NEW YORK, June 29, 2017 – WNBA MVPs Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx and Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics are the top vote-getters overall and lead their respective conferences after early fan returns of WNBA All-Star Voting 2017 presented by Verizon.

The first 15 days of fan voting generated more than double the amount of votes cast (376,820) compared to the same period, in 2015 (180,762).  No All-Star Game was held in 2016 due to the Summer Olympics.

The league’s 14^th All-Star Game will take place on Saturday, July 22 at KeyArena in Seattle (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC).

Moore, the 2014 WNBA MVP and a Western Conference starter in each of her four All-Star appearances, leads all players with 19,949 votes.  Delle Donne, the league’s 2015 MVP and a three-time All-Star selection, is second overall with an Eastern Conference-high 19,280 votes.  Moore was the top overall vote-getter for the 2014 All-Star Game.  Delle Donne paced all players in the balloting in 2015 and as a first-year player in 2013, when she became the first rookie in WNBA history to earn the most votes.

Joining Moore at the top of the West frontcourt are two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks (17,127) and 2015 WNBA Finals MVP Sylvia Fowles of Minnesota (15,159).  The next three players on the frontcourt list are 2016 Rookie of the Year Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm (13,793), 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike of Los Angeles (13,563) and three-time All-Star and 2017 WNBA scoring leader Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury (12,818).

Nine-time All-Star Sue Bird (16,139) and new WNBA career points leader Diana Taurasi of Phoenix (15,207) lead the West guards, followed by two-time All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith of the Dallas Wings (11,462) and six-time All-Star Seimone Augustus (11,198) of Minnesota.

In the East, Delle Donne is followed in the frontcourt by 2012 MVP Tina Charles of the New York Liberty (12,055) and WNBA rebounding leader Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun (10,585).  Jones, a second-year player seeking her first All-Star selection, was named in a preseason survey by WNBA general managers as the player most likely to have a breakout season.  Next up among East frontcourt players is Candice Dupree of the Indiana Fever (4,965).

The leading vote-getters among East guards are Tiffany Hayes of the Atlanta Dream (4,288) and Tiffany Mitchell of Indiana (4,202), both of whom are eyeing their first All-Star appearance.  Next at the guard spots are Kristi Toliver of Washington (3,498) and Sugar Rodgers (3,480) of New York.

For the first time, WNBA players and basketball media will join fans in selecting the starters for the Verizon WNBA All-Star Game.  Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while current players and a media panel will account for 25 percent each.  The players and media members will be able to complete one full ballot each, featuring two guards and three frontcourt players from both conferences.

WNBA fans may submit one full ballot each day through WNBA.com (desktop or mobile) or the WNBA App (available on Android and iOS). Fans may also vote for up to 10 players per day on Twitter and Facebook. All current WNBA players on team rosters are eligible to receive votes.

How to vote:

• WNBA.com player index page at WNBA.com/vote: Fill out one full ballot per day (defined as once every 24 hours) on WNBA.com/vote from a desktop or mobile browser. Fans can choose from all active WNBA players when selecting a minimum of (1) player or up to (10) players per ballot.

• WNBA App: Access the ballot and vote through the app, which is available on Android and iOS. Fans can fill out one full ballot per day (defined as once every 24 hours). Fans can choose from all active WNBA players when selecting a minimum of (1) player or up to (10) players per ballot. The WNBA App can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

• Twitter: Tweet, retweet or reply with a WNBA player’s first and last name or Twitter handle, along with the WNBA All-Star Voting hashtag #WNBAVOTE. Each tweet may include only one player’s name or handle. Fans may vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the WNBA All-Star voting period. Tweets must include the hashtag #WNBAVOTE to be counted as valid votes. Retweets will count as valid votes. Also, each Twitter user must have the “protect my tweets” option unchecked under the account’s privacy settings for the votes to count.

• Facebook: Post on your personal Facebook account, or comment on another’s Facebook post the player’s first and last name along with the hashtag #WNBAVOTE. Each post may include only one player’s name. Fans may post votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period. Facebook status posts must include the hashtag #WNBAVOTE to be counted as valid votes.

WNBA All-Star Voting 2017 presented by Verizon concludes on Thursday, July 6 at 9 p.m. ET.  Starters will be announced live on ESPN on Tuesday, July 11 during the noon ET edition of SportsCenter.  The All-Star reserves, who will be selected by the Eastern and Western Conference head coaches, respectively, will be announced on Tuesday, July 18 during ESPN2’s telecast of the Storm and the Chicago Sky (9 p.m. ET).

Individual tickets for Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 start at just $15 and can be purchased at StormBasketball.com, or by dialing 206-217-WNBA (9622).

The 2017 WNBA regular season runs through Sept. 3. For more information on the WNBA and game tickets, fans may visit www.wnba.com.

EASTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS

Backcourt: Tiffany Hayes (Atl) 4,288; Tiffany Mitchell (Ind) 4,202; Kristi Toliver (Was) 3,498; Sugar Rodgers (NY) 3,480; Courtney Williams (Con) 3,239; Cappie Pondexter (Chi) 2,967; Tayler Hill (Was) 2,794; Jasmine Thomas (Con) 2,696; Shavonte Zellous (NY) 2,128; Ivory Latta (Was) 2,042; Allie Quigley (Chi) 1,939; Briann January (Ind) 1,531; Erica Wheeler (Ind) 1,507

Frontcourt: Elena Delle Donne (Was) 19,280; Tina Charles (NY) 12,055; Jonquel Jones (Con) 10,585; Candice Dupree (Ind) 4,965; Stefanie Dolson (Chi) 3,170; Alyssa Thomas (Con) 3,038; Kiah Stokes (NY) 2,567; Tamera Young (Chi) 1,924; Morgan Tuck (Con) 1,740; Imani Boyette (Chi) 1,730; Natalie Achonwa (Ind) 1,385; Bria Holmes (Atl) 1,320

WESTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS

Backcourt: Sue Bird (Sea) 16,139; Diana Taurasi (Phx) 15,207; Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dal) 11,462; Seimone Augustus (Min) 11,198; Lindsay Whalen (Min) 10,131; Jewell Loyd (Sea) 9,639; Allisha Gray (Dal) 5,766; Alana Beard (LA) 5,003; Kelsey Plum (SA) 4,221; Chelsea Gray (LA) 3,975; Moriah Jefferson (SA) 3,823; Kayla McBride (SA) 3,034; Jantel Lavender (LA) 2,002

Frontcourt: Maya Moore (Min) 19,949; Candace Parker (LA) 17,127; Sylvia Fowles (Min) 15,159; Breanna Stewart (Sea) 13,793; Nneka Ogwumike (LA) 13,563; Brittney Griner (Phx) 12,818; Rebekkah Brunson (Min) 6,236; Glory Johnson (Dal) 5,680; Ramu Tokashiki (Sea) 2,653; Karima Christmas-Kelly (Dal) 2,651; Alysha Clark (Sea) 2,517; Crystal Langhorne (Sea) 2,046