Biggest 2026 WNBA All-Star Game Snubs

Alyssa Thomas is notably missing from the list of names. Who else has a case?

Six-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas, who leads the WNBA in assists (8.2 apg), was not voted in this year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We are two weeks away from WNBA All-Star festivities, and with starters and reserves officially named, that means we kill the time by debating who isn’t an All-Star, of course. 

Becky Hammon and Cheryl Reeve were recently named the head coaches for the 2026 All-Star Game on July 25 in Chicago. Here is who honorary GMs Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon have to choose when selecting their rosters:

Starters	Reserves
Paige Bueckers, Guard, Wings	Sonia Citron, Guard, Mystics
Caitlin Clark, Guard, Fever	Allisha Gray, Guard, Dream
Olivia Miles, Guard, Lynx	Rhyne Howard, Guard, Dream
Kelsey Mitchell, Guard, Fever	Marina Mabrey, Guard, Tempo
Aliyah Boston, Frontcourt, Fever	Kelsey Plum, Guard, Sparks
Natasha Howard, Frontcourt, Lynx	Courtney Williams, Guard, Lynx
Breanna Stewart, Frontcourt, Liberty	Jackie Young, Guard, Aces
Gabby Williams, Frontcourt, Valkyries	Kiki Iriafen, Frontcourt, Mystics
A’ja Wilson, Frontcourt, Aces	Jonquel Jones, Frontcourt, Liberty
	Dominique Malonga, Frontcourt, Storm
	Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt, Sparks
	Angel Reese, Frontcourt, Dream

Now of course things could change if players need to sit out because of injuries, thus leaving it to Cathy Engelbert to select a replacement. But upon first glance, here are who our writers and editors think are notably missing from the list. 

Who are the biggest WNBA All-Star snubs? 

Dan Falkenheim: Alyssa Thomas. She leads the WNBA in assists per game (8.2). She’s one of four bigs with at least 1.6 steals per game. She’s frequently on the ball and more than half of her points are unassisted, meaning she is often creating for herself. What can’t Thomas do? Outside of shooting the three, not much. This is the All-Star game, not the MVP race. Yes, the Mercury sit in 12th place, but that shouldn’t matter for a player of Thomas’s caliber.

Emma Baccellieri: Brittney Sykes. Yes, her plantar fascia injury is a complicating factor here, and it’s unclear whether she’ll even be fully healthy by the All-Star Game. But through 15 games, Sykes was having a career season that established her as one of the most prolific scorers in the league right now, and that’s enough in my book to make her a valid All-Star. Sykes is one of just five players averaging more than 20.0 points and 3.0 assists per game this season. The other four were all named All-Stars—including Kelsey Plum, whose leg injury means that she has played just 12 games, fewer than Sykes’s 15. 

Blake Silverman: I’m with Dan and Emma—Thomas and Sykes are my two biggest snubs. However, Kahleah Copper is firmly in the snub category as well. No matter how disappointing the Mercury have been, it’s surprising that neither Thomas or Copper got an All-Star nod. A few weeks back, I wrote about my worry that Copper wouldn’t get in. At the time, that inkling was due to a belief that Thomas was a shoo-in and the Mercury may not get more than one All-Star because of their record. However, Copper had a strong case to get in outright. She averaged 21.5 points per game over the month of June and her average of 20.8 points per game is the third-most across the league this season, behind only A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Mitchell. Phoenix has turned it around as of late, largely thanks to Copper’s scoring outbursts. She wasn’t an All-Star last year, but missing out during a 20.0 ppg season is another story.

Kristen Nelson: Despite being one of the hottest teams in the league right now, the third-place Valkyries had just one player given an All-Star nod in Gabby Williams, leaving Veronica Burton on the outside looking in. That’s not to say Williams isn’t deserving, but Burton has also been an integral part of Golden State’s stretch of dominance and is 10th in win shares (how many wins a player is responsible for), according to Her Hoops Stats. This likely has more to do with the limited guard spots for the All-Star Game, but if, say, Plum isn’t healthy in time, the Valkyries’ lead point guard would be a deserving replacement. 

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