'Showtime Shoni' Leads East to Become All-Star MVP

The Atlanta rookie from the Umatilla reservation in east Oregon became the WNBA's 2014 All-Star MVP on Saturday.

Shoni Schimmel, an Atlanta rookie, takes a jump shot during a regular season game. She became the WNBA's 2014 All-Star Game MVP on Saturday, July 19.

Courtesy of Atlanta Dream

Atlanta's Shoni Schimmel became the first rookie and Native American to be named a WNBA All-Star game MVP on Saturday after scoring 29 points to lead the East to a 125-124 win in Phoenix.

Schimmel sunk seven 3-pointers, including three in the first three minutes of the second half, and delivered eight assists in the wild match-up that went into overtime before a crowd of nearly 15,000 at US Airways Center. It was just the type of fast-paced, high-scoring, light-on-defense game that both of the coaches for the East and West on Saturday and fellow players say Schimmel can excel at.

It was, by many accounts, rez ball.

"Just to go out there and play rez ball," says Schimmel, who is form Mission, Oregon, on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, "it was a lot of fun."

"Being a Native, it's a huge dream to be out there in the WNBA," says Schimmel. In just a short time, she has become a top role model in Indian Country -- a status clearly supported by the hundreds of Native fans who lined up after the 22-year-old's practice Friday for selfies with the player and for her autograph.

"I take it on my shoulders because I enjoy it," Shimmel says.

Her family -- grandmothers, sister Jude, parents and others -- travelled to Phoenix for the game to cheer her on with several of them wearing "Rez Ball Rules" T-shirts and "Shoni #23" bandanas.

In the crowd, Schimmel's fan base included thousands from tribal communities in the Phoenix area and elsewhere in Arizona. Among the many live images to flash on the arena JumboTron was one of a young girl holding a sign saying "Keep Calm and Schimmel On."

Schimmel was the only rookie starter in the game, and her 29 points broke the WNBA's previous All-Star game record of 23 points that was set by Candace Parker last year. Parker, of Los Angeles, scored just 8 points on Saturday. Skylar Diggins, a guard for Tulsa, was second in scoring, shooting 27 points for the West.

A star in college with her sister Jude at Louisville, Schimmel was a first-round WNBA draft pick and signed with Atlanta in April. In 2013, she took Louisville to the NCAA championship, where they were beat by UConn. This year, the team lost to Maryland in the regional final.

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Shoni Schimmel went into the game Saturday after her largely Native fan base voted for her to be a starter via social media. Her jersey is the best-selling in the WNBA and her popularity also has helped Atlanta claim the top spot on the WNBA team merchandise list, according to the league.

So far this season, Schimmel's season average on the Dream has been 7.2 points per game. She exceeded all expectations in Phoenix, says Michael Cooper, who was the East All-Star coach and also coaches Shimmel in Atlanta.

"In the All-Star Game, it’s about points," according Cooper, and while Schimmel's defense shows room for improvement, "she can play and pass the basketball as good as anyone."

"The most important thing is that she was having fun. She had a smile on her face out there and I think it set the tone and the standards for Native American women that want to play basketball," Cooper says. "They can step up at the highest level and become that spectacular player for that particular day."

Schimmel isn't a starter on her own team, the Dream, but Cheryl Reeve, coach for Minnesota and for the West All-Stars this year, speculated whether Schimmel's status may change.

"The All-Star game no question is right in her wheel house, you know that's her kind of game, her style," Reeve says. "You know obviously Michael Cooper, I think he's got big decisions to make. He's got the MVP of the All-Star game, so I suspect when we see him in on Tuesday that Shoni might be in the starting line up."

This is incredible. Shoni Schimmel living up to her nickname on ESPN.

— WNBA (@WNBA)

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Atlanta plays Minnesota in Minneapolis on Tuesday.