The WNBA named its 2026 All-Star Game starters on Thursday. Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers, Jessica Sheppard, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Gabby Williams will take the court at the United Center in Chicago. Fans, media, and players all had a say in who got the nod.
But here’s the thing. The player vote was a mess.
According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, only about 85 players submitted ballots. That’s less than half the league. The league has around 180 players on active rosters, so that number is pretty rough for a vote that’s supposed to reflect what the players actually think.
Some of it was just bad logistics. Philippou reported that players on the Los Angeles Sparks never even got their ballots. The Sparks admitted as much in a statement, saying some players didn’t receive the email or didn’t know about the voting window until it was too late. The team called it an organizational failure and promised a better process next time.
“That’s something we take responsibility for as an organization, and we’ll have a more robust process going forward,” the Sparks said.
It’s not clear how many other teams had similar issues. But if a handful of franchises couldn’t get ballots to their own players, the integrity of the whole voting system takes a hit. Especially when the starters are supposed to represent a consensus across fans, media, and the players themselves.
Boston led all vote-getters with 683,996 fan votes. Clark was right behind her with 670,510. Wilson and Stewart each made their eighth All-Star appearance. Miles and Sheppard will start for the first time as rookies.
The reserves will be announced next Tuesday. Last year’s game saw Team Collier beat Team Clark 151-131 in Indiana.
The bigger question is whether the league will fix the process before next season. If players can’t even get their ballots, what’s the point of having a player vote at all?
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