The 10 starters for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game were revealed last week, and to no surprise, the group was highlighted by reigning MVP A'ja Wilson and the last two Rookie of the Year winners, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. The latter led all players in fan votes with 1,045,051.
Now that the starters are set, it's up to the league's coaches to select the 12 reserves that will fill out the All-Star rosters. Each head coach will fill out one ballot with three guards, five frontcourt players and four players of any position, regardless of conference. They may not vote for a player from their own team, however.
The players with the most votes from the coaches will be named reserves, and the list will be revealed on Tuesday night. Ahead of the official announcement, let's try to predict the 12 players the coaches will select.
Guards
Gray was an All-Star starter last year for the first time in her career, but narrowly missed out on that honor this time around. She should have no concerns about heading to Chicago later this month, however. There's no doubt that the coaches will reward her with a fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.
Now in her 10th season, Gray is averaging a career-high 18.5 points, which is good for 13th in the league, and a career-high 1.6 steals, which ranks seventh.
Howard, one of the few true wings in the league, may have been a starter if she had been listed as a forward. Instead, she was on the ballot as a guard and missed out on a starting spot due to fan voting. She ranked second in player voting and fourth in media voting, but was ninth in fan voting, which gave her the fifth-best weighted score, just behind Kelsey Mitchell.
The good news for Howard is that she's a lock to be selected as a reserve. Howard is having an incredible two-way season. Her 18.9 points and 2.5 steals per game are both career-highs and lead the Dream. She's also 10th in the league in scoring and first in steals; the only other player in the top-10 in both categories is A'ja Wilson. Furthermore, her 3.6 win shares are third in the league and the most among non-starters.
Young got off to a rough start this season, highlighted by back-to-back scoreless performances when she was dealing with personal off-court matters. At the time, Aces coach Becky Hammon said Young was playing with a "heavy heart." Since the end of May, however, Young has been excellent, and should earn a fifth consecutive All-Star nod.
Young's splits this season
| Period | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3FG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May | 11.8 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 37.5% | 27.8% |
June/July | 19.3 | 4.5 | 6.8 | 50.3% | 40.5% |
Young is putting up 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and a career-high 6.6 assists per game. The latter is good for fifth in the league, ahead of the likes of Kelsey Plum, Bueckers and Olivia Miles.
Frontcourt
Iriafen was an All-Star as a rookie last summer, and she should be back at the mid-season showcase for the second time in as many years. Her numbers are up across the board this season for the Mystics, who are on pace to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
At 15.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, Iriafen is 20th in the league in scoring and fifth in rebounds. She is also fifth in the league in double-doubles with eight.
Jones has flown under the radar at times since she arrived in New York, but with Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally both missing extended time this season, she has stepped up as the clear second option behind Breanna Stewart and should be back at the All-Star Game for the first time since 2024, and the sixth time in her career.
Jones is putting up 15.1 points, nine rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 40.9% from 3-point range. She's seventh in the league in rebounding and is one of three players with at least 30 3s and 20 blocks this season.
Ogwumike is now in her 15th season, but shows no signs of slowing down. Despite the Sparks' disappointing start to the season, Ogwumike has done more than enough to be selected as an All-Star reserve. Assuming the coaches pick her, she would move into a tie with Diana Taurasi for the second-most All-Star appearances ever with 11.
Most All-Star appearances in WNBA history
| Player | All-Star appearances |
|---|---|
Sue Bird | 13 |
Diana Taurasi | 11 |
Tamika Catchings | 10 |
10 | |
Nneka Ogwumike | 10 |
Ogwumike's buzzer beater to defeat the Liberty on the 30th anniversary of the league's first game is the highlight of the season so far, and she's putting up 16.2 points and 8.5 rebounds on 52.5% shooting; Ogwumike has never shot below 50% in a season in her career.
Reese, who said it was "disrespectful" and a "slap in the face" that the Dream did not have an All-Star starter, finished sixth in fan voting, sixth in media voting and sixth in player voting, but narrowly missed out of getting the final starting spot to Natasha Howard. But like her teammates Gray and Howard, Reese is a lock to go to Chicago as a reserve.
As has been the case since she entered the league, no one else can match Reese's motor. One of two players averaging a double-double, Reese is putting up 14.9 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. She is once again leading the league in both offensive rebounding (5.4 per game) and overall rebounding.
Even amid their current three-game winning streak, the Mercury remain well below .500 and far outside the playoff race, which is the primary reason why Thomas was not an All-Star starter this season. She has not been personally at fault for their poor record, however, and the coaches will assuredly select her as a reserve.
Thomas' numbers are only a shade worse than last season, when she finished third in MVP voting. She's putting up 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, a league-leading 8.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Wildcards
Like Iriafen, Citron was an All-Star as a rookie and has been even better this season while leading the Mystics in scoring despite battling a knee injury. There's little question that the coaches will select Citron as a reserve, giving her a second All-Star honor in as many years.
Citron is averaging 18.6 points -- the most by a Mystics player since Tina Charles in 2021 -- 4.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals, and is 11th in the league in scoring.
Mabrey's status as one of the best players to never make an All-Star team should come to an end this season when the coaches select the reserves. The Tempo's first selection in their expansion draft, Mabrey has been handed the reins in Toronto and is having the best season of her career.
Most career points without an All-Star appearance
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
4,253 | |
Camille Smith | 3,551 |
3,324 | |
Marina Mabrey | 3,268 |
3,039 |
Most notably, Mabrey tied the single-game scoring record with 53 points against the Sparks, and has also tied the single-game 3-point record with nine on multiple occasions. She is averaging 21.1 points per game, which is good for fifth in the league, and has made 67 3-pointers, which is tied for the league lead.
Plum finished sixth in fan voting and fifth in media voting, but was 12th in player voting, which is why she missed out on being a starter. While she clearly has the numbers to be named a reserve, it's unclear if the coaches will select her given her current injury status. Plum, who has only played 12 games this season, is sidelined until late July with a leg injury and is unlikely to be cleared in time for the All-Star Game.
The next most likely options behind Plum -- Brittney Sykes and Dominique Malonga -- have both missed extensive time as well, so we'll stick with Plum. After all, she has performed like an MVP candidate when healthy. She's averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game on 52.7/38.3/80.6 shooting splits, and is second in the league in scoring and sixth in assists.
Napheesa Collier still has not played this season after undergoing surgery on both ankles in the winter, yet the Lynx are in first place with a 15-5 record. Olivia Miles and Natasha Howard, both of whom were named starters, have played a big role in their success, but so too has Williams. Coaches tend to reward winning, so it's a good bet that Williams will be an All-Star for the third time.
Williams is putting together yet another strong all-around season: 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, four assists and 1.2 steals per game. She checks in at 19th in the league in scoring and 17th in assists.
