Clark and Boston dominated the fan voting, finishing first and second overall. That put them in the top 10 of the overall voting. The league’s head coaches decided the rest of the roster, and they chose to put Mitchell in the game. Indiana players will occupy a quarter of Team WNBA and an eighth of the players across both Team WNBA and Team USA.

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It’s the first time the Fever have had three All-Stars since 2007, when Tamika Catchings, Tammy Sutton-Brown and Anna DeForge all made the squad. That season, Indiana finished 21-13. Two years later, the Fever reached the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Catchings and Sutton-Brown were still terrific talents in 2009.

“It’s crazy. It’s awesome to have three All-Stars for the Indiana Fever this year. So proud for them, so proud for them, so proud for our organization,” head coach Christie Sides told reporters on Tuesday night. “These guys deserve it. They’ve been working hard [and] keep getting better. [It] just shows the future and what that looks like for the Indiana Fever.”

Clark is averaging 16.0 points and 7.1 assists per game this season. Mitchell leads Indiana with 16.6 points per game while Boston adds 13.3, and Boston contributes 8.1 rebounds per game as well. They are all tremendous talents, and the Fever have their strongest base in nearly a decade.

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Indiana won 13 games in both 2019 and 2023 (Boston’s rookie season). In 2019, the team was headlined by an interesting mix of veterans and younger players, including Mitchell, Candice Dupree and Teaira McCowan. But the Fever’s winning percentage dropped in three straight seasons after that 2019 campaign.

That doesn’t project to be the case this time around. The Fever are on pace to win at least 15 games this year, which would be their most since 2016. Fittingly, that was the franchise’s last playoff berth. Indiana hopes to make it again, and having three All-Stars gives the franchise the base to eventually get there.

“I think it’s special,” Boston said. “I think it just goes to show the talent of this team.”

Accolades can be noteworthy and life-changing. Mitchell is now a two-time All-Star, but it was hard for her to be left off the team two years ago. It matters to be named to Team WNBA, for her individually and for the franchise.

“[It’s a] really, really big thing for our franchise,” Mitchell said. She said it also shows what the players aspire to be as individuals: “Any great competitor has an All-Star somewhere down their list.”

Boston was a rookie All-Star last year, and Clark is one this year. That’s rare. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese was named a 2024 All-Star, too, marking the first time in a decade that two rookies have been All-Stars in the same season, per Across The Timeline.

All three Fever All-Stars know they can get better, too. Indiana is a young group that is still finding its way and only recently started gelling.

Mitchell started the season slowly and was dealing with an ankle injury. In her last 11 games, she is averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 49.7% from the field and 47.8% from deep. Clark has adapted her game to the WNBA after seeing different and tricky coverages early on. Boston, by her own admission, had a rough start to the season, but she’s averaging 16.6 points and 10.3 rebounds across her last 10 games.

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The New York Liberty have started the season 16-3. They’re the 14th team in WNBA history to start off 16-3 or better. Of the first 13, 11 went on to win the title.

Stathead is your all-access pass to the Basketball and College Basketball Reference databases. Our discovery tools are built for women’s basketball fans like you. Answer your questions in a matter of seconds.

That trio is ready for more. They have all gotten better as the season has progressed, and now they are All-Stars. Mitchell has proven she belongs with the best of the best after years of steady improvement. Boston and Clark are two of the league’s top young talents.

“It’s fun. It’s cool, obviously, for myself to accomplish this in my rookie year,” Clark said before noting it’s big for the franchise. “Me and [Aliyah], Year 1 and Year 2 … that’s pretty exciting.”

The Indiana Fever still have to build in order to turn a roster with three All-Stars into a contender. Just ask the Atlanta Dream, which had three All-Stars in 2023 but aren’t in form this year. But having young talent provides an excellent base, and as the Fever try to grow into a contender, the 2024 All-Star Game will be a turning point toward their goals.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has approved a proposal from Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor to establish the first international sea cargo container terminal on Lake Michigan.

This is slated to create the only all-water container route for ocean vessels to serve the greater Chicago metropolitan area via the Great Lakes.

The Burns Harbor terminal is located in northwest Indiana, inside the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area and within sight of the Chicago skyline. It is part of the 25th largest US port, which handles 25 million tonnes of cargo annually and generates $16.6 billion in annual economic impact.

The Chicago metropolitan area is the third largest in the US with a population of 9.6 million people and is home to the largest intermodal container market in North America. Currently, all containers moving through the Chicago market travel by rail or truck.

READ: Port of Seattle requires 100 per cent of cruise vessels to use shore power

Ports of Indiana received approval from CBP for a staffed container cargo examination facility at Burns Harbor port. They will be responsible for constructing the facility, expected to be completed in 2025.

The Ports of Indiana Commission recently approved a resolution establishing “The Indiana Container Initiative” formalising the organisation’s commitment to vigorously pursue the development of container shipping facilities at its ports and other locations in Indiana.

Among US Great Lakes ports, Cleveland and Duluth currently handle container vessels, while Monroe, Mich., is also pursuing CBP approval. Adding Burns Harbor to the list of Great Lakes container ports would allow shippers to utilise a network of container terminals which now includes the largest metropolitan area on the Lakes.

READ: Port Houston witnesses 21 per cent growth in May

In support of this effort, Ports of Indiana has already garnered Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) from potential partners as well as letters of support from other Great Lakes ports and more than 35 government officials, businesses and trade associations.

As facility planning commences, Ports of Indiana officials are seeking potential partners and customers to advance the project and will be engaging in a few select partnerships to formalise the initial development plans, quantify volumes and develop a scalable terminal that is appropriately sized to meet current and future demands.

“This is a critical step in a long process to establish a container terminal at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor and a new supply chain for international container shipments,” said Ports of Indiana CEO Jody Peacock.

“Having an all-water container route into the Midwest could create transformational opportunities, but it will take time to develop. Our port has the capabilities to handle containers today, but we won’t be able to schedule regular container shipments until the Customs’ facilities are fully operational, potentially in 2026.”

READ: Port NOLA records significant growth in intermodal rail volumes

“This new venture comes with major challenges and major opportunities, but our Ports of Indiana team has made this a top priority because we believe it is critical to providing Indiana with a modern port system,” said Ryan McCoy, Port Director at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor.

“Great Lakes shipping is limited by a shorter shipping season and the use of smaller vessels, but the potential upside for handling containers is tremendous. Allowing ocean carriers to start serving this market could diversify supply chains, avoid bottlenecks and reduce the overall carbon footprint for shipping to and from the Midwest.”

Last month, the Alabama Port Authority announced its application for a federal grant to launch a major emissions reduction effort at port facilities.

LAS VEGAS (WISH) — The Indiana Fever is getting ready to play inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse for first time since June 19.

The Fever (8-13) hosts the New York Liberty (17-3) on Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT.

Indiana is coming off a 19-point loss in Las Vegas Tuesday night against the Aces (11-6).

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell scored a team-high 23 points in the loss. She was 9-of-20 from the field, which includes 5-of-10 from three-point range.

Her performance from behind-the-arc helped her become the 19th player in WNBA history to have 500 career made three-point field goals.

Mitchell has scored in double-digits in each of her last eight games. She leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game.

Prior to the Tuesday’s game, Mitchell was announced as a WNBA All-Star, along with Fever teammates Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.

“It’s a really, really big thing for our franchise, but I think, more importantly, kind of just shows where we are as players and where we aspire to be individually,” Mitchell said after Tuesday’s game. “I think any great player and great competitor has an “all-star” somewhere down their list.”

It’s the second season in Fever history that the team is sending three players to a WNBA All-Star Game. The only other time that’s happened was in 2007, when Tamika Catchings, Anna DeForge and Tammy Sutton-Brown went to the All-Star Game.

“To have three All-Stars for the Indiana Fever this year, I’m so proud for them,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said. “So proud for our organization. These guys deserve it. They’ve been working hard, keep getting better. Just shows the future and what that looks like for the Indiana Fever.”

The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game is set for July 20 in Phoenix, Ariz. The game will be played inside Footprint Center.