WNBA All-Star selections are conditional. It’s not always absolute or determined on a certain requirement always being upheld. Sometimes players get elevated more because of the fan vote, other times players sneak in because of a gap between how much coaches respect their game. Others are disregarded completely due to an injury a player endured during the voting process.
In other words, if a player averages 20 points per game or averages close to a triple-double, that doesn’t guarantee them a spot on the All-Star team. And with the WNBA announcing the reserves on Tuesday night, we saw both of those types of scenarios come to light.
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As I predicted at the end of last week’s notebook, the trio of Atlanta Dream teammates Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Angel Reese all made it to the All-Star team as reserves after Dream players were snubbed from earning starter roles.
But what I didn’t predict was the Storm’s Dominique Malonga to earn her first ever All-Star designation as a second-year player. While Malonga’s talent and ceiling remain as high as ever, she wasn’t on my master list when I began my process to determine how I was going to vote for All-Star starters. She was the only 2026 reserve that I didn’t jot down.
While Malonga is the most obvious surprise, let’s focus on who got snubbed. The collection of players I list below will also most likely be in the running as injury replacements for the July 25 exhibition game especially when some players named to the team like Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Sonia Citron are currently battling injuries.
Veronica Burton (Valkyries)
Burton is the lead guard of the Golden State Valkyries, the league’s hottest team. As of this writing she is 10th on the total win shares list according to WNBA stats site Her Hoop Stats. Win shares is a metric that estimates how many wins a player is responsible for based on their offensive and defensive play on the floor. It’s a number that focuses on team impact regardless of whether a certain player scores the most or not.
All of the players above Burton on this list will all be All-Stars in 2026. Meanwhile, 13 All-Stars out of the total 22 rank below Burton on this list including Kelsey Mitchell, Allisha Gray, her own teammate Gabby Williams, Aliyah Boston, Jackie Young and Caitlin Clark.
Did it make sense that Gabby Williams made it over Burton? Yes and no. Williams as of now has been averaging two more points than Burton and has a higher field goal percentage by a point and a half. But, Burton averages three more assists than Williams and is 10th in win shares while Williams is 21st. The Valkyries, a team who have the third best record in the WNBA, probably deserve multiple All-Stars. The Lynx and the Aces, the two teams above Golden State in the standings do.
Alyssa Thomas (Mercury)
Prior to 2026, the WNBA’s triple-double queen has been Thomas. But on a team that’s currently 8-14 and 12th in the league’s standings, it makes sense that the Mercury don’t necessarily have an All-Star.
“I think when you win obviously you get recognized a little bit more, some teams more than others,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbets said on Tuesday night after the results were revealed. He was disappointed that Thomas and Kahleah Copper weren’t selected.
Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said it’s “extremely disappointing” that Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper weren’t named All-Star reserves.
— Cydney Henderson (@CydHenderson) July 8, 2026
“It’s disappointing. I think AT and Kah are All-Stars… I see them as two of the top 10 or 15 players in the world.” pic.twitter.com/kdHM7bToSG
What was confusing here was what allowed WNBA sophomore Malonga to beat out Thomas? While Malonga has averaged slightly more points (15.9) and rebounds (7.4) than Thomas, Thomas beats the Storm center out with higher assists numbers (8.3 per game) and field goal percentage (51.2).
Thomas is still averaging close to a triple double with 14.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in addition to averaging 8.3 assists. And with both players on non-playoff teams as of now, it begs the question of what the coaches are considering. Is it possible that the coaches vote was also as a result of popularity? How exactly do the coaches around the WNBA feel about Thomas? Has Thomas been replaced by another triple-double queen and point forward in Jessica Shepard who was voted as a first-time starter?
Brittney Sykes (Tempo) and Kahleah Copper (Mercury)
The reason I grouped these two together is because their average statistical outputs are really similar when it comes to points and efficiency, two key statistics that media voters and coaches like to examine.
- Sykes: 20.1 points, 42.1 percent shooting, 3.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 15 games played.
- Copper: 20.8 points, 41 percent shooting, 1.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 21 games
Copper started the seasons with an abysmal field goal percentage. She shot 33.3 percent from the field while attempting over 17 field goals per game in May. Since those first weeks of the season, her numbers have stabilized and she’s now shooting 41 percent from the field while attempting 16.1 field goals per game. Meanwhile Copper is averaging over 20 points a game, but that doesn’t mean she’s immediately an All-Star.
Sykes’ case is a little bit more curious because Kelsey Plum, who got in as a reserve, is also hurt and out for an extended period of time. Both Sykes and Plum have averaged over 20 points a game with Sykes playing in 15 games to Plum’s 12. The case for Plum over Sykes is the efficiency (52.7 percent shooting) and assist averages (6.4).
Before Sykes’ plantar fascia injury that she suffered on June 16, she was very much in the All-Star conversation. Sometimes that’s what is the result of injury. Jonquel Jones had a similar situation in 2025. She was playing at an All-Star level to begin the season but then after a couple of ankle injuries that kept her out for a month, and just nine games played determined her fate. Most other All-Stars had played closer to 20 games.
Carla Leite
Leite isn’t necessarily a snub as much as a player who could be selected if we see more players opt out playing due to injury. Last season Caitlin Clark and Satou Sabally opted not to play in the game because of lingering injuries, and as a result the league office determined that Brionna Jones and Brittney Sykes would play in their places.
Leite as a replacement All-Star player would mean a representative from each of the WNBA’s newest franchises. She’s averaging 15.4 points and 5.6 assists per game.
This is a long shot, but would it be completely out of the realm of possibility for Portland to have a representative, especially since the Fire are fourth best in average league attendance? Again, I return to the question of who is being an All-Star really for? Is it for the fans or to reward the players? It’s a bit of both, and as a result, not all involved parties are always satisfied.
