The WNBA is celebrating its 30th season, and one of the biggest extravaganzas of the season is set to take place during All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
This year’s festivities are unique in the sense that fans will witness stars from one of the WNBA’s greatest eras mixed with the league’s future faces.
The mix of elite veterans and young superstars will share the court at the United Center on Saturday, with the game serving as the centerpiece of a two-day event that also includes the always-popular 3-Point and Shooting Stars Contests on Friday.
Adding a nostalgic touch to the 30th season celebration, WNBA legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon are honorary general managers for the All-Star Game and recently drafted their teams from the pool of 22 All-Stars for coaches Becky Hammon and Cheryl Reeve.
Hammon will coach Team Coop and Reeve will lead Team Spoon.
While we wait for the participants of the challenges to be announced, we’ve ranked the teams’ rosters based solely on how each player is performing through Monday’s games.
The WNBA All-Star rosters are set
Will Team Coop or Team Spoon take home the victory?
pic.twitter.com/11qWzSsY85
— espnW (@espnW) July 15, 2026
Team Coop
Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings (20.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.2 APG)
If you’re starting a franchise and building for future success on the court, Bueckers should be everyone’s answer. A do-it-all guard, the Dallas Wings‘ franchise face can score on all three levels. Her most important quality, though, is the leadership she’s learned to display over her first season and a half.
She commands respect with her mere presence and knows how to get her team involved in everything it’s doing. There’s a reason she’s the sportsbooks’ closest contender to A’ja Wilson for MVP.
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever (23.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG)
Mitchell isn’t just the best overall player on the Indiana Fever. She might be the fastest player in the WNBA. If you haven’t seen her sprint in transition, it might be because she was moving too fast. Her basketball IQ blends nicely with the poise and calm she brings to any lineup.
Her skills are elite: she can finish with either hand, leave you in her tracks by stopping for a mid-range jumper, or bury a 3-pointer whenever she wants. And despite her size, she’s strong enough to fight through contact to finish wherever she wants on the court.
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty (21.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.4 BPG)
Stewie might be the most special player of the entire lot, from both teams. Imagine being in the MVP conversation over three eras: her own, the transitional phase into Wilson’s era, and the newest era with Bueckers. Talk about a stretch four who can play at all three levels. The New York Liberty veteran knows how to get everyone involved, be it on the offensive end or getting everyone in place on the defensive side.
She’s still capable of taking over a game and will always have her team in the championship conversation.
Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks (23.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.2 SPG)
Had the Los Angeles Sparks‘ veteran guard been healthy the entire time, there’s a good chance she would be No. 1. She’s still ranked No. 2 in the league with 23.9 points per game, despite having played just 12 games, while hitting 52.7% from the field.
She was also averaging 6.4 assists per contest before going down with an injury. Plum is still listed as an MVP candidate by sportsbooks; that’s how well she was playing earlier this season.
Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces (16.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.0 SPG)
The Las Vegas Aces sniper can be the most dangerous player on the court at any given time, because when she wants to take over, nobody can stop her. Young’s dedication to her off-court training has led her to have one of the strongest physiques in the game. She is capable of bullying smaller defenders on the drive and can absorb contact while finishing in traffic.
Another three-level scorer, don’t be shocked if Young emerges as an MVP candidate this All-Star Weekend.
Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx (16.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.8 SPG)
Talk about the perfect elixir for the absence of one of the league’s top five players. Howard is just as big a reason as anyone that the Minnesota Lynx are playing as well as they have. A resurgent season after last year’s clunker in Indiana, the veteran forward is shooting a career-high 58.7% from the field, which ranks No. 6 in the league among players with 15 games played.
She also ranks No. 15 in rebounds per game. Her return to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2022 is well deserved.
Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream (15.4 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.7 SPG)
The ATL-Barbie might be the best pure rebounder in the league. While Wilson, Stewart and several others can hold their own in the paint, Reese cleans the glass better than anyone. The third-year pro is enjoying career highs in points and steals, as her trajectory continues upward.
The shift to Atlanta to play for the Dream has been beneficial for not only Reese, but her new teammates, who have entrusted the paint to their young superstar.
Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries (14.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.7 SPG)
It’s wild that the best player on the Golden State Valkyries, who are arguably the best team in the league right now, isn’t listed as an MVP candidate by sportsbooks. Williams is one of the names mentioned for Defensive Player of the Year, but she’s undoubtedly been the Valkyries’ best player.
Williams can legitimately guard positions one through four with a tenacity that disrupts opposing offenses with steals, deflections, and defensive versatility.
Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo (21.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.1 SPG)
The eight-year veteran is enjoying a career campaign, which is why she will participate in her first All-Star Game. Even after Brittney Sykes went down with an injury, Mabrey has done everything possible to keep the Toronto Tempo relevant in the playoff conversation.
She’s given the Tempo an identity and is someone who creates offense every night, embraces the spotlight, and has stabilized a young roster to help coach Sandy Brondello build a foundation for the first-year expansion team. After years of service to the league and several teams, Mabrey is finally getting the respect she’s always deserved.
Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm (16.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.2 BPG)
The second-year center has gone from getting votes on the Sixth Player of the Year ballot to being an All-Star. Considering the struggles of the Seattle Storm, the 6-foot-6 center from Cameroon is putting up insane numbers at just 20 years old. Malonga, who became the youngest player in WNBA history to reach several major statistical milestones, including 500 career points and 300 rebounds, has redefined what a modern center can be.
She protects the rim, rebounds with authority, runs the floor like a wing, and finishes above the rim. Having established a legitimate 3-point shot has made her a dangerous entity, considering that can be extremely rare for a player her size.
Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics (17.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.3 SPG)
Let it be known: on any given night the Washington Mystics‘ second-year guard could rank in the top five of this list. It’s not disrespectful to fall 11th on a list of these greats, though, as Citron can hold her own on any given night. Her ability to combine efficiency, versatility, and basketball intelligence has made her one of the WNBA’s toughest young wings to defend. She’s already one of the league’s premier perimeter threats, while having found a knack for scoring without dominating the ball.
Citron doesn’t need 20 dribbles to create offense, as she can score off catch-and-shoot opportunities, curling off screens, cutting through the lane, in transition, or by attacking closeouts. Like Young in Las Vegas, Citron has been labeled “The Silent Assassin” in D.C. She’s likely the only one in that town who can carry that moniker and be cheered for it.
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