Unlike a lot of people, I choose my All-Stars based on who is having the best individual season and not based on team success.
I add up the points, rebounds, steals and blocks per game of every player and add in their assists per game times 1.5.
Through this process, I find my top 22. I go through the list of the league’s top scorers until it’s mathematically impossible for the next player to be within three points of a top 22 stat score. I leave the extra three points in case some players are so impressive
efficiency-wise that they jump into the top 22.
Then, I factor in efficiency (from the field, 3-point line and free throw line), as well as turnovers, and arrive at my starters, reserves, alternates and those players who came close but couldn’t quite make the cut.
Here’s who I would have starting in the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game:
- Backcourt starters: Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Plum, Paige Bueckers and Olivia Miles
- Frontcourt starters: A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, Jessica Shepard, Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston
And here’s who I would have as reserves:
- Backcourt reserves: Jackie Young, Marina Mabrey and Rhyne Howard
- Frontcourt reserves: Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones and Kiki Iriafen
- Wildcard reserves: Brittney Sykes, Sonia Citron, Chelsea Gray and Courtney Williams
That means the actual All-Stars who missed the cut for me were Kelsey Mitchell, Allisha Gray, Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga.
First, I want to go over the differences between my picks and the actual All-Star rosters that were chosen by the fans, players, media and coaches. Then, I’ll take a look at my alternates and players I snubbed.
Kelsey Plum and Alyssa Thomas should have been starters
On July 2, Kelsey Plum was ranked by ESPN as the second-best player in the WNBA this season. I believe she is a legit MVP candidate, though A’ja Wilson is miles ahead of the pack.
Now, there was an issue with voting among players on Plum’s team, the Los Angeles Sparks, which contributed to Plum finishing 12th in the player vote.
Still, the fans and media should have put her higher. I understand she might not play in the All-Star Game due to injury, but if she can be voted in as a reserve by the coaches, she should have been a starter. She finished outside the top four among the fans (sixth) and media (fifth). Surely, the fact that she has only played in 12 games hurt her, but, again, she was voted in as a reserve.
I would have ranked Plum second among guards behind only Caitlin Clark. She’s second in the W in points per game with 23.9 and sixth in assists with 6.4. Her 3-point efficiency for her volume is stellar (38.3 percent with 2.6 makes per game). And her overall field goal percentage (52.7) is phenomenal for a guard, especially one that takes so many 3s.
Meanwhile, it’s no surprise at this point that Alyssa Thomas is being disrespected. A big deal is being made about the fact that she was snubbed from the All-Star Game altogether. But I don’t think many fans and analysts realize she actually should have been a starter.
My stat score system favors Thomas, who stuffs the box score across the board, not just in points. It might seem like an off year for her, but it really isn’t. Her rebound average is down to 6.9 boards per game, but seven rebounds isn’t too far off from the nine or 10 she’s averaged at her best. Meanwhile, her assist average of 8.3 is the second-best of her career, and her 14.2 points per game are pretty much par for the course, as are her 1.6 steals.
Her stat score through July 4, when I ran my calculations, was fourth in the W at 35.8. Factoring in efficiency and turnovers, I would rank her as the eighth-best player in the league this season, and third-best frontcourt player behind only Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Yet, she was left off the 11 frontcourt slots and four wild card spots on the All-Star roster.
Brittney Sykes, Chelsea Gray and Kamilla Cardoso should have been reserves
Brittney Sykes’ stat score ranks 14th overall and seventh amongst guards (through July 4). When I factored in efficiency, I had to move her down to my first wildcard slot, but she is still deserving of making the game, in my opinion. She’s eighth in the league in points per game at 20.1, and also has a decent assist average (3.5) and 1.3 steals per contest. While she’s inefficient from 3 (27.1 percent), her 89.4 percent clip from the stripe on 6.9 attempts per game is something to marvel at.
Chelsea Gray, the Point Gawd, should be making her seventh All-Star appearance, yet, she’s not among the first snubs mentioned. She’s 19th in the league in stat score due to her 7.3 dimes per contest (third). She’s also averaging a good amount of points (12.5), while adding four boards and 1.2 swipes. She’s shooting 39.8 percent from distance with two makes per game.
Finally, Kamilla Cardoso should be a first-time All-Star, joining her former Twin Tower teammate and now-three-time All-Star Angel Reese. Also not at the top of the snub list, Cardoso is seventh in the league with a field goal percentage of 58.5, while averaging 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks (fifth). She’s 20th in the league in stat score.
I snubbed Kelsey Mitchell, but still rate her as by top All-Star alternate
If Plum and Sykes were to miss the All-Star Game due to their current injuries, I would select Kelsey Mitchell and Shakira Austin as alternates.
Mitchell is my biggest snub according to the fans, who voted her third among guards, leading to her being named a starter. I actually argued that she should have been an All-Star in 2022, her last year of missing the game before four-straight selections. Mitchell, always a great scorer, had a career-high 4.2 assists that year, and I felt she should have made it over Sue Bird, who was on a farewell tour.
This year, Mitchell has just 2.7 helpers, and also just 1.6 rebounds. Those numbers hurt her overall stat score, which is 25th, but she dropped 27 and 29 points, respectively, in her two games since I ran my calculations, raising her already-high scoring average to 22.2, good for third in the league.
I chose to put Courtney Williams in over Mitchell. Williams has a higher stat score, and is efficient enough from the field (46.6 percent compared to Mitchell’s 48.9) and from 3 (40 percent compared to 40.7).
Austin has the No. 21 stat score and is 11th among frontcourt players, meaning if I didn’t factor in efficiency, I would have her making the trip to Chicago instead of her teammate Kiki Iriafen.
Iriafen is converting at 52.4 percent from the field, while Austin is at 44 percent. Still, the Mystics have three legit stars, with All-Star reserve Sonia Citron being the other.
Allisha Gray is probably the biggest name that people think I’m leaving out. I had Gray at No. 5 on my 2025 MVP ladder as of July 18. Her stat score then was 12th in the league and she was shooting 38.1 percent from 3. This year, her stat score is No. 29 and she’s shooting 29.8 percent from 3. Still, when you look at intangibles, it’s hard to argue against Lish.
I actually have Jordin Canada (27th in stat score and more efficient in all three shooting categories) in strong consideration to be an alternate, ahead of Gray. Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko previously pointed out that Canada deserved consideration alongside his other three stars in Gray, Reese and Rhyne Howard, who have all been named All-Stars after controversially being omitted as starters.
The other two real All-Stars I didn’t include on my roster are Dominique Malonga and Gabby Williams, the latter of whom is a starter. Malonga came in at No. 24 in stat score and was strongly considered. Williams did not place in the top 33 in stat score, which is where I stopped, but I understand that she has taken the Golden State Valkyries from the No. 8 seed in their first season to half a game out of first place in their second.
The other players I considered were Kahleah Copper, Dearica Hamby, Carla Leite and Skylar Diggins.
