Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller will lead Team WNBA as head coach during the 2024 All-Star Game, the league announced on Wednesday. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve will coach Team USA, continuing her role as the national team coach, which she has held since 2021.
The All-Star Game is scheduled for Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, featuring a unique matchup between Team WNBA and Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics. This format, last used in 2021 before the Tokyo Games, saw Team WNBA emerge victorious.
It’s Cheryl v Cheryl 🌟
Basketball legend and FIRST Head Coach of the Mercury Cheryl Miller is set to lead the WNBA All-Stars as they take on the USA Women’s National Team in Phoenix! She will be joined by former Mercury star Adrian Williams on her coaching squad.
Head Coach… pic.twitter.com/lTHpnRfsCj
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 17, 2024
Hosting the event for the third time, the Phoenix Mercury provides a fitting backdrop for Miller’s honorary role. Though she never played in the WNBA, Cheryl Miller was the Mercury’s first head coach and general manager from 1997 to 2000. She led the team to the semifinals in the inaugural 1997 season and to the Finals in 1998, where they were defeated by the Houston Comets, before resigning in 2000.
Miller’s playing career was equally illustrious. A dominant high school and collegiate player, she was a four-time All-American in high school, once scoring 105 points in a game during her senior season. At USC, she was a three-time Naismith Player of the Year and led the Trojans to consecutive national titles in 1983 and 1984. Internationally, Miller helped Team USA win gold at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and at the 1986 World Championships and Goodwill Games. Unfortunately, knee injuries cut short any professional playing aspirations.
The roster for Team WNBA, announced earlier this month, features star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, alongside former MVPs Nneka Ogwumike and Jonquel Jones. This year’s special format means the fan vote did not determine the starting lineups; instead, the coaches will decide the lineups for both teams.
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