We are two weeks away from WNBA All-Star festivities, and with starters and reserves officially named, that means we kill the time by debating who isn’t an All-Star, of course.
Becky Hammon and Cheryl Reeve were recently named the head coaches for the 2026 All-Star Game on July 25 in Chicago. Here is who honorary GMs Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon have to choose when selecting their rosters:
| Starters | Reserves |
|---|---|
| Paige Bueckers, Guard, Wings | Sonia Citron, Guard, Mystics |
| Caitlin Clark, Guard, Fever | Allisha Gray, Guard, Dream |
| Olivia Miles, Guard, Lynx | Rhyne Howard, Guard, Dream |
| Kelsey Mitchell, Guard, Fever | Marina Mabrey, Guard, Tempo |
| Aliyah Boston, Frontcourt, Fever | Kelsey Plum, Guard, Sparks |
| Natasha Howard, Frontcourt, Lynx | Courtney Williams, Guard, Lynx |
| Breanna Stewart, Frontcourt, Liberty | Jackie Young, Guard, Aces |
| Gabby Williams, Frontcourt, Valkyries | Kiki Iriafen, Frontcourt, Mystics |
| A’ja Wilson, Frontcourt, Aces | Jonquel Jones, Frontcourt, Liberty |
| Dominique Malonga, Frontcourt, Storm | |
| Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt, Sparks | |
| Angel Reese, Frontcourt, Dream |
Now of course things could change if players need to sit out because of injuries, thus leaving it to Cathy Engelbert to select a replacement. But upon first glance, here are who our writers and editors think are notably missing from the list.
Who are the biggest WNBA All-Star snubs?
Dan Falkenheim: Alyssa Thomas. She leads the WNBA in assists per game (8.2). She’s one of four bigs with at least 1.6 steals per game. She’s frequently on the ball and more than half of her points are unassisted, meaning she is often creating for herself. What can’t Thomas do? Outside of shooting the three, not much. This is the All-Star game, not the MVP race. Yes, the Mercury sit in 12th place, but that shouldn’t matter for a player of Thomas’s caliber.
Emma Baccellieri: Brittney Sykes. Yes, her plantar fascia injury is a complicating factor here, and it’s unclear whether she’ll even be fully healthy by the All-Star Game. But through 15 games, Sykes was having a career season that established her as one of the most prolific scorers in the league right now, and that’s enough in my book to make her a valid All-Star. Sykes is one of just five players averaging more than 20.0 points and 3.0 assists per game this season. The other four were all named All-Stars—including Kelsey Plum, whose leg injury means that she has played just 12 games, fewer than Sykes’s 15.
Blake Silverman: I’m with Dan and Emma—Thomas and Sykes are my two biggest snubs. However, Kahleah Copper is firmly in the snub category as well. No matter how disappointing the Mercury have been, it’s surprising that neither Thomas or Copper got an All-Star nod. A few weeks back, I wrote about my worry that Copper wouldn’t get in. At the time, that inkling was due to a belief that Thomas was a shoo-in and the Mercury may not get more than one All-Star because of their record. However, Copper had a strong case to get in outright. She averaged 21.5 points per game over the month of June and her average of 20.8 points per game is the third-most across the league this season, behind only A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Mitchell. Phoenix has turned it around as of late, largely thanks to Copper’s scoring outbursts. She wasn’t an All-Star last year, but missing out during a 20.0 ppg season is another story.
