The WNBA All-Star fan voting has seen its first returns and while Kahleah Copper and Brittney Griner are in the top 30 of vote-getters, other players on the Phoenix Mercury are making their cases of why they deserve a spot to represent their team in the July extravaganza.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Fresh off of a 73-60 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday, the duo of Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen were asked about why the other should garner more votes and be able to go to the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game.
“Of course Tash is an All-Star,” Allen said. “She is leading our team and the assists, the way she finds everyone. We always say she has her glasses on with her seeing everyone on the court. For me, it goes beyond stats. There is something about leadership that never is noticed on a stat sheet, that person that brings everyone together. I think is huge for all of the things that aren’t statted on a stat sheet. So for me, she is an obvious All-Star.”
"She is an obvious All-Star."
Since the #WNBA All-Star Game is a month away, both Natasha Cloud (@T_Cloud4) and Rebecca Allen (@becallen8) made their cases on why they believe the other deserves to play and represent the Phoenix Mercury.#ValleyTogether #WNBA #LynxRecognize pic.twitter.com/hZWnjIHZjA
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) June 23, 2024
Pitching in after Allen, Cloud wanted to make it clear how important her teammate has been and what she brings to the table every time the Mercury plays a game.
“Becky is the X-Factor to our team, she is the glue to our team in a lot of ways on both ends of the floor,” Cloud said. “She just makes everyone around her better. She is selfless in pursuit of making this team better and whatever we need her to do every single night, she is going to do it. When you are talking about our team, you cannot talk about it without Bec.”
Cloud is enjoying her first year in the Valley as she has set the tone as a vocal leader, especially on the defensive end. The Pennsylvania native is averaging 10.8 points, 7.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds a game through 16 games, all starts. She has also 1.7 steals a game, being a headache for the opposing team’s offense on any given night.
Like Cloud, Allen joined the Mercury in the offseason and has proved to be a vital piece to how the team operates. Without Allen and Brittney Griner, Phoenix was 4-6 and since then, the Mercury are 4-2 as they have beaten top teams like the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty to sit at 8-8 as things stand. Allen has 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 11 games.
While the first returns are in and are not final, the top 30 list gives off a general presumption of the majority who will be playing in the All-Star Game. Some players like Diana Taurasi who aren’t on the list have an automatic spot in the game as she and the others will play for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team before the Olympics.
If Cloud and Allen are two players worthy of playing in the game, fan voting is still available and will run until June 29. Pay attention to June 27 as it is the last “2-for-1 Day” on WNBA.com and the WNBA App which gives the fans a chance for their votes to count twice from 9 p.m. P.T. (the night before) to 8:59 p.m. PT.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers ASU Athletics, Phoenix Mercury and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
