The WNBA All-Star starters were announced on Thursday. The lineups were decided by fan, media and players voting.
But, according to a report on ESPN, only 85 of 180 players in the WNBA voted — roughly 47% of the league. Fans accounted for 50% of the vote, while current players and the media account for 25% each. The league’s 15 head coaches will select the 12 reserves at a later date. The All-Star Game will be held at Chicago‘s United Center on July 25 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
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ESPN reported some of the issues with player voting were procedural. The Los Angeles Sparks had players that did not receive their ballots, according to the report. Teams are supposed to make sure they get distributed.
“Players were sent ballots via email,” the team said in a statement. “Some players indicated that they didn’t receive the email or weren’t aware of it until after the voting period had closed. That’s something we take responsibility for as an organization, and we’ll have a more robust process going forward.”
Fans, media and players often vote differently. Indiana Fever All-Star Caitlin Clark, for one, was second in the fan vote, third in media and 11th in players for guards. Her teammate, Aliyah Boston, was first in the fan vote, fifth in the media and eighth in the players for frontcourt selections.
Players can also be partial to their teammates or friends when voting.
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2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Starters
All stats are through Wednesday, July 1:
Guards
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Indiana Fever G Caitlin Clark: The 6-foot guard is averaging career-highs in points (21.2), field-goal percentage (43.0%) and 3-point percentage (34.4), and her 8.2 assists per game is second only to Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. Clark has scored double-digits in all but one game this season and she’s doing so efficiently. Her 4.6 turnovers per game marks the lowest average of her career.
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Minnesota Lynx G Olivia Miles: Miles has been the bus driver for the Lynx, powering them to a WNBA-best 15-4 record so far this season. The New Jersey native leads all rookies in scoring (18.7 ppg) and assists (5.7 ppg), which ranks ninth and eighth in the league, respectively. Miles hit a record eight 3-pointers in the Lynx’s 87-84 victory over the Golden State Valkyries on June 5 to break Caitlin Clark’s rookie record for 3-pointers in a game.
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Dallas Wings G Paige Bueckers: The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year is having a strong sophomore campaign, averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game through 18 starts, all while shooting 51% from the floor. The 24-year-old UConn product has led the Wings’ turnaround season and the team’s 11 victories at the halfway point surpasses last year’s total (10) win mark. Bueckers became the fastest player in WNBA history to hit 1,000 points and 250 assists last month.
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Indiana Fever G Kelsey Mitchell: She earned her fourth consecutive selection as an All-Star starter. Mitchell was drafted No. 1 overall in 2018 out of Ohio State. She is averaging 21.6 points a game to lead the Fever. Indiana’s all-time leading scorer, Mitchell has 11 games with at least 20 points this season.
Fowards/Centers
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Las Vegas Aces C A’ja Wilson: Wilson leads the league in scoring (25.7 points per game) and blocks (2.0 per game), averaging 9.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 19 games (all starts). Wilson has recorded double-digit points in every game this season, including a 45-point performance against the Connecticut Sun on May 15. She’s grabbed 15 rebounds in four games this season.
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New York Liberty F Breanna Stewart: The 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup MVP is leading the Liberty in points (19.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.3) in her10th season in the league, while ranking second in rebounds (8.5). Stewart has scored double-digits in all but one game this season and her seven double-doubles is tied for the fifth-most in the league. It marks Stewart’s eighth All-Star nod.
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Dallas Wings F Jessica Shepard: Shepard’s career year has resulted in her first All-Star nod. The 6-foot-4 forward is averaging career-highs in points (14.3), rebounds (11.5) and assists (5.4) after sliding into the starting lineup for the Wings this season. Shepard owns the only two triple-doubles of the season thus far.
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Golden State Valkyries F Gabby Williams: The UConn product received her second All-Star nod and was selected starter for the first time. Williams leads the WNBA in steals with 2.6 a game while averaging a career-high in scoring with 15.9 points a game in her first year with the Valkyries.
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Indiana Fever C Aliyah Boston: Boston earned her fourth consecutive All-Star nod after averaging a career-high 17 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while shooting 50.2% from the field. And the 6-foot-5 center has been developing her 3-point shot. She’s shooting a career-high 42.6% from deep and her 20 made 3-pointers surpasses last year’s total (6) only 18 games into the season.
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Minnesota Lynx F Natasha Howard: The 6-foot-2 forward picked up her third All-Star nod and first since 2022 amid a renaissance season. Howard’s 17.7 points per game is the second-highest mark of her career, second only to her 2019 DPOY campaign. Her stat line is rounded out by career-highs in rebounds (8.2), steals (1.9) and field-goal percentage (61.1%).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Report: Less than half of players cast ballots for WNBA All-Star Game
