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The stars come out

Big names highlight WNBA's inaugural All-Star Game

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Posted: Tuesday July 13, 1999 12:27 PM

Sheryl Swoopes received the most votes, beating teammate Cynthia Cooper by 3,826. AP

NEW YORK (AP) -- Riding the wave of the World Cup soccer phenomenon, the WNBA invited Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain to attend the league's inaugural All-Star game Wednesday night.

Whitney Houston will sing the national anthem and supermodel Tyra Banks will perform at halftime with 100 New York City youth dancers.

Director Spike Lee, a regular at New York Knicks games, actor Tracy Ullman and singer Liza Minelli also are expected to join the 19,563 fans at the game.

New York Liberty forward Rebecca Lobo, voted to the All-Star team despite a season-ending knee injury, will be cheering her Eastern Conference teammates from the sidelines.

"I think I may have gotten a few sympathy votes," said Lobo, who signed autographs in midtown Manhattan on Monday. "My mom may have realized you can vote more than once."

Rookie sensation Chamique Holdsclaw of the Washington Mystics will start for the Eastern Conference along with teammate Nikki McCray and the Liberty's Teresa Weatherspoon and Kym Hampton.

"It's the first time in my life I can cheer for Chamique," said Lobo, whose team has lost twice to the Mystics this season.

Sheryl Swoopes, the fan favorite with 84,632 votes, will start for the Western Conference. She'll join second-place vote-getter Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson of the two-time champion Houston Comets, Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks and Michele Timms of the Phoenix Mercury.

The All-Star game might be the perfect occasion for the WNBA's first dunk, Hampton said.

"The All-Star game is for spectacular stuff," said Hampton, who will guard Leslie. "[Lisa] could dunk. I would move aside and let her dunk because this is for women's basketball. This is for people to say, `Wow.' We're here to have a great time."

Like most All-Star games, it could be all offense.

"I don't think this is going to be up-in-your-face championship defense," Hampton said. "The fans want to see scoring."

Notes: Cleveland's Linda Hill-MacDonald will coach the East All-Stars and Houston's Van Chancellor will coach the West. ... Lobo's replacement in the starting lineup has not been announced. Liberty guard Vickie Johnson was selected to fill Lobo's spot, but Hill-MacDonald will decide who gets the starting nod. ... WNBA attendance is down 2.8 percent from last season. The 12-team league is averaging 9,695 through 80 games, down slightly from 9,970 of last season. ... The game will be televised on ESPN.

 

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