowles, guards Katie Douglas and Lindsay Whalen and forward Candice Dupree. Taurasi, who is averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 steals in 2009, is currently the top vote-getter among all players with 32,921 votes. Pondexter, her Mercury teammate, follows closely behind with 26,701 votes. Rounding out the Western Conference leaders are Leslie (24,305), Bird (21,962) and Jackson (18,169). Catchings, who is averaging 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game, leads Eastern Conference players with 32,266 votes. Other leaders in the East include Fowles (22,446), Douglas (22,407), Whalen (21,428) and Dupree (19,345). Starting lineups for the WNBA All-Star Game are determined by fan balloting which began on June 14 and runs through July 7 in WNBA arenas and on WNBA.com. Fans are asked to select two forwards, two guards and one center from each conference. Starters will be announced on July 14. A limited number of tickets for the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game are still available by going online to ticketmaster.com. 2009 WNBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING PRESENTED BY T-MOBILE WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST RETURNS Forwards: Cappie Pondexter (Phx) 26,701; Lauren Jackson (Sea) 18,169; DeWanna Bonner (Phx) 17,973; Swin Cash (Sea) 17,221; Tina Thompson (LA) 15,981; Sophia Young (SA) 15,073; DeLisha Milton-Jones (LA) 10,850; Seimone Augustus (Min) 10,085; Erin Perperoglou (SA) 9,996; Nicole Powell (Sac) 4,837; Rebecca Brunson (Sac) 4,186. Centers: Lisa Leslie (LA) 24,305; Tangela Smith (Phx) 16,730; Ruth Riley (SA) 15,543; Nicky Anosike (Min) 8,580; Janell Burse (Sea) 6,585; DeMya Walker (Sac) 4,366. Guards: Diana Taurasi (Phx) 32,921; Sue Bird (Sea) 21,962; Becky Hammon (SA) 18,050; Temeka Johnson (Phx) 17,775; Candace Parker (LA) 9,579; Vickie Johnson (SA) 9,271; Renee Montgomery (Min) 7,860; Kelly Miller (Min) 7,716; Betty Lennox (LA) 6,334; Candice Wiggins (Min) 5,999; Kara Lawson (Sac) 5,451; Ticha Penicheiro (Sac) 5,081; Tanisha Wright (Sea) 4,025. EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST RETURNS Forwards: Tamika Catchings (Ind) 32,266; Candice Dupree (Chi) 19,345; Asjha Jones (Conn) 15,300; Marissa Coleman (Wash) 14,854; Ebony Hoffman (Ind) 14,608; Chamique Holdsclaw (Atl) 11,475; Taj McWilliams (Det) 10,724; Nakia Sanford (Wash) 10,290; Chen Nan (Chi) 9,328; Amber Holt (Conn) 9,203; Plenette Pierson (Det) 6,048; Angel McCoughtry (Atl) 5,837; Shameka Christon (NY) 5,177; Cathrine Kraayeveld (NY) 4,060; Erika de Souza (Atl) 3,434. Centers: Sylvia Fowles (Chi) 22,446; Tammy Sutton-Brown (Ind) 15,132; Cheryl Ford (Det) 11,407; Chasity Melvin (Wash) 11,177; Janel McCarville (NY) 10,226; Tamika Whitmore (Conn) 10,205; Michelle Snow (Atl) 5,418. Guards: Katie Douglas (Ind) 22,407; Lindsay Whalen (Conn) 21,428; Alana Beard (Wash) 19,721; Tully Bevilaqua (Ind) 16,735; Lindsey Harding (Wash) 14,580; Deanna Nolan (Det) 13,901; Katie Smith (Det) 12,916; Jia Perkins (Chi) 12,516; Erin Phillips (Conn) 12,124; Kristi Toliver (Chi) 12,100; Nikki Teasley (Atl) 6,001; Loree Moore (NY) 4,937; Essence Carson (NY) 4,252. |
