--Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird Top Vote Getters --

NEW YORK, (July, 5, 2006) � The 2006 WNBA All-Star starters have been named, it was announced today by the WNBA. The All-Star Game will be hosted by the New York Liberty on Wednesday, July 12 at Madison Square Garden and will be televised nationally on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

In addition, for the first time in the WNBA's 10-year history, the league's All-Stars will be wearing special, made-for-this occasion All-Star uniforms. Whereas in the past All-Stars wore their team uniforms, the 2006 Game will see players don �East� and �West� uniforms signifying the conference they represent. Utilizing the creative inspiration of the WNBA's oatmeal and orange basketball icon, the uniforms are a combination of stars, orange and white.

The uniforms, which are designed to be tucked in, feature �East� or �West� across the chest with stars on both sides of the numerals. The WNBA�s primary logo is featured in a star on the side of the shorts. An orange and oatmeal version of the 06 NY AS logo is featured on the back of the short representing New York as the host team. With the Liberty serving as the host for the game, the East will be the home team and is a predominantly white uniform while the West is orange.

Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings is the leading vote-getter in the WNBA�s 2006 WNBA All-Star Balloting Program Presented by T-Mobile and AOL.com. A perennial All-Star, Catchings is currently averaging 16.1 points, along with 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.4 steals, ranking her in the league�s top 10 all-time in steals, scoring and rebounding per game.

Three-time WNBA All-Star Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm received the second highest number of votes. Bird, who led her team to the 2004 WNBA title and is averaging 10.3 points, along with 2.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Mike Thibault of the Connecticut Sun and John Whisenant of the Sacramento Monarchs will coach the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars, respectively. While the reserves for both conferences will be announced on Saturday, July 8, the following are the starting lineups for the Eastern and Western Conferences for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game:

Eastern Conference Starters:
Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever) Forward
Nykesha Sales (Connecticut Sun) Forward
Becky Hammon (New York Liberty) Guard
Lindsay Whalen (Connecticut Sun) Guard
Margo Dydek (Connecticut Sun) Center

Western Conference Starters:
Sheryl Swoopes (Houston Comets) Forward
Lauren Jackson (Seattle Storm) Forward
Sue Bird (Seattle Storm) Guard
Dawn Staley (Houston Comets) Guard
Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento Monarchs) Center

With tickets starting at $10, fans can enjoy the unique experience of seeing the WNBA�s superstars together in one place at Madison Square Garden. The World�s Most Famous Arena, plays host to the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game. Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster Retail Locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-877-WNBA-TIX. Tickets are also available for purchase at Madison Square Garden�s Box Office, through WNBA.com and at the NBA Store in New York.

The WNBA All-Stars will be extremely visible in New York during the All-Star break as the league will host a number of on and off-court activities, including community initiatives and interactive events that are open to the public FREE of charge. Foremost among those will be the 2006 WNBA All-Star Summer Jam, the league�s free interactive basketball festival, and the WNBA All-Star Legacy project, which serves as the centerpiece of the WNBA�s community outreach efforts in the All-Star host city and leaves a lasting and positive impression for the community.

About the WNBA
Featuring 14 teams and the greatest female basketball players from around the world, the WNBA is the longest-running and most successful women�s professional team sports league in U.S. history. The league�s historic 10th Anniversary season, which tipped off on Saturday, May 20, features significant interactivity with fans who will play a key role in selecting the league�s All-Decade Team, the WNBA�s Greatest Moments and the starters for the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game set to take place on July 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City (live on ESPN at 7:30 ET). The WNBA�s �10 Years of Caring� initiative, which tipped off during the week of May 8, is another way in which the league is celebrating its milestone season. The �10 Years of Caring� platform, which underscores the continued commitment of WNBA teams and players to the communities in which they live and play, will see all 14 teams active in their respective markets, engaging with fans in a variety of programs throughout the year.

The WNBA�s 10th Anniversary season includes appointment viewing on Tuesday nights as ESPN2 will televise 14 WNBA games � including five doubleheaders � on Tuesdays this spring/summer. WNBA games and programming also will be shown in 198 countries via 79 telecasters in 34 languages this season.