Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has already risen to stardom in the Hoosier State. Now, the Indiana Fever’s Erica Wheeler is joining him at the top after dominating the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game.
Last night was an awesome moment for professional basketball in the state of Indiana, and no, the Indiana Pacers were not even playing. Instead, the 2019 WNBA All-Star game was in full swing, and Indiana Fever guard Erica Wheeler took the opportunity to leave her mark on the action.
The WNBA All-Star Game follows a similar format to the NBA’s, with two team captain taking turns drafting their roster of teammates a few days before competition. The Team Captains this year were Elena Delle Donne of the Washington Mystics and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, with Wilson opting to add Erica Wheeler and her Indiana Fever teammate Candice Dupree to her squad.
To start the game, Wheeler drilled 6 shots from long range on her way to an 18 point first half.
🤑 @EWeezy_For3eezy went off in the first half. She put up 18 points and was 6-of-7 from beyond the arc.#FeverAllStars | #WNBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/LcdTowpgn5
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 27, 2019
When it was all said and done, Team Wilson came out victorious 129-126. Erica Wheeler ended up tying the WNBA All-Star Game record with 7 made 3-pointers, and led all scorers with 25 points despite starting the game coming off the bench.
All of this culminated into Wheeler winning the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game MVP Award at the end of the night, which marked the first time an undrafted player in the WNBA has done so; a major testament to her drive and determination to keep proving everyone wrong.
This All-Star MVP Award caps off what’s been an incredible first half of the WNBA season for Wheeler, who’s currently in her 5th season of pro hoops after coming out of Rutgers University undrafted. This is her first time being selected to the all-star game, and it’s well deserved.
She’s shooting a blistering nearly 43% from long range, while averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 assists. All of these are career-best numbers for Wheeler. She’s 21st in the league in scoring, 2nd in assists, and 4th in 3-point percentage. Without a doubt, she’s becoming a force in the WNBA, and last night was just further proof.
Erica Wheeler’s teammate on the Indiana Fever, Candice Dupree, is a two-time all-star with the Fever herself (7 times overall). But in her 14th WNBA season, the torch must be passed at some point. Last night’s All-Star MVP Award seemed like a true coming out party for Wheeler, who we’ll now dub Co-Mayor of Indianapolis alongside the Indiana Pacers’ Victor Oladipo. Congratulations, Erica!