Fan voting for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game is back, and the first batch of returns has already delivered a few unexpected results.
The biggest surprise involves Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. After dominating the opening round of fan voting last year with 515,993 votes, Clark sits in fifth place this time with 253,602. Her drop is the most striking shift in the early standings, though she is far from the only player seeing lower totals. Across the league, vote counts appear to be down noticeably from a year ago.
At the top of the leaderboard is reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, who continues to make a strong case as the league’s premier force. Wilson has collected 308,249 votes in the first return while putting together another standout season. She is averaging 25.6 points, nine rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, shooting 52.4% from the field. She also leads the WNBA in both scoring and blocks.
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Right behind Wilson is Dallas Wings standout Paige Bueckers, who has drawn 298,027 votes. Bueckers, the 2025 Rookie of the Year, has quickly become one of the league’s biggest attractions and now finds herself near the top of the All-Star race. |
The early returns suggest this year’s All-Star voting could look very different from last season, especially with fan totals trending lower and several familiar names facing tighter competition. |
Among the top 10 vote-getters in the first round of returns is Wilson, who represents the Las Vegas Aces in the frontcourt. |
308,249 |
|
Paige Bueckers |
Wings |
Guard |
298,027 |
|
Aliyah Boston |
Fever |
Frontcourt |
282,186 |
|
Breanna Stewart |
Liberty |
Frontcourt |
255,879 |
|
Caitlin Clark |
Fever |
Guard |
253,602 |
|
Jessica Shepard |
Wings |
Frontcourt |
211,598 |
|
Angel Reese |
Dream |
Frontcourt |
204,643 |
|
Gabby Williams |
Valkyries |
Frontcourt |
195,641 |
|
Olivia Miles |
Lynx |
Guard |
179,283 |
|
Kelsey Mitchell |
Fever |
Guard |
170,125 |
There are two new teams this season and the league is as popular as ever, so the significant drop-off in votes across the board suggests a change in the voting process or how the votes were counted, rather than a sudden, dramatic loss of interest from fans. The league did not immediately respond to CBS Sports when asked for comment.
Among the top 40 vote getters, the full list released by the league, players received more than two million fewer votes in the first round of returns this year compared to last year.
|
2025 |
515,993 votes (Caitlin Clark) |
11 |
19 |
6,410,965 |
Fan voting, which accounts for 50% of the final tally to decide the 10 starters, will continue through June 27. Fans can submit one ballot per day. Players and media will each account for 25% of the final tally. Every player and each media panelist selected as an official voter will be able to complete one ballot featuring four guards and six frontcourt players.
Once all the votes are counted, players will be ranked by position — guard and frontcourt — within each voting group: fans, players and media. Each player will receive a score calculated by averaging their weighted rank from each voting category. The four guards and six frontcourt players with the highest score will be named All-Star starters. Fan voting will serve as the tiebreaker, if necessary.
The league’s head coaches will select the 12 reserves. Each of the 15 coaches will submit one ballot with three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position, all regardless of conference. Coaches are not allowed to vote for players on their team.
Leading each All-Star team will be the head coaches of the two teams with the best records following games on Friday, July 10, regardless of conference.
Details regarding the announcement dates for starters and reserves, as well as the construction of the All-Star rosters, have not yet been released.
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game is set for July 25 in Chicago. This is the second time that the city and the Sky organization have hosted the annual mid-season showcase.
