MINNEAPOLIS  — Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore was voted a starter for the Western Conference All-Star team on Thursday night. She is the first rookie to be so honored since 2002.

Moore received 21,379 votes. That was tops among Western Conference forwards and the fourth-most votes in the entire league. She was the No. 1 overall pick after a brilliant career at Connecticut.

Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird were the last rookies to be voted starters in 2002.

She is averaging 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Lynx.

The game will be played on July 23 in San Antonio, Texas. Moore says she is excited and honored by the voting.