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2026 WNBA All-Star Voting: Players Who Should Receive Consideration

W.G. Ramirez June 11, 2026Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli Be First

As WNBA All-Star voting gets underway, votes will begin pouring in for fan favorites. Some players deserve votes because of what they've done on the court; others not so much, but will get them anyway because of their star status.

Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo, WNBA, 2026
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Reigning MVP A'ja Wilson leads the league with 25.9 points per game and will undoubtedly be in Chicago on All-Star weekend because of what she's done on the court.

The same could be said for Kelsey Plum, Brittney Sykes, Kelsey Mitchell and Breanna Stewart.

Caitlin Clark's popularity shot her to the top of the list last season, when she finished with a record 1,293,526 fan votes, despite an injury that kept her out nearly a month from late May to mid-June, and limited her to 13 games all season. This year the votes would make sense, as she's been the Indiana Fever's second-most effective player, behind Mitchell.

Angel Reese is another player who could end up at All-Star weekend, more so because of her popularity rather than what she's done on the court for her new team in Atlanta. Nevertheless, her recent 17-point, 17-rebound performance is a reminder that she can be a force with her 13.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.

But we're all familiar with those names, right?

We know the situation when it comes to the popular vote, right?

Kelsey Plum Weighs In

"I think last year I got voted like 19th, so, I really don't put too much stock into the All-Star voting," said four-time All-Star and 2022 All-Star Game MVP Kelsey Plum. "I would say Bridget Carleton is a name that sticks out to me, really good two-way player. Thinking about, obviously, Olivia Miles. I think she's been absolutely tremendous. ... She should be starting in the All-Star Game."

To Plum's point, I considered putting Miles in my list of five WNBA players who deserve to be an All-Star, but I agree she should be an automatic and can't imagine she's getting snubbed. She doesn't need either mine or Plum's argument.

"You could really name like four people on Minnesota," Plum continued. "I think the top half of the league deserves multiple All Stars, it's kind of how we should do it. We don't reward statistics; we should reward wins."

Here are five WNBA players who I believe should receive an All-Star nod (in alphabetical order):

Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries

It was either Burton or Gabby Williams in this spot. But I think Williams is getting in regardless. I think voters need to pay attention to Burton when voting. The fifth-year pro may have found the perfect home in San Francisco, as she's averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game, with 5.8 assists as a nice complement. But forget about her offense; she and Williams have forged a defensive tandem that is one to be reckoned with this season.

Easily one of the most versatile players in the WNBA this season, Burton is a big reason this team is sitting in sixth place, just one-half game off the pace of fifth, behind the Dallas Wings.

Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky

Rickea Jackson would have been a tremendous representative for the Sky as they host All-Star weekend. Feisty veteran Skylar Diggins knows how to work a tunnel walk and is still a dangerous shooter when she's on a heater. But Cardoso has arguably been this team's MVP this season, and if the team needs someone for the festivities, it couldn't ask for a better representative. Cardoso is averaging 12.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game.

She also turned in one of her strongest starts of the season when she reached a significant milestone by becoming the latest WNBA star to hit the 1,000-career point plateau.

Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx

Quite an addition for the Lynx, the 13-year veteran has scored in double figures in all but one game, the season-opener in which she played the fewest minutes. Since then, she ranks 10th in scoring with 18.5 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. She's also shooting a whopping 65.9 percent from the floor during the 11-game stretch that has helped the Lynx to a 10-1 run.

Nobody can replace a player like Napheesa Collier, but Howard has been a tremendous answer in the face of the franchise's absence.

Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo

The veteran guard has teamed with Sykes to form one of the most formidable and dangerous backcourts in the league. They've been a veteran tandem coach Sandy Brondello can count on, and it goes beyond Mabrey's 17.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Her leadership and ability to defend and direct traffic at times is a big reason why Toronto is in seventh place with a 7-5 mark, ahead of 2025 playoff teams Indiana, Phoenix, and Seattle.

Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings

Can we all agree that Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, and Azzi Fudd are getting in? That trio has its built-in fan base, so the popular votes will be there. All three have been fantastic, too, and it would be hard to argue against their votes. But the Wings have been just as dependent on Shepard, who is averaging 13.4 points and 11.2 rebounds. She's one of three players averaging a double-double, along with Reese and Connecticut's Aneesah Morrow (12.3 points, 10.9 rebounds).

She's already earned a Western Conference Player of the Week this season, and should very well garner an All-Star nomination.

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ON THE BUBBLE

Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics

Who the Mystics will get to Chicago is the big question. Because this is a team that probably doesn't get as much fan love as more popular teams, it doesn't mean there isn't talent on this roster. Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen are double trouble in the paint, combining for 30.0 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

But Citron leads the team with 17.1 points and 3.4 assists per game. If she catches a heater at any point in a game, she's as threatening as any other long-range gunner in the WNBA.

Megan Gustafson, Portland Fire

Hard to believe Gustafson has been in the league for eight years, but here we are with the former Iowa star, who is now with her fifth team. Perhaps she was on to something when she got emotional recently, when revealing her feelings of finally getting the respect she deserves.

She's never averaged more than 7.9 points until this season, as she's registering a career high of 10.8 points per game for the expansion Fire. A strong month could send Gustafson and Pancake (IYKYK) to All-Star Weekend.

Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks

We're going to see Plum and Nneka Ogwumike voted in, I'm sure of it. They deserve to be there. And a combination of popular votes and deserving votes could land Cam Brink in Chicago. But I have to believe Hamby should be under consideration, as she's a veteran who continues to make players around her better.

She's averaging 15.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, and remains a 50-percent-plus shooter the Sparks depend on every night in some aspect.

W.G. Ramirez is a veteran sports writer from Las Vegas and a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.

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