Should Caitlin Clark be a WNBA All-Star Game starter? Our experts reveal their votes

New York Times

19 hours ago

For the first time in WNBA history, All-Star Weekend is coming to Indianapolis.
The city is not new to hosting major sporting events, routinely hosting Final Fours and annually hosting the NFL Draft Combine, but the arrival of the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19 comes at an inflection point for the Fever, who have rocketed in popularity over the last two seasons.
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All-Star starters will be announced Monday. The league will release rankings from fan votes (50 percent), player votes (25 percent) and media votes (25 percent). The four guards and six players with the best score will be starters. Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier were named captains because they received the most fan votes.
The WNBA is expected to unveil the 12 All-Star reserves, decided by the coaches on July 6. The captains will select teams in a draft broadcast on July 8.
Before all that occurs, here is how The Athletic's Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant voted in their official ballots due last Friday, as well as how they are thinking about some critical All-Star questions.
(Picks in alphabetical order according to positions)
Pickman: In terms of guards, Seattle had been more than 36 points better per 100 possessions with Diggins on the floor than off it, and she already has 44 assists this season to Ogwukime, the most of any combination. Gray leads all players in win shares and is having a career-year under first-year coach Karl Smesko. Ionescu has been more efficient on offense this season, leading New York to an 11-3 at the time my votes were due.
Whether to include Caitlin Clark was the toughest guard decision. At the time ballots were due, Clark led the league in assists and was fifth among guards in scoring. She also runs one of the league's most difficult actions to stop when she initiates two-player action with Boston. (Clark has 40 assists to Boston this season, second-most of any pair in the league.) Though Clark's home/road shooting splits are stark, her highs have been among the best this season.
Her availability is what has given me the most pause. Clark played only nine games at the time ballots were due because of a left quad injury. (She's now missing additional time with a left groin injury.) She already has been named a captain, so debate over her candidacy is for naught, but reasonable cases can be made for Rhyne Howard,
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Arguments are valid for Paige Bueckers, Brittney Sykes and Kelsey Plum to receive this spot over Clark, too. Clark has undoubtedly been one of the best guards in the league when healthy, but considering there are other players on my ballot who had played just two games more than her at the time of voting, I was willing to look past it.
Merchant: Alyssa Thomas was the toughest frontcourt omission (and might have been impossible to leave out had voting not closed before Thomas' 17-point, 15-assist game Friday). However, the frontcourt pool is incredibly deep, and she couldn't overcome the missed time. If Thomas makes the reserve roster once she has played more — she currently isn't in the top 50 in total minutes played — that will feel deserved.
The disqualifying factor for Clark was her inefficiency. She's shooting below 40 percent from the field and below 30 percent on 3s. When it came down to her and McBride, it was hard to choose the player who has so many more empty possessions, especially when McBride is the superior defender on the best team in the league. Apologies also to Jackie Young, who has taken on a large burden for the Aces. Ultimately, it didn't seem fair to reward teams with losing records with multiple All-Star starters.
Merchant: Kayla Thornton (GSV)
I considered Gabby Williams, but her inclusion feels so obvious to me that I'll make a pitch for a more unheralded candidate. Thornton has become the lifeblood of the upstart Valkyries, averaging career-best marks in points, rebounds, steals and fouls drawn at age 32. She has an almost spiritual connection with the fans in Ballhalla — nothing (other than a Kate Martin 3) seems to get them going like a Thornton bucket, especially one in transition. Crashing a forward pool that includes Shakira Austin, Dearica Hamby, Bri Jones, Thomas and Williams will be challenging, but Golden State deserves at least one All-Star, and Thornton's energy, physicality and late-game execution — she's 10th in the WNBA in clutch points per game — make her the pick.
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Pickman: Brittney Sykes (WAS)
Sykes is having a career-year under first-year coach Sydney Johnson. Known throughout her career as one of the league's best defensive players, Sykes' offensive game has blossomed this season. She's scoring a career-high 19.6 points per game, while shooting a career-best 41.7 percent from 3. She's also recording a career-high in assists (4.8), and is getting to the free-throw line more than anyone else in the league (9.6 attempts per game). Sykes is second among guards in shot attempts from less than five feet, converting an impressive 60.6 percent on those looks, as she attacks the rim with an aggressiveness that creates scoring chances for herself and teammates. As Sabreena mentioned, Williams is another first-timer lock, but Sykes should be, too.
Brittney Sykes today 🔥
• 28 points
• 6 assists
• 3 rebounds
• 6/12 FG
• 29 minutes played
pic.twitter.com/upmsHDbsGC
— Women's Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) June 8, 2025
Pickman: Can I plead the fifth here and say no team is going to get more than three All-Stars? I would be surprised if New York, Seattle, Indiana and Atlanta don't get three each with the Lynx potentially also getting three if Courtney Williams is selected (more on that later). For the first few weeks of the season, an argument could be made for Liberty guard Natasha Cloud's first All-Star selection, but I think her candidacy suffered some in early-to-mid June.
Merchant: In theory, the league's best teams should have the most All-Stars, but I expect all of Minnesota, New York and Phoenix to top out at two (apologies to the injured Jonquel Jones). It's the second tier of Seattle, Atlanta and Indiana that will probably all get three selections. It's a function of roster construction more than anything, as the top trio of teams simply has more depth, with fewer players putting up eye-popping stats.
Merchant: Hamby has been excellent for the Sparks, and her motor powers the defense and transition offense. However, it's hard to see coaches voting for two players from struggling L.A., and Kelsey Plum figures to get more love with her top-10 scoring and assist averages.
On the subject of bad teams, Arike Ogunbowale has been an All-Star every year since her rookie season, including winning All-Star Game MVP twice, but that streak likely will come to an end this year. Her exclusion won't necessarily be a snub considering the drop in her scoring and shooting percentages, but it is surprising in what should be the prime of her career.
Pickman: My responses speaks to the above question regarding how many Lynx will make the All-Star team. For much of the season, Williams has been the second-best player on the team with the WNBA's best record. She is averaging career-highs in points (17.3) and assists (7.8) per 36 minutes, and her effectiveness in pick-and-roll scenarios with Collier (Williams has assisted Collier baskets 34 times this year) is central to Minnesota's success.
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Yet, I'm keeping a close eye on whether Williams will get into the All-Star Game. She's a veteran whose per game averages don't jump off the page. How will coaches weigh Williams' case against Chelsea Gray, Thornton, Sonia Citron, Kelsey Mitchell, Kiki Iriafen or Azurá Stevens? A lot of players with strong resumes might find themselves on the cut line.
(Photo of Caitlin Clark and Nneka Ogwumike: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)