Atlanta’s dreams came true with the reveal of WNBA All-Star Game reserves, which also feature Nneka Ogwumike and Jackie Young.
There are bench presses and then there’s what coming on in relief at the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game. A dozen more players got the All-Star call on Tuesday, as the pool of players competing at the Chicago-based exhibition was rounded out by reserves. Substitutions were chosen by the league’s 15 coaches, who could not elect their own players for the honor.
The starting ten, featuring reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, freshman sensation Olivia Miles, and face of the league Caitlin Clark, was unveiled last week. The combined 22 will be halved by legends of the game Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon, who are the honorary general managers in yet another fantasy draft format. Injury replacements, if necessary, will be chosen by commissioner Cathy Engelbert in the weeks leading up to the main event on July 25.
View the full list of reserves below …
Sonia Citron, Washington
Citron is in her second All-Star Game in as many years and it’s hard to ignore the luck of the Irish: last year’s Rookie of the Year runner-up is up nearly four full points and a full assist from her rookie season all while keeping up a strong defensive pace. Citron has also been a clutch performer, averaging 4.8 points in such situations (last five minutes of a game, score within five), which is most among players with a minimum of 10 appearances in such situations.
Allisha Gray, Atlanta
The Dream’s nightmare is over: coaches had Georgia on their mind in their turn to vote, as Gray is the first of Atlantans on their way to Chicago. Gray will appear in her fourth consecutive All-Star Game after placing fourth in MVP voting last year. She’s barely beating out her career-best scoring output from last year and is also sixth in total steals (34) entering Thursday night play.
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta
Howard’s work in the fall will ultimately define the Dream’s dream but her spring and early summer have produced the typical early thrills. Bound for the All-Star Game for the fourth time in five seasons, Howard is likewise posting the best point tally of her career (18.9, closing out the list of top 10 scorers), complementing that with her personal best in 3-point success rate (36.8%).
As the league leader with 67 triples, Howard could be one of the top candidates to succeed Sabrina Ionescu as 3-Point Contest champion.
Kiki Iriafen, Washington
It takes two to make a thing go right in D.C., whose youth-in-revolt movement is led by Citron and Iriafen. The latter is flirting with a double-double in her own second season with 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and that former tally has been assisted by a near-15 percentage point increase in 3-point success rate. Iriafen has been equally clutch, ranking just behind Citron with 4.7 points on 52.9% shooting under the same criteria.
Jonquel Jones, New York
Jones took a 2025 snubbing personally but left no doubt this time around: the newly re-crowned Commissioner’s Cup champion is averaging just over 15 points and nine rebounds in her return from a year marred by injury. Jones has also rediscovered her 3-point strike, sinking 26 over the last 10 games that counted toward the standings (fourth-best in the league in that span).
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Reserves
• Sonia Citron
• Allisha Gray
• Rhyne Howard
• Kiki Iriafen
• Jonquel Jones
• Marina Mabrey
• Dominique Malogna
• Nneka Ogwumike
• Kelsey Plum
• Angel Reese
• Courtney Williams
• Jackie Young pic.twitter.com/3RMLyD9Glb— USA Sports (@usasports) July 7, 2026
Marina Mabrey, Toronto
The wide open spaces the All-Star Game usually has to offer should put Mabrey on an inside track to win the game’s MVP Award in relief. Together with widely-accepted snub Brittney Sykes, Mabrey has brought a lively tune to the Tempo’s first verses, which has them flirting with the idea of joining the Valkyries as sisters in expansion playoff-hood.
Mabrey is averaging over a double-decade in scoring for the first time in her career (placing fifth entering Thursday) and entered numerical immortality with a single-game record 53 points in a June win over Los Angeles, tying the prior marks set by Wilson and Liz Cambage.
Dominique Malonga, Seattle
As the Storm weathers the post-Sue Bird/Breanna Stewart blues, it at least has the comfort of Malonga retaining the momentum she picked up late last season. Last year’s second overall pick, who flirted with a delayed run to the top sixth woman honor, has flourished in a promotion to the starting five, more than doubling her scoring output with 15.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds.
Malonga’s 37-point performance in a June 22 tilt against Dallas was the best for any player that stands above 6’4 this season … and doesn’t carry the surname of Wilson.
Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles
Hail to the Chief: Madame President, the headliner of the league players union that helped secure the historic collective bargaining agreement that got this season rolling, is on her way to her 11th All-Star Game. The brightest All-Star in terms of appearances among the 2026 group, Ogwumike ties Diana Taurasi for the second-most invites, two behind Bird.
Her current stats hint that she’ll at least have a chance to catch the Pacific Northwest legend: Ogwumike is averaging 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds at age 35 and can still come through in the clutch, evidenced by the buzzer-beater she sank on the league’s 30th birthday back on June 21.
Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles
Plum may require a reliever due to a leg injury that has partly sunk the Sparks but her inclusion is a no-brainer. Already known for her lofty scoring standards, Plum is averaging 23.9 a game on over 52% from the floor, both personal bests in a lauded career. Despite her injuries, she’s still the league’s second-leading scorer behind only her former teammate Wilson.
Angel Reese, Atlanta
Reese faces the complaints about her game in a new home, but the numbers don’t lie: she remains the league’s leading rebounder despite the emergence of Jessica Shepard and has handled Atlanta’s post game in the wake of losing both Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. Reese returns to the All-Star Game for the third time in as many years.
Courtney Williams, Minnesota
With Napheesa Collier out, the continued dominance of the Lynx has relied upon the work of 2026 newcomers like Miles and Natasha Howard. Sometimes you just can’t beat the classics, however, and Williams has personified such an axiom. While primarily known for her defense, Williams is averaging 16 tallies a game to set her best mark since her latter tour with Atlanta in 2021. The accompanying 46.6% success rate from the field is her best since her first full season with the Connecticut Sun (2017).
Jackie Young, Las Vegas
Young couldn’t let the reigning MVP Wilson have all the fun, as the dynamic duo will rep the defending champions in Chicago. Sure, her job is made easy by playing with literal WNBA royalty and deities (Wilson, Chelsea Gray), but Young still stands fifth in the Association in assists with 6.6 a game, currently a career-best.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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