Returnees Rhyne Howard and Marina Mabrey headline the 2026 WNBA 3-Point Contest next to several talented newcomers.
Six WNBA talents are ready for a Friday night fight.
The league revealed the six players that are set to partake in its 2026 3-Point Contest on Tuesday, the list headlined by the respective returns of Rhyne Howard and Marina Mabrey.
Equally lauded newcomers will also partake in the event scheduled for Friday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), as Azzi Fudd, Natisha Hiedeman, and more will all make their maiden voyages from deep. It makes for a formidable field even with multiple reports stating that Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, and Kayla McBride were among those that elected not to partake despite getting an invitation.
View the full list of triple threats below ...
Bridget Carleton, Portland
The rebooted Portland Fire's first bit of All-Star Weekend representation comes in the form of Carleton, who is putting up a career-best scoring season in her eighth WNBA tour. She has more than doubled her points per game tally from last year and is fresh off a six-triple performance against her original WNBA employers from Minnesota over the weekend. She's one of two players to knock down at least six three-pointers on three occasions this year, the other being her sister in expansion Marina Mabrey.
Azzi Fudd, Dallas
One of the newest WNBA entrants, the top pick Fudd has rendered a slow star long forgotten, averaging 14.6 points and two steals in the 15 games she has played since June 11. The top pick from April's draft has an active streak of four consecutive games with at least three threes, tied for the second-longest tally this season. Fudd will be the fourth rookie to partake in the 3-Point Contest amidst her WNBA debut though this is the first time it has happened in consecutive seasons after Sonia Citron placed third in last year's event.
Natisha Hiedeman, Seattle
A youth movement has gripped the Pacific Northwest, headlined by the antics of newly-minted All-Star Dominique Malonga. Hiedeman, however, is handling the more offensive efforts of the Storm's recent outputs. As the Storm engages in a rebuild, the StudBud is building on the potential that warranted consideration in the top sixth woman and Most Improved Player votes last season, as she's averaging double-figures in scoring for the first time in her career and has already set a new personal best in total points in a season.
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta
Having overseen this Dreamy stretch of Atlanta basketball (tied with Las Vegas as the second-winningest team in the W in the last couple of seasons), Howard was one of the many victims of Allie Quigley's dominance in the event: her first participation was likewise staged in Chicago during her rookie tour in 2022. Since her entry, only Kelsey Mitchell and Kelsey Plum have sunk more threes and she's second behind Mabrey in successful triples so far this year. Howard will look to avenge teammate and fellow All-Star Allisha Gray, who placed second to Ionescu last year.
Marina Mabrey, Toronto
Authoring some of the top scoring events on this season's WNBA ledgers—including a record-tying tally of 53 in a June showing against Los Angeles—has required a lot of outside work and Mabrey has been more than willing to meet the challenge. Mabrey's the WNBA's leader in successful triples upon the announcement of the participants, hitting 82 in her first 25 games. The Notre Dame alumna was unlucky in her first 3-Point Contest showing, forced to watch the aforementioned Gray take the title during the 2024 proceedings in Phoenix.
Janelle Salaun, Golden State
Like many of her compatriots down by the Bay (Area), Salaun hasn't heard of a sophomore slump. In 27 successful showings that have the Valkyries flirting with the playoffs' top seed, Salaun has already surpassed her 3-point output from all of last year to the tune of 67 successful triples. That ranks third among the six participants behind the top shooters Mabrey and Howard and her 39.4% success rate makes her the leader among the sextet. The splendid 67 also breaks her own single-season franchise record set during Ballhalla's maiden voyage.
Wait 'Till Next Year!
Despite the plethora of deep ball talents that will be on hand in Chicago, there are some sterling snubs that rival the similar lists that are usually reserved for All-Star Weekend's main event ...
Despite three players shooting over 40% beyond the arc so far this season, the Indiana Fever will not have any representatives in the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest in Chicago this weekend.
— IndyStar (@indystar) July 21, 2026
Read more: https://t.co/w1GqdqT41i pic.twitter.com/Pkb7oZNAch
Sophie Cunningham, Indiana
It's a little surprising to see one of the WNBA's top personalities left out of All-Star Weekend, especially with her deep-ball antics leading the way. What Cunningham lacks in conventional scoring tallies she makes up for in sniping: she's the most successful deep-ball shooter among women with a minimum of 100 tries this year at 43.7%.
Marine Johannes, New York
For all who openly wondered what Johannes can't do from deep, apparently she can't compete in the ultimate deep ball showcase quite yet. The event seems tailor-made for the acrobatic antics of Johannes, who took advantage of an extended opportunity with Ionescu's early medical absence to tie her career-best with 2.3 threes per game over the first half.
Jonquel Jones, New York
Jones used her rediscovered deep ball to get back into the All-Star Game. The 14.8 points she's averaging is her best since 2021 and she's the only one outside of Indianapolis to be shooting at least 40% from deep over the last seasons, joined in that sisterhood by only Cunningham and Mitchell.
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana
While Clark conventionally stands as the Fever (and the league's) star attraction, no one has defined the middle initial in MVP better than Mitchell. Even with Clark's injuries thrusting her into a larger spotlight, Mitchell has flourished with larger responsibilities and her 3-point prowess has partly defined that. She's pacing the accuracy ledgers next to Cunningham and is right behind Mabrey and Howard in total sinks. Her exclusion from the long-distance shootout has to be one of the more questionable puzzles this All-Star Weekend has to offer.
Sydney Taylor, Chicago
While the Sky's situation at the bottom of the standings (and at the top of the injury report) might've made it hard to get anyone into the main event, it's a little tough to see one of the top stories sidelined. Taylor's tear has been one of the most pleasant surprises the league has enjoyed this year and she would be the obvious contender to enter the 3-point fray as the most consistent shooter since Rickea Jackson's unfortunate medical misfortune.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
