The 2025 WNBA All-Star Recreation reserves have been introduced Sunday, and the coaches’ decisions appeared to immediate extra controversy than when the starters — chosen by fan, participant and media balloting — have been launched per week in the past.
The 22 gamers chosen for the July 19 sport at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis symbolize 12 of the WNBA’s 13 groups — the last-place Connecticut Solar haven’t any All-Star — and embrace three rookies.
The host Indiana Fever can have three representatives: Caitlin Clark, one of many group captains; Aliyah Boston; and Kelsey Mitchell. The Seattle Storm even have three All-Stars: Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams.
The league-leading Minnesota Lynx have two All-Stars: Napheesa Collier, the opposite group captain, and Courtney Williams. Similar for the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty, whose two All-Stars are Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.
Who have been the largest snubs? Whom would possibly Clark and Collier decide of their roster draft Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)? Which participant will likely be MVP in Indianapolis? ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Kendra Andrews, Kevin Pelton and Michael Voepel weigh in on the All-Stars.
Who have been the largest snubs?
Kevin Pelton: Kayla McBride. Clearly the No. 2 participant on the Lynx final season, when she was an All-Star, McBride is placing up practically an identical numbers in 2025. In actual fact, she has shot even higher on 3s (45%) and free throws (46-of-47, 98%). That makes it stunning coaches favored backcourt-mate Courtney Williams, who has neither scored as prolifically nor as effectively as McBride. Per Throughout the Timeline, McBride joins Corridor of Famer Seimone Augustus in 2009 because the second participant in league historical past not chosen as an All-Star after averaging at the very least 15 factors with a real taking pictures share higher than 64%.
Alexa Philippou: Except for McBride, ESPN’s All-Star reserve predictions additionally featured Brittney Sykes and Brionna Jones. Sykes is having a profession 12 months in scoring (17.9 PPG) and assists (4.6 APG), and whereas some detractors level to her inefficiency (36.8%) and the way a lot of her scoring comes from the free throw line (a league-high 8.7 makes an attempt per sport), her manufacturing on an in any other case younger group is a serious purpose the Washington Mystics have outperformed early expectations.
Jones is placing up higher scoring (14.0 PPG), rebounding (8.1 RPG) and help (2.2 APG) numbers in her first 12 months with the Atlanta Dream than her All-Star marketing campaign final 12 months in Connecticut, whereas remaining one of many league’s most effective gamers (51%) and greatest inside defenders. She is the one participant with at the very least seven double-doubles to not be tabbed an All-Star.
Kendra Andrews: Natasha Cloud. Once we made our predictions final week, I wrote that Sonia Citron was essentially the most tough participant to chop. However Cloud was a detailed second. She started the season on fireplace, and whereas she had a little bit of an inconsistent June, she is third within the league in assists with 6.5 per sport and likewise third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.17. She’s additionally one of many league’s premier guard defenders. Cloud has stuffed a facilitator gap for the Liberty, and whereas she’s nonetheless placing the steadiness between facilitator and scorer, she made a robust case for an All-Star choice.
Michael Voepel: Los Angeles ahead Dearica Hamby is one other participant who was onerous to chop after we have been projecting the reserves. Her stats — averages of 17.0 factors, 7.6 rebounds and three.8 assists and 53.7% taking pictures — validate her All-Star potential. She has been an All-Star thrice beforehand. The Sparks’ 6-13 report doubtless damage her possibilities, though it is cringe-inducing to think about the place Los Angeles can be with out her.
Who’re you happiest to see make the All-Star group?
Pelton: It is easy to take as a right that Skylar Diggins can be a reserve given how effectively she has performed this season, however we’re a 12 months faraway from Diggins not even being thought-about the Storm’s snub after averaging 13.1 factors on 39% taking pictures earlier than the 2024 All-Star Recreation. Now on what she semi-seriously calls her “third physique” after giving delivery twice, Diggins has persistently performed at an All-Star stage since final summer season’s Olympic break, and it is nice to see her again within the sport for the primary time since 2022.
Voepel: Kayla Thornton. That is her tenth season within the WNBA and first All-Star look. Gamers similar to Thornton are nonetheless rarities within the WNBA. She’s not from a university energy convention; she performed for her hometown faculty, UTEP. She appeared in only one NCAA match sport, in her sophomore season in 2012. She wasn’t drafted when she graduated in 2014, then was signed earlier than the 2015 season by Washington, the place she performed 10 video games. She did not play within the WNBA in 2016. Then she discovered a house and was a fan favourite for six seasons in Dallas, adopted by the previous two in New York. She received a WNBA title with the Liberty final season and was taken by Golden State within the growth draft.
Now, at age 32, she is seizing the chance to have a profession 12 months whereas establishing the Valkyries franchise. She is going to all the time be often known as Golden State’s first WNBA All-Star, and for somebody who needed to take an extended and more durable highway to get right here, that is actually cool.
Andrews: Thornton stands out to me, too. She is essentially the most veteran first-time All-Star this 12 months. Maybe that is why she has had this sort of breakout season. Thornton is averaging a career-high 14.9 factors per sport whereas additionally getting a career-best 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals. On a group that prides itself in not having a famous person, Thornton has emerged because the Valkyries greatest participant and is a large purpose they’ve outperformed their preseason expectations. Extensively thought-about a prime position participant throughout the league earlier than this season, having performed an important half within the Liberty’s title run final 12 months, she is now a centerpiece in Golden State and has taken her sport to a brand new stage.
Philippou: Gabby Williams. Newer followers noticed how impactful Williams could be on each ends of the ground throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics, when she helped lead France to a close to upset of the USA Basketball dynasty. Now in her first full WNBA season since 2022, the previous UConn star is flourishing, averaging a profession excessive in scoring (13.4 PPG), assists (4.7) and 3-point taking pictures (35.2%) and main the league in steals (2.6). Williams has lengthy thrived within the worldwide basketball scene — showcasing how she did not want the WNBA to have a sturdy, profitable professional profession — however there isn’t any query the WNBA is extra enjoyable together with her in it, and her first All-Star bid is effectively deserved.
Which participant mixtures do you most wish to see in Indianapolis?
Pelton: We final noticed Paige Bueckers and Clark play collectively for the 2019 U19 FIBA World Cup, once they helped lead a USA group that additionally featured two different All-Stars (Aliyah Boston and Rhyne Howard) to the gold medal earlier than setting foot on faculty campuses. Bueckers and Clark will all the time be linked as star level guards from the identical recruiting class, and their types ought to show complementary if Clark drafts Bueckers as captain.
Philippou: It is the primary time since 2011 that there are three or extra rookie All-Stars in the identical 12 months. It in all probability will not occur, however having Bueckers, Iriafen and Citron find yourself on the identical group can be enjoyable for vibes.
Voepel: It will be enjoyable to see Clark passing to each former South Carolina famous person put up gamers within the All-Star Recreation: Fever teammate Boston and the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star reserves are set 💪 pic.twitter.com/uLW92a4CXc
— ESPN (@espn) July 6, 2025
Aside from their WNBA teammates, which gamers may be the highest decisions for the captains?
Voepel: We will assume Clark would possibly attempt to use her first two picks for Indiana’s Boston and Mitchell, whereas Collier makes use of her first decide for fellow Lynx participant Courtney Williams. If that is the case, Clark’s subsequent two may be Wilson and Ionescu, whereas Collier’s may be Stewart after which Bueckers.
Wilson as a three-time MVP must be a straightforward alternative for Clark if Collier does not get her first. And Ionescu is a participant Clark watched carefully whereas the Liberty guard was in faculty at Oregon and Clark was in highschool. As for Collier, Stewart and Bueckers are, after all, the opposite former UConn gamers among the many All-Stars, together with Gabby Williams.
Predict the All-Star Recreation MVP
Pelton: Boston. The All-Star Recreation in Indianapolis figured to be a showcase for Clark, however together with her injury-marred first half, Boston has stepped up because the Fever’s greatest participant. Might working in transition with All-Star guards enable Boston to remind a nationwide viewers that she was an NCAA champion and No. 1 decide?
Philippou: I am following Pelton’s prepare of considered the hometown stars displaying up large. However guards have dominated All-Star Recreation MVP in recent times, and so I believe it’s going to be certainly one of Boston’s Fever teammates, Clark or Mitchell, who will take residence the trophy. Certainly Indiana hopes Clark will likely be near full well being by the point All-Star Weekend rolls round, and we all know she has a penchant for assembly the second. It is also believable that Mitchell will go off, which might be a pleasant reward for her after sticking issues out with the Fever by way of the powerful years earlier than Boston and Clark obtained to city.
Voepel: Like Alexa, I lean towards a guard, because the place has received the dignity the previous 5 years, with wing Maya Moore successful it thrice in a row earlier than that. If it isn’t one of many Fever guards, then presumably Atlanta’s Allisha Grey, who’s having a career-best season, together with taking pictures 41.5% from past the arc.
How will the captains mesh with their coaches?
Voepel: Liberty and Staff Collier coach Sandy Brondello and Collier can get fired up, however that is not what we first take into consideration with their personalities. They’re extra laid again, calm, chill and easygoing whereas nonetheless being intense rivals. Whereas Lynx and Staff Clark coach Cheryl Reeve and Clark are extra fiery and put on their aggressive feelings extra transparently. So despite the fact that Reeve is Collier’s WNBA coach, these All-Star pairings are type of enjoyable.
We need not relitigate your complete debate from final 12 months as as to if Clark ought to have been on the Olympic squad and the way a lot Staff USA coach Reeve — who wasn’t a part of selecting that group — might need communicated to the choice committee that she needed expertise and no rookies going to Paris. Suffice to say, that was one of many many narratives of 2024. That mentioned, the Lynx have been the WNBA group closest to Clark rising up in West Des Moines, Iowa; she has talked about how Reeve’s championship squads in Minnesota impressed her. Clark and Reeve will get alongside simply fantastic, as a result of they’re each professionals with rather a lot in widespread in how obsessed with basketball each are.