There weren’t many surprises in the 2026 WNBA All-Star starter list released by the WNBA on Thursday. The grouping includes Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Olivia Miles, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
The Indiana Fever‘s big three all received starter status, a note that lifts a subtle eyebrow but makes sense in a system based 50% on the fan vote. The Lynx and Wings also placed two each among the 10.
But other eyebrow-raising aspects were to some degree expected. That begins with the Atlanta Dream‘s Rhyne Howard falling short in a crop of guard riches.
A modest proposal: As we discussed on Hoops 360 this week, the WNBA could adjust its All-Star voting format to a more flexible system of four guards, four frontcourt players and two “rovers” who can play in either bucket. This is similar to what the head coaches will do for the group of 12 All-Star reserves. Their ballot consists of three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position. The WNBA does not vote based on conference. Coaches cannot vote for their own players.
But that’s down the road. Let’s get into the various snubs in the first All-Star release ahead of the 2026 game in Chicago on July 25.
Howard (weighted score 6) finished as the first guard out of the starting lineup, trailing Paige Bueckers (1.25), Olivia Miles (3.5), Caitlin Clark (4.5) and Kelsey Mitchell (5) in overall weighted score.
The position-based nature of All-Star voting put Howard’s chances at a starting role in a tough spot. Howard is listed as a guard on their official roster, but plays the 3 and is not the first one that comes to mind when speaking strictly about guards.
That meant that, for a lot of voters, she fell down the list of considerations. Had she been listed as a frontcourt player, which includes forwards and centers, then some voters might have put her on their ballot. That part is larger for a reason, and arguably leans more toward those wing players. (Hence Gabby Williams earning a spot there as the Valkyries’ first-ever All-Star starter.)
Howard finished 18th overall in the fan vote with 303,221 votes and ninth amongst guards. She was fourth amongst the media ballots and second amongst players.
The Atlanta Dream, sitting fourth in the standings at 12-7 before play resumes on Thursday, does not have a representative in the starting lineups. All three of their All-Star contenders were the first ones out of the starting picture.
Veteran guard Allisha Gray finished behind Howard at sixth among guards with a weighted score of 7, slightly above the Los Angeles Sparks‘ Kelsey Plum (7.25). Forward Angel Reese placed seventh as the first forward out, despite a ranking of sixth in each of the fan, media and player ranks. She was .25 weighted points behind Minnesota‘s Natasha Howard.
The forwards above Reese benefited from high scores in at least one voting area. Aliyah Boston finished first in the fan frontcourt vote, offsetting a player rank of eighth. Williams’ fifth-best fan rank helped eliminate the fact that most of the media kept her off the ballot (seventh). She finished fourth among players. And Natasha Howard finished seventh among fans, but fourth among media and fifth among players to give her a slight edge in the final weighted values.
All three of Rhyne Howard, Gray and Reese are likely to be coach selections.
Toronto guard Marina Mabrey, who has never made an All-Star team, and Washington Mystics‘ second-year standout Sonia Citron, who earned the honor last year, tied for fourth in the player rank. Mabrey tied the single-game scoring record last week and is averaging a fourth-best 21.2 ppg, while Citron is putting up even better numbers than her rookie year (the 3-point efficiency notwithstanding).
Both of their starter chances plummeted in the fan vote. Citron was 10th, and Mabrey was 12th. Citron was also left off of many media voters’ ballots (10), while Mabrey was on a majority of them (sixth). The players’ top seven: Bueckers, Howard, Miles, Citron and Mabrey, Gray, Mitchell.
While it’s arguable that Plum was snubbed given her scoring numbers (23.9 ppg, second in the WNBA) and efficiency (52.7 FG%), she’s playing for a team sitting below .500. She is also out with injury, which some voters might have considered. Plum was sixth by fans, fifth by media and 12th by players.
The variation in fan, media and player rankings is always a fascinating look. And it should be noted that when it comes to player results, it is unclear what percentage of the ballots are returned. Is every player in the league voting? Or is it closer to 50%, with ballots concentrated from certain teams? We have no clue.
Wings rookie Azzi Fudd’s voting dichotomy puts into perspective that the All-Star nods are weighted heavily toward fans and popularity. She finished as the fourth-most-voted guard with 631,746 votes — 60% of the vote total of teammate and first-place finisher Bueckers. She’s averaging 13.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.8 steals (fifth) and 1.1 blocks (16th) — solid numbers, but not top-four guard numbers when compared to the rest. In media tallies, she finished 15th, and among players, she was 28th.
Clark’s numbers were skewed again this year. The Indiana Fever point guard was second among fans, third among media and dropped to 11 based on inclusion in players’ ballots. She was ninth last year among players. This has also become a common case for Plum, as well. She finished with ranks of sixth, sixth and 16th a year ago. Mitchell finished third for fans, which helped her since she was seventh in the media and player ranks.
The frontcourt selections are far less fraught. The largest gap is for Boston, who finished first in fan rank, fifth in media and eighth in players. No other player varied by more than three positions. Meanwhile, nine of the 11 top vote earners shared by the league on the guard side varied by at least three positions.
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