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USATSI

Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller will be the head coach for Team WNBA during the 2024 All-Star Game, the league announced on Wednesday. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve will lead Team USA in her duties as the national team coach, a role she has had since 2021.

This year's All-Star Game is set for Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and will feature Team WNBA against Team USA in a unique format ahead of the Paris Olympics. The league also used this matchup back in 2021 ahead of the Tokyo Games, and Team WNBA came away with the victory. 

The Phoenix Mercury are hosting the event for the third time, which makes Miller a perfect fit for this honorary role. Though she never played in the WNBA, Miller served as the Mercury's first head coach and general manager from 1997-2000. She took the team to the semifinals in the inaugural 1997 season and the Finals in 1998, where they lost to the dynastic Houston Comets, before resigning at the end of the 2000 campaign. 

As a player, Miller enjoyed a dominant high school and collegiate career. She was a four-time All-American in high school and scored 105 points in a game during her senior season, then went on to start for USC. There, she was a three-time Naismith Player of the Year and led the Trojans to back-to-back national titles in 1983 and 1984. On the international level, she helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in her native Los Angeles, and gold at the World Championships and Goodwill Games, both of which took place in 1986. Unfortunately, knee injuries prevented her from enjoying any sort of professional career. 

The roster for Team WNBA was announced earlier this month, and features star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, as well as former MVPs Nneka Ogwumike and Jonquel Jones. Due to the special format, the fan vote did not determine the starting lineups this time around. The coaches will make those determinations for both teams.