The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game reserves had been introduced Sunday, and the coaches’ decisions appeared to immediate extra controversy than when the starters — chosen by fan, participant and media balloting — had been launched per week in the past.
The 22 gamers chosen for the July 19 sport at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis signify 12 of the WNBA’s 13 groups — the last-place Connecticut Sun don’t have any All-Star — and embrace three rookies.
The host Indiana Fever can have three representatives: Caitlin Clark, one of many staff 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 staff captain, and Courtney Williams. Similar for the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty, whose two All-Stars are Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.
Who had been the largest snubs? Whom may Clark and Collier decide of their roster draft Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)? Which participant will probably be MVP in Indianapolis? ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Kendra Andrews, Kevin Pelton and Michael Voepel weigh in on the All-Stars.
Who had 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 similar numbers in 2025. Actually, she has shot even higher on 3s (45%) and free throws (46-of-47, 98%). That makes it shocking coaches favored backcourt-mate Courtney Williams, who has neither scored as prolifically nor as effectively as McBride. Per Across 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 not less than 15 factors with a real capturing 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 yr 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 staff is a serious cause 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 yr with the Atlanta Dream than her All-Star marketing campaign final yr in Connecticut, whereas remaining one of many league’s best gamers (51%) and greatest inside defenders. She is the one participant with not less than seven double-doubles to not be tabbed an All-Star.
Kendra Andrews: Natasha Cloud. After we made our predictions final week, I wrote that Sonia Citron was probably 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 in addition 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 putting the stability between facilitator and scorer, she made a robust case for an All-Star choice.
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Dearica Hamby rips it away for simple bucket
Dearica Hamby will get the steal and takes it coast to coast for a layup.
Michael Voepel: Los Angeles ahead Dearica Hamby is one other participant who was laborious to chop once we had been projecting the reserves. Her stats — averages of 17.0 factors, 7.6 rebounds and three.8 assists and 53.7% capturing — validate her All-Star potential. She has been an All-Star 3 times beforehand. The Sparks’ 6-13 report doubtless harm her possibilities, though it is cringe-inducing to think about the place Los Angeles could be with out her.
Who’re you happiest to see make the All-Star staff?
Pelton: It is easy to take without any consideration that Skylar Diggins could be a reserve given how properly she has performed this season, however we’re a yr faraway from Diggins not even being thought of the Storm’s snub after averaging 13.1 factors on 39% capturing earlier than the 2024 All-Star Recreation. Now on what she semi-seriously calls her “third physique” after giving beginning twice, Diggins has constantly performed at an All-Star stage since final summer time’s Olympic break, and it is nice to see her again within the sport for the primary time since 2022.
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Skylar Diggins-Smith wins it for Storm with late bucket
Skylar Diggins-Smith places the Storm forward for good with a number of seconds remaining vs. the Dream.
Voepel: Kayla Thornton. That is her tenth season within the WNBA and first All-Star look. Gamers akin to Thornton are nonetheless rarities within the WNBA. She’s not from a school energy convention; she performed for her hometown faculty, UTEP. She appeared in only one NCAA event 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 yr whereas establishing the Valkyries franchise. She’s going to all the time be referred to as Golden State’s first WNBA All-Star, and for somebody who needed to take an extended and tougher street to get right here, that is actually cool.
Andrews: Thornton stands out to me, too. She is probably the most veteran first-time All-Star this yr. Maybe that is why she has had this type 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 staff that prides itself in not having a celebrity, Thornton has emerged because the Valkyries greatest participant and is a large cause they’ve outperformed their preseason expectations. Extensively thought of a high position participant throughout the league earlier than this season, having performed an important half within the Liberty’s title run final yr, 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 through 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 capturing (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 along with her in it, and her first All-Star bid is properly deserved.
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Gabby Williams with the final basket of the interval
Gabby Williams with the final basket of the interval, 07/06/2025
Which participant combos do you most need 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 staff that additionally featured two different All-Stars (Aliyah Boston and Rhyne Howard) to the gold medal earlier than setting foot on school campuses. Bueckers and Clark will all the time be linked as star level guards from the identical recruiting class, and their kinds 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 yr. It in all probability will not occur, however having Bueckers, Iriafen and Citron find yourself on the identical staff could be enjoyable for vibes.
Voepel: It might be enjoyable to see Clark passing to each former South Carolina celebrity 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 could be the highest decisions for the captains?
Voepel: We are able to assume Clark may 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 could be Wilson and Ionescu, whereas Collier’s could be Stewart after which Bueckers.
Wilson as a three-time MVP must be a simple alternative for Clark if Collier does not get her first. And Ionescu is a participant Clark watched carefully whereas the Liberty guard was in school 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 along with her injury-marred first half, Boston has stepped up because the Fever’s greatest participant. May working in transition with All-Star guards permit 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 exhibiting up large. However guards have dominated All-Star Recreation MVP in recent times, and so I believe it will be considered one of Boston’s Fever teammates, Clark or Mitchell, who will take house the trophy. Certainly Indiana hopes Clark will probably 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 via the powerful years earlier than Boston and Clark bought to city.
Voepel: Like Alexa, I lean towards a guard, because the place has received the respect the previous 5 years, with wing Maya Moore profitable it 3 times in a row earlier than that. If it is not one of many Fever guards, then presumably Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, who’s having a career-best season, together with capturing 41.5% from past the arc.
How will the captains mesh with their coaches?
Voepel: Liberty and Group 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 opponents. Whereas Lynx and Group Clark coach Cheryl Reeve and Clark are extra fiery and put on their aggressive feelings extra transparently. So regardless that Reeve is Collier’s WNBA coach, these All-Star pairings are type of enjoyable.
We need not relitigate your complete debate from final yr as as to whether Clark ought to have been on the Olympic squad and the way a lot Group USA coach Reeve — who wasn’t a part of selecting that staff — may 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 had been the WNBA staff 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 positive, as a result of they’re each professionals with so much in widespread in how enthusiastic about basketball each are.