Although former Washington Huskies star Kelsey Plum is expected to miss the majority of July with a leg injury, the Los Angeles Sparks guard has had another stellar season in the WNBA and should be in the mix for her fifth consecutive All-Star appearance.
However, the former No. 1 overall pick wasn’t listed among the 2026 All-Star selections despite averaging a career-high 23.9 points (which is good for No. 2 in the league) and 6.4 assists per game across 12 appearances, while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range.
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In an interview with John W. Davis, Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts shared some strong feelings about her star guard’s exclusion from the All-Star Game.
“It’s ridiculous,” Roberts said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s become a social media popularity contest, not about who the most impactful players are. She’s the best one-on-one player in the league, having an MVP season.”
When it comes to the WNBA selection process, 50 percent of the vote is left to the fans, while the other half is split evenly between the media and players. Plum finished No. 5 in the media vote and No. 6 among fans, but No. 12 in the player vote, which may have been partially due to her injury, which will keep her out for at least ten games after a sprained ankle sidelined her earlier in the year.
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Whenever the 2022 WNBA MVP and two-time champion does return to the floor, which will most likely be after the All-Star Game on Saturday, July 25, she’ll have a tall task to lead the Sparks back to the playoffs, as the team is currently 8-10 on the year.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Former Washington basketball star snubbed from WNBA All-Star Game
