Angel Reese is heading back to the All-Star Game. Again. The Atlanta Dream forward earned her third consecutive nod Tuesday when WNBA head coaches voted in the reserves for the July 25 showcase in Chicago. This year’s bench features 12 names total, and it’s a mix of familiar faces and first-timers.
Reese is having another monster season on the boards, and the coaches noticed. She joins a frontcourt group that includes Jonquel Jones of the New York Liberty, who is making her sixth career appearance. That’s the second-most among this year’s reserves, which tells you something about how consistent she’s been since her MVP days in Connecticut.
Nneka Ogwumike Ties a Legend
Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike got her 11th career selection, which ties her with Diana Taurasi for the second-most All-Star appearances in WNBA history. Only Sue Bird (13) sits ahead of her now. Ogwumike has been steady as ever for the Sparks this season, and this nod cements her place among the league’s all-time greats.
But the Sparks aren’t sending a full delegation yet. Kelsey Plum also got selected by the coaches, but her status is very much up in the air. Plum has been sidelined with a leg injury for weeks now and won’t be re-evaluated until later this month. If she can’t go, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will pick a replacement. That’s a tough spot for a Sparks team that’s already dealing with a lot.
First-Time All-Stars Break Through
Two players will make their All-Star debuts this summer. Seattle Storm sophomore center Dominique Malonga earned the call, which is a big deal for a second-year player who has quietly developed into one of the league’s more effective two-way bigs. And Marina Mabrey of the expansion Toronto Tempo finally gets her first nod after eight years in the league. Mabrey has been a scoring spark for Toronto in their inaugural season, and the coaches clearly saw the same thing fans have been watching.
The league is trying something different with the format this year. No team captains. Instead, WNBA icons Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon are acting as honorary general managers. They’ll draft teams from the full pool of 22 players — the 12 reserves announced Tuesday plus the 10 starters that were revealed last week. So there’s no LeBron picking Kyrie type moment, but it should still be fun to watch how the rosters shake out.
Full Reserve List
Here’s the complete list of WNBA All-Star reserves for 2025:
Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty), Angel Reese (Atlanta Dream), Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles Sparks), Dominique Malonga (Seattle Storm), Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo), plus six other players selected by the coaches. The league will release the full roster breakdown later this week.
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