EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAll-Star selections are always ripe for endless debate -- and that dialogue continues this week in the WNBA, as the reserves were revealed Tuesday for the 2026 game.There are still a few matters to sort out before the July 25 contest (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in Chicago's United Center. As the league continues to celebrate its 30th anniversary season, WNBA legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will serve as honorary general managers and select rosters from the pool of 22 All-Stars. The head coaches of the two teams with the best records following games on July 10 will be named coaches for the teams.If a player is unable to play in the All-Star Game, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert will select a replacement.But for now, ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Kareem Copeland, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel break down the roster, the biggest snubs and what we expect -- or hope -- to see in Chicago.Who were the biggest snubs?Kareem Copeland: This depends on how someone interprets "snubbed." Toronto Tempo guard Brittney Sykes absolutely deserved to be an All-Star as the No. 8 scorer in the league -- No. 5 when she was sidelined in mid-June -- who was leading the expansion team to a potential playoff berth. A noncontact plantar fascia injury, however, has her out for an undisclosed amount of time. In the midst of a career year and still one of the best defenders in the league, Sykes is an All-Star, but injury clearly influenced voters.So, who was a healthy snub? Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. I'm a believer that the league leader in assists should be an All-Star. Add that to being one of the most reliable defenders in the league who also ranks No. 15 in rebounds and No. 27 in points with a 51.5 field goal percentage and that equals an All-Star to me. The way the team has struggled surely affected some voters.Alexa Philippou: Veronica Burton, the reigning Most Improved Player and an All-WNBA second-team selection, continues to be a standout point guard for the Golden State Valkyries, who are third in the league standings and have won five straight. If Engelbert has to name an injury replacement -- particularly if Kelsey Plum can't play and there is a need for another guard -- Burton would be a great choice.Michael Voepel: It's surprising, even with the Mercury's struggles, that neither Thomas nor Kahleah Copper got a reserve spot. Kareem made the case for Thomas, who has been an All-Star six times previously. Copper, a four-time All-Star, is averaging 20.6 points and has six games of 25 or more points this season. Perhaps Copper's shooting percentages (41% from the field, 26.0% from 3-point range) counted against her.Who are you happiest to see make the All-Star team?Philippou: I always enjoy veteran players earning their first All-Star bids. This year, that's Jessica Shepard and Marina Mabrey, who are excelling in larger roles with new teams, the Dallas Wings and Toronto Tempo, respectively. Mabrey, who already has two games this season with nine 3-pointers and on June 25 tied the league's single-game record with 53 points, is made to play in All-Star Games, and I wouldn't be shocked if she shows out and wins MVP.Voepel: It's nice to see Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga at age 20 get her first of what could be many All-Star nods. The No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft, Malonga was sidelined for eight games earlier this season with concussion symptoms. But since returning on June 6, she has scored in double figures eight times, including 37 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to Dallas on June 22. The Storm are in rebuilding mode, and Malonga is one of the main building blocks.It's also great that Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, who turned 36 on July 2, was selected for her 11th All-Star appearance. The Sparks haven't had the season she was hoping for, but Ogwumike continues to be elite in her 15th year in the WNBA.Copeland: It's always fun to have Courtney Williams involved in anything, right? Do we get another nonstop StudBudz stream? Courtney's dad, Don, courtside? Williams earned her selection, but she's one of the more outgoing personalities in the league and things have just been more interesting in recent years with her in the 2025 All-Star Game and 2024 WNBA Finals.How might Cooper and Weatherspoon select teams? Should they keep teammates together?Copeland: I don't particularly love teammates pairing up in the All-Star Game. Sure, there's some chemistry that could lead to some highlight moments, but the fun of the game is seeing duos that we don't typically get to see. How could elite passers such as Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers set up the uber-athletic Malonga? What does pick-and-roll actions with Breanna Stewart handling the ball and A'ja Wilson as the screener look like? Or on the opposite end, we haven't seen Washington Mystics teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen on opposite teams since they were in college. What happens when Wilson gets switched on Jackie Young? Teammates facing each other is a bit more intriguing.Voepel: The All-Star Game might be for fun, but we shouldn't expect Cooper and Weatherspoon to make fun picks. They are extremely competitive individuals and will want their teams to win. That's why they might look to keep some teammates together for the benefit of already established chemistry. Both are former head coaches in the WNBA, but that's much more recent for Weatherspoon, who guided the Chicago Sky in 2024. That could give her a little edge in how well she knows the strengths and personalities of many of these players. Weatherspoon was a pure point guard and Cooper a shooting guard. Maybe that's going to lead to T-Spoon's team being built a little more on top post players to feed the ball to and Cooper's being more about high-scoring guards and wings.Which players will be the first picks by Cooper and T-Spoon?Voepel: It's hard to bypass Wilson, the league's leading scorer and four-time MVP, for whoever picks first. That said, guards have been bigger stars in the All-Star Game in the past several years, so nabbing the Indiana Fever's Kelsey Mitchell or Clark could also be high on the list for the GMs, along with several other high-scoring guards. Also, since there are no Chicago Sky players among the All-Stars -- unless one gets named as a replacement player -- it won't be surprising if former Sky player Angel Reese, traded before this season to Atlanta, has a big fan following in the Windy City, which could be appealing to the GMs -- along with Reese's energy and rebounding.Philippou: Those are all good options from Voepel. It also wouldn't be shocking to see Bueckers -- who received the highest weighted score (the combination of player, fan and media votes) of all the guards -- among the first picks, especially given how well she has been playing as of late for the Wings. Perennial All-Star Breanna Stewart, who can do a little bit of everything on the floor in an All-Star Game, is also a no-brainer early selection for either GM.Copeland: In a game controlled by point guards, my two colleagues mentioned the top options. Would someone be bold enough to go with the presumptive Rookie of the Year in Olivia Miles? She already directs the No. 1 team in the league and has proved to be a creative passer. As a crafty driver who's a threat from behind the arc and has shot 50.6% from the field, Miles seems built for All-Star success. Or, you know, there's always six MVPs between A'ja and Stewie.Which player combinations do you most want to see in Chicago?Copeland: Bueckers and Malonga. The two second-year players played together in Unrivaled during the offseason and made no secret about their lob aspirations. Bueckers is already one of the best passers in the league and the 6-foot-6 Malonga has the athleticism to, literally, attack the rim. There are already videos from Unrivaled with the two practicing alley-oops in pick-and-roll situations, and Bueckers assisted on some Malonga dunks. But there was never an in-game alley-oop. The relaxed nature of an All-Star Game could provide the perfect scenario for Bueckers to toss it up and let Malonga do the rest.Philippou: The Azzi Fudd-Paige Bueckers backcourt is working out well in Dallas, but what would have happened if the Wings drafted Miles at No. 1? It would be super fun to see Miles and Bueckers suit up together in a low-stakes setting like this where their shared court vision and flashy passing would be on display.Voepel: It could be fun to see Clark and Bueckers on the same squad, as they are the past two Rookie of the Year award winners and could be part of Team USA's backcourt for the upcoming FIBA Women's World Cup in September.Predict the All-Star Game MVPCopeland: Guards have won five of the past six All-Star Game MVPs, and that's not a surprise considering they have the ball in their hands more than others. This feels like a Kelsey Mitchell MVP campaign. The four-time All-Star is getting her first start in a season in which she's averaging a career-high 21.9 points and shooting a career-best 48.9% from the field. Her game is built on quickness and putting the ball in the basket. Bueckers and Clark were considerations, but they might be more interested in distributing in this environment. Mitchell, arguably the fastest player in the league and its current No. 3 scorer, is all about getting buckets. That's what wins All-Star MVPs.Philippou: Clark looked like she had fun watching from the sidelines of last year's All-Star Game, but not being able to take the floor with the competition being held in Indianapolis had to have hurt. She'll be eager to make the most of the experience this year in Chicago and will add to the recent pattern (Napheesa Collier in 2025 notwithstanding) of guards taking home All-Star Game MVP.Voepel: Keeping the theme that MVP is more likely to go to a guard, let's consider two others who might be really eager to put on a show: Toronto's Mabrey and Minnesota's Williams. In Chicago, not far from where she played collegiately at Notre Dame, Mabrey could be very fired up to torch the United Center hoops. Then there's Williams, who is not likely to meet a shot she doesn't like in a game with little defense (although maybe just a little more than last year would be good). Williams, who is making her third All-Star appearance, could get the hot hand as well.
