Natasha Howard named to All Star Game

We’ve got one more New York-to-Chicago connection!

On Tuesday afternoon, the reserves for the 2022 WNBA All Star game were announced. New York Liberty guard, Sabrina Ionescu, had recently been named an All Star starter, and today she got some company in the big game in Chicago. Liberty big, Natasha Howard, was named as an All-Star Reserve. This is the second All-Star Game appearance for Howard. She was named an All Star in 2019 as a member of the Seattle Storm.

Before the rest of the world learned of the news, Liberty head coach, Sandy Brondello, shared it with the team at practice:

In a statement, Brondello spoke more about her All Star, saying:

“Natasha is incredibly deserving of this All-Star honor. Her consistency on both ends of the floor has been key for us this season, and we’re very proud to have her represent the Liberty in Chicago.”

Howard has done it all for the Liberty as she’s top 20 in the WNBA in points, rebounds, and blocks this season. Recently, Ionescu spoke to WNBA dot com’s Mark Schindler and talked about Howard and how she helps her on offense:

“Her ability to set screens and get out of them quickly helps me particularly, especially if they’re trapping or whatever they’re in, but also her ability to catch the ball. Sometimes that’s kind of overlooked. The passes aren’t always perfect; it’s hard to pass through, you know, four to six hands in my face, so her ability to catch the ball, whether it’s right on the money or if it’s a little behind her in front of her is huge.”

The game will be in Chicago and broadcast on ABC on July 10th at 1:00 p.m. ET. Should be a good one!