Stars Align for WNBA All-Star Game
As the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis approaches, the teams begin to take shape. Voting to determine the starters ends on Friday, with fan votes representing 50%, player votes 25%, and sports media votes 25%. The final results will be calculated by averaging the weighted rank of each group. The top four guards and the top six frontcourt players will be the starters, using fan voting as a tiebreaker if necessary. The 12 reserves will be chosen by the league’s head coaches, who must vote for at least three guards and five attacking players, and then for four additional names in any position. Coaches cannot vote for players from their own teams. The two players with the most fan votes will be the captains and will choose the players on “WNBA Countdown” on July 8 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) before the matchup between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty. Kendra Andrews and Michael Voepel from Alofoke Deportes share their predictions about the headlines and discuss who might be left out.Projected Headlines
Captains
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Tied for first in assists per game (8.9); was an All-Star last year as a rookie. Clark missed five games with a quadriceps injury and has struggled with 3-point shots (1 of 23) in his last three games. He missed Thursday’s game against Los Angeles with a left groin injury, and it’s unclear if he will join the team when they travel to Dallas on Friday. However, Clark remains an elite playmaker, even when his shot isn’t working. Defenses put a lot of emphasis on covering her, which opens up opportunities for her teammates. She was the initial leader in the fan voting, which will likely hold and place her as captain. – Michael VoepelNapheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
League leader in scoring (24.4 PPG); four-time All-Star. The second-most voted player in the first fan vote for the All-Star returns, Collier is a sure candidate. Over the past year, she has risen to the top of the league, winning the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award, being named 2024 MVP runner-up, and advancing to the WNBA Finals. She is one of the faces of the league, which is important for being an All-Star starter. Of course, he’s backed up his case on the court. His league-leading 24.4 points per game are a career high, as are his 52.4% field goal percentage, 42.1% from 3-point range, 3.6 assists and 1.5 blocks. – Kendra AndrewsAttack Zone
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
League leader among starters in field goal percentage (59.3); two-time All-Star. Boston is among the league’s top 10 in blocks, rebounds, and shared wins. She arrived as an elite defender and has continued to improve in that aspect. But the hallmark of her three-year WNBA career is her consistency. She had a career-high 31 points in the Fever’s win in Seattle on Tuesday, but struggled in Thursday’s loss to Los Angeles: the Fever in general struggled with Caitlin Clark out of the game, and Boston was 4 of 13 from the field for only 12 points. Still, Boston tends to bounce back well. – VoepelNneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Ninth on the all-time scoring list; nine-time All-Star. In her 14th season, Ogwumike shows no signs of slowing down. Her scoring has increased from the previous year and she’s doing it with a better shooting percentage. Her 8.2 rebounds per game are her second-best record in the last six years. Of course, being an All-Star, and a starter, is also about popularity, longevity, and impact on the game. Ogwuwmike currently ranks ninth on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, ninth in rebounds, and sixth in steals. The future Hall of Famer meets all the requirements. – AndrewsSatou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury
Second in the league in usage rate (31.6); two-time All-Star. In her first season with the Mercury, Sabally has elevated her game to another level. She averages 19.3 points, better than her last All-Star year (2023) and in fewer minutes. She has an astounding eight 20-point games this season and is one of three players averaging at least 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal per game, along with three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and 2024 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier. – AndrewsBreanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Among the top three in scoring (21.0 points per game) and shared victories (3.1); six-time All-Star. In her ninth season in the league, Stewart is used to carrying a heavy load. That has been even more the case during the absence of center Jonquel Jones due to an ankle injury. The Liberty have lost three games, but Stewart continues to do everything possible to keep them in the fight to repeat as WNBA champions. If her field goal percentage of 51.9 holds at that level this season, it will be the best since she finished with 52.9 in her first MVP season in 2018. – VoepelA’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Among the top three in scoring (21.2 points per game), rebounds (9.6), and blocks (2.6); six-time All-Star. It hasn’t been the easiest season for the Aces, with a 7-8 record, but Wilson, who missed three games due to concussion protocol, is still MVP caliber. On Wednesday, she became the fastest in WNBA history to reach 5,000 career points, achieving it in 238 games. Wilson remains one of the league’s top scorers and defenders, and is also averaging a career-high in assists (3.5) this season. – VoepelBases
Skylar Diggins, Seattle Storm
Among the top 10 all-time in assists (1,602); six-time All-Star.During Unrivaled’s inaugural season, Diggins said she didn’t feel like herself last season, the year after returning to the WNBA after maternity leave. It seems that the 3-on-3 league has helped her regain her game at the level she wanted. Diggins averages 18.7 points, the third-highest scoring average of her career. Her 45.5% field goal percentage is also the second-best mark of her career and a massive increase in efficiency compared to last year.
Diggins has been an All-Star in six of her 10 seasons in the WNBA. With her production, there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be again this summer. – AndrewsAllisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
First player to win the All-Star Skills Challenge and the 3-point contest (2024); two-time All-Star. Gray, the highest-ranked player on the Dream in the first round of fan voting, is having the best season of her nine-year career. She was an All-Star last year, but her level of play this season should insert her into the starting lineup. She has thrived in the Dream’s new coach, Karl Smesko’s, system, operating in an incredible amount of space with the ultimate green light to shoot 3s. Her 42.9% shooting from distance is a career high, and she is sixth in the league in scoring. – AndrewsSabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Averages a career high of 19.7 points; three-time All-Star. Now in her fifth full season in the WNBA, missing only three games due to an ankle injury in 2020, Ionescu is a savvy veteran who can dominate games when needed. She had back-to-back 34-point performances earlier this month, and has adapted well to a new backcourt partner in Natasha Cloud this season. Ionescu can make the big plays in crucial moments, such as going 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the final two minutes on Wednesday for an 81-78 win in Golden State. – VoepelThe most notable absences
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream, guard
Howard is having an All-Star-worthy season, although that’s not necessarily evident from his stats. His 35% field goal shooting and 30.6% 3-point shooting are career lows, but he has found other ways to impact the game. In Smesko’s system, Howard has found a way to thrive as a facilitator, averaging a career-high 4.7 assists. On defense, he is often assigned to the opponent’s best scorer. Howard averages 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks. His 5.3 rebounds per game are also a career high. Starting in the All-Star Game requires a lot of consideration, but Howard was not selected. However, there is no doubt that she should be in Indianapolis in July. – AndrewsAlyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury, Forward
In her first season in Phoenix after 11 years in Connecticut, Thomas has been just what the Mercury wanted. She is tied for the league lead in assists (8.9), while also averaging 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds. She missed five games with a calf injury, but has returned strongly. She is a big reason why the new Mercury is off to a good start. However, it’s difficult to break into the top six at the forward position because it’s so crowded. – VoepelWho might be chosen first by the team captains in the All-Star draft
Caitlin Clark: It makes sense that the Fever’s point guard would choose her teammate, Aliyah Boston, first. The two have forged a very strong connection in their second season playing together. Clark does a great job of finding Boston in transition and in the mid-court, as they understand each other very well. Boston has excellent hands and is ready to catch any pass from Clark. – Voepel
Napheesa Collier: The relationship between Collier and Breanna Stewart goes back to their days at UConn. They have played together in the Olympics. They have competed against each other in the WNBA Finals. Heck, they launched a business (Unrivaled) as partners. The admiration and respect they have for each other as competitors and friends has always been a highlight for women’s basketball. It’s a lot of fun to watch them compete, but it’s also almost impossible to pass up the opportunity to team up. With no other Lynx players secured as All-Stars this season, Collier could turn to a former teammate. – Andrews
