The reigning WNBA MVP, A’ja Wilson, reigning Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, and arguably the league’s most popular player in Caitlin Clark highlight the 10 starters announced for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.
Bueckers, of the Dallas Wings, accumulated the most fan votes with 1,045,051, while also ranking first at her position in players’ votes and second in the media vote. She is headed to her second WNBA All-Star Game, again as a starter, after leading a remarkable turnaround for the Wings. Averaging 19.9 points, Bueckers already has led Dallas to more wins this season (11) than it had all of last year.
Wilson led all frontcourt players in voting from her peers and will be headed to her eighth WNBA All-Star Game, tying her for the most of any active player. The four-time WNBA MVP could very well be on her way to a fifth as she leads the league with 25.7 points and 2.0 blocks per game.
Clark is headed to the game for the third time in her three WNBA seasons, but for the first time, she didn’t lead all players in fan voting. She ceded that position to Bueckers; however, Clark still ranked second among guards in fan voting and was third in the media vote. The real intrigue in regard to Clark’s vote tally comes from her peers in the other WNBA players.
Despite averaging a career high of 21.2 points, which ranks fifth, and being second in the league with 8.2 assists, Clark’s peers don’t view her as a top 3, a top 5, or even a top 10 guard in the WNBA. Clark placed just 11th in WNBA players’ voting at her position, whereas none of the other nine starters finished worse than 8th in WNBA players’ voting.
Still, she will be in a starting lineup come the 25th and, unlike last year, should be able to actually take the floor this year. Last year, despite being a team captain, injury sidelined Clark for the game.
Filling out the other two backcourt spots alongside Clark and Bueckers are Olivia Miles of the Minnesota Lynx and Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever. Miles, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, leads first-year players in both scoring and assists. She is the only rookie All-Star Game starter and is one of two of the 10 selections heading to their first WNBA All-Star Game. As for Mitchell, her selection, alongside that of Clark and forward Aliyah Boston, gives the Fever a league-high of three starters for the game.
Other forwards besides Wilson and Boston include Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, Jessica Shepard of the Dallas Wings, Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries, and Natasha Howard of the Minnesota Lynx.
Interestingly, none of the 10 WNBA All-Star Game 2026 starters have ever won a WNBA All-Star Game MVP award.
In terms of regular-season MVP awards, Wilson and Stewart are the only ones with that honor. The latter is going to her eighth All-Star Game, tied with Wilson for the most among active players, as she’s putting up 19.2 points per game. Meanwhile, Dallas’ Shepard joins Miles as a first-time All-Star, getting the acclaim in her sixth season in the league. She’s been an all-around playmaker for the Wings, leading the league with two triple-doubles and is second in the league with 11.5 rebounds per night.
Williams of Golden State will be a first-time starter in her second appearance. She’s in the running for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, courtesy of leading her team in steals while Golden State leads the league in points allowed per game. As for Howard, she will make her third overall All-Star Game appearance but returns to the starting lineup for the first time in seven years. She leads the association with 61.1 percent from the field and has led the Lynx to the league’s best record.
To fill out the rest of the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game rosters, coaches will vote on the 12 reserves. Coaches aren’t permitted to vote for their own players, but they will ultimately select three guards, five frontcourt players, and four players at any position to complete the rosters.
From there, all 22 All-Stars will then be drafted onto two teams, with a pair of Hall of Famers serving as honorary general managers. WNBA legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will draft 11 players each to their squads, with the head coaches being the coaches of the teams with the top two WNBA records, regardless of conference, following play on Friday, July 10.
The 22nd edition of the WNBA All-Star Game will take place at the United Center in Chicago. It is set for Saturday, July 25, with a tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET.
