Team Clark or Team Collier? Our experts draft their WNBA All-Star squads
The WNBA All-Star Game captains will select their rosters in a draft at 7 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, airing on ESPN's 'WNBA Countdown.'
Choosing their season-long teammates or optimizing their rosters with a balance of guards and bigs? Lots of interesting decisions await.
Our WNBA experts at The Athletic, Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman, joined 'No Offseason' host Zena Keita to take on the task in a mock draft. Based on a coin flip, Pickman represented Team Clark, and Merchant represented Napheesa Collier.
(The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.)
Pickman: I'm going to take the other best player available. Before I get into the positional weeds, I will go with A'ja Wilson. We know Caitlin Clark is going to take Aliyah Boston first, but I personally, as Ben Pickman, will be taking A'ja Wilson.
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Merchant: I'm going to take (Breanna Stewart).
Pickman: Give me Sabrina Ionescu. Guards have won the WNBA All-Star MVP every year since 2013. … Give me Sabrina for some more shooting.
Merchant: We'll keep the UConn train rolling here. I'll take Paige.
Keita: Staying within the lineage. Geno would be proud, Phee. Ok, Caitlin, you're up.
Pickman: Paige was going to be my next choice, so I have to reevaluate this draft. I am going to take Allisha Gray.
Keita: Oh my gosh, just guard heavy over here.
Pickman: All-Star Game performer.
Keita: Whether she shows up in the game or the skills or anything, you know she's got a good track record coming in from last year. So far Caitlin only has one big. Phee, you've got two bigs and Paige. Where do you want to go next?
Merchant: There's no more guards left in this pool, so we'll just keep choosing bigs. That's fine. I'll go with Nneka (Ogwumike)
Keita: Going across the country to Stanford.
Merchant: No more UConns left. What are you going to do?
Keita: They'll take the Cardinal in nicely. Ok, Caitlin, who do you want next?
Pickman: Again, because I am playing the role of myself, I am taking Satou Sabally. That means Aliyah Boston will get assigned to Sabreena's Napheesa Collier team.
The WNBA All-Star draft with Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier is tonight — but will air tomorrow.
Clark said 'I think there's a high chance that Kels and AB are on my team.'
That's the goal. pic.twitter.com/ooaQE3Vm30
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 7, 2025
Keita: We've got Caitlin's team so far: A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Allisha Gray, Satou Sabally. This is a solid starting lineup.I really like this balance here. And then Napheesa Collier, I'll tell you what, you've got some size. Some big bodies.
Merchant: This is the issue with the that way the pool is assigned, where the guards also include threes. So I'm just basically picking from fours and fives.
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Keita: Pretty much. Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, Nneka Ogwumike and Aliyah Boston. Ok, Phee, now we are going to go into the reserves. You've got first pick, so you've got a chance to maybe bolster your perimeter.
Merchant: Yeah, I think that's going to be necessary. I'm going to have to take some guards here. Very good guard group in the reserve selection. We can have some fun here. I do think .. I kind of want some shooting. Let's go Kelsey Mitchell. I've got two Indiana people in Indiana at least, trying to make up for the fact that Caitlin's on the other team.
Keita: That's OK. Caitlin will have to be on the sideline watching her pick-and-roll executed right in front of her. All right, Caitlin, what you want?
Pickman: Before I make a total strategy shift, I'm going to take Kelsey Plum, and just continue to load up on guards. Kelsey Plum, a former All-Star Game MVP. Reunite her with A'ja Wilson in this game.
Keita: There's a lot of size over here on the Phee size.
Merchant: I feel good about it. It's all very versatile size. Stewie played the five over the weekend. She could easily play the one or the two for this particular roster.
Keita: You pretty much have a team that can take the ball off the rim and go, outside of Aliyah Boston maybe. Let's keep going, Phee, what do you want?
Merchant: Speaking of players who can take the ball off the rim and go, I'm tempted to take Alyssa Thomas here, but she has not shown a lot of interest in All-Star Games before. So I'm not sure if this is the play that I want to take her. Let's just get a little more ballhandling. I'm going to go with Skylar Diggins.
Keita: Love that choice. Skylar Diggins and Nneka getting to play again together. I like it. Caitlin, what's the rebuttal?
Pickman: I'm going to take Angel (Reese). A little size, frontcourt presence and rebounding.
Keita: Also somebody who can take the ball off the rim and go. There you go.
⭐️2x ALL-STAR BARBIE⭐️
Angel Reese is officially a 2025 WNBA All-Star🤩 pic.twitter.com/D5DlGe63PJ
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) July 6, 2025
Merchant: All right, in terms of getting some more players on the same team who are teammates, we'll go with Courtney Williams here.
Keita: You're getting a lot of buckets. I like the quick foot speed on this side.
Pickman: Sabreena called it out. Alyssa Thomas, not really a fan of All-Star Games, not really a fan of putting up big numbers in them, I should say. But I will take AT.
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Keita: Let's pause real quick and see how we're looking. Caitlin team's … let's go guards. You've got Caitlin, but Caitlin's still dealing with that groin injury. Kelsey Plum, Allisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu. That's some solid (guard play). Alyssa Thomas and Angel Reese both two players who can give you that frontcourt size but also the ability to take the ball and go and distribute. … You've got some versatility. And then Satou Sabally, of course, that can play three, four, two, whatever you want. OK, Caitlin's team's looking solid. And of course, A'ja Wilson, you can never doubt her.
Then Phee's team: You've got Napheesa Collier, Paige Bueckers, Nneka Ogumike, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Skylar Diggins, Courtney Williams. I like this veteran presence in the guards. This is cool. I like this. You've got some veterans that know how to be All-Stars, know how to play the game, know how to entertain us in the All-Star Game, and are also very competitive. I feel like this game might get spicy the way you have this broken out.
Let's round out. You each have three more picks.
Merchant: I am going to take Jackie Young.
Pickman: I will keep a reunion together. I will take Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream, pairs with Allisha Gray.
Keita: Very nice. Big guard energy. Phee, who do you want next?
Merchant: We can keep all the Storm together. I'll take Gabby Williams.
Pickman: We have three players left: Sonia Citron, Kayla Thornton and Kiki Iriafen. All three first-timers. Who is going to have the best game in an All-Star Game context? These are all good teammates, can be unselfish players at times. It'll be interesting to see if any of them have big games when the actual exhibition kicks off. I am going to take Kayla Thornton. I think repping for the Valkyries, wanting to show out for the expansion fans in this game.
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Keita: Now, Phee, you have a choice between two rookies. The Mystics. You've got to break them up regardless. Which one do you want?
Merchant: I think I'm going to take Citron. I'm a little worried about leaving all of the really good offensive rebounders on Team Caitlin, but every time I see Citron guard Paige Bueckers, I don't think Paige likes it, so we're going to keep Citron.
Keita: That means Caitlin / Ben, you're rounding out with Kiki Irafen. You 've got some solid size presence. You had me in the first half a little concerned, but now you've rounded out nicely with your reserves.
Phee, I was a little concerned that you couldn't get the ball up the floor, but now you've got really good guard presence.
(Photo of Paige Bueckers and A'ja Wilson: Stacy Revere / Getty Images, Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
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