Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard surprised at Diana Taurasi's 2022 WNBA all-star omission
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Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard thinks there is a glaring omission from the 2022 WNBA all-star list.
After the all-star reserves were announced on Tuesday afternoon, Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith made the cut, joining teammate Brittney Griner – who was named an honorary all-star starter.
“Really, really happy for Skylar, tremendous accomplishment,” Nygaard said ahead of the Mercury’s 99-78 victory over the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night. “She’s been having a great year statistically across the board for us, and everything she does for us, battling every single game, I’m really happy to see Skylar being named an all-star. It’s a great testament not just to her, but to our team.”
But Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi, who is in her 18th year in the league and considered by many the greatest WNBA player of all time, was not named a 2022 WNBA all-star.
Taurasi is a 10-time all-star, making the cut from 2005-07, 2009, 2011, 2013-14, 2017-18, and 2021.
“Diana Taurasi is not an all-star?” Nygaard said. “I don’t know, is there an all-star game without Diana Taurasi being an all-star? … It’s just going to be a game, because the greatest player is not there. I don’t get it.”
This season, Taurasi is averaging 16.3 points, three rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 30.7 minutes per game.
Diggins-Smith has 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in an average of 33.9 minutes.
“I reiterate that [Taurasi] should be an all-star,” Nygaard said postgame on Wednesday. “There will be a game in Chicago, but it will not be an all-star game because Diana Taurasi is not there.”
The Chicago Sky will host the WNBA All-Star game on July 10 at Wintrust Arena.
ESPN's Kevin Pelton said Tuesday that Taurasi not making the list was the biggest surprise, writing, "Strictly on merits, this could have gone either way. I didn't have her on my All-Star roster when we picked them on the HerHoopStats podcast last week. Still, this is Diana Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer. The only time she has ever been eligible for an All-Star game and not been picked was in 2019, when she played just six games due to injury."
Social media reacted to Taurasi's omission
"Is there an all-star game if Diana Taurasi isn't playing in it?"- #Mercury HC Vanessa Nygaard #WNBAAllStar #WNBA #WNBATwitter https://t.co/WvpgXfYnyJ
— Ian Sacks (@ianrsacks) June 30, 2022
It doesn't make sense to not see Diana Taurasi play with Sue Bird in her last WNBA All-star game of her career. Just doesn't. The disrespect of Diana Taurasi is real, don't poke the 🐐! #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/htJIxGNddG
— Aya Abdeen (she/her) (@ayabdeen) June 29, 2022
sort of doubt Diana Taurasi cares much about not making #WNBA All-Star Game ... of the two, Skylar Diggins-Smith deserved to go more
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) June 28, 2022
Some are upset that Diana Taurasi was not named an all star. Out of the list of reserves who are you talking off to put her on.
Give an legitimate reason....no just she's called the goat— Nov (@WNBAUncut) June 28, 2022
Taurasi not an All-Star? Like what? Pls explain.
— 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙂𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖 (@nlgxoxo_) June 29, 2022
In what world based on THIS YEAR’S stats does Diana Taurasi deserve to be an All Star over Rhyne Howard? If we were to remove the “unqualified” she still ain’t touching that list based on THIS YEAR’S stats. #wnbatwitter #WNBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/LnrEmKKlfM
— Aces ♦️♠️ vs. Everybody (@angelxdeveraux) June 29, 2022
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard surprised at Diana Taurasi's WNBA all-star omission
