All-Star Reserves Breakdown For 2026 WNBA

We break down the remaining 2026 WNBA All-Star picks by laying out our personal criteria and then comparing the official reserves to the list we would have turned in. We explain the toughest cut decisions, defend a few “guarantee” selections, and name the snubs we think have the strongest case.

• Our three-part All-Star criteria: games played, production, team success
• Quick recap of the starters and the official reserves list
• Our reserves list and where it differs from the official picks
• Why games played keeps Kelsey Plum off our ballot despite huge numbers
• Why Dominique Malonga’s team success drops her in our ranking
• Why Shakira Austin over Kiki has a strong category-by-category case
• Why Alyssa Thomas over Malonga makes sense by impact and context
• Why Kahleah Copper over Plum is an availability argument
• Other names that come up in the snub conversation, including Sykes, McBride, Gray, and Hamby
• Which reserves feel like locks and which spots get dicey fast

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Transcript

Welcome And Quick Housekeeping

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What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're gonna talk about the remaining WNBA All-Star players for 2026. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment tell anyone who's anyone about the show. Trying to get the ratings up and let me know just a little bit. And you wonder where you heard this before, that's because you've been listening with me Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support.

Personal All-Star Criteria Explained

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Now, before we get into listing the All-Star Reserves, right, and kind of spinning back on the starters just for just a smidge, I'm gonna tell y'all what my personal all-star criteria is. It's not specifically the WNBA's, it's what I deem to be all-star criteria, alright? So to be clear, it's mine. Now, off top, I like to see games played threshold, right? I know in the NBA you gotta have 65 games to be awarded one of the NBA awards, right? I think you gotta play at least 14 games for you to get nominated for an all-star game. That's just me. That's just me. Again, that's not an official WNBA rule. That's just my personal preference. Okay. After that, I'm looking at I'm looking at your player production, okay? And then also your team success. Context does matter. Like, for example, if your team is decimated with injuries and y'all's, you know, you're not in the playoffs, I hear it. Okay.

Starters Recap And Official Reserves

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So with that being said, ladies and gentlemen, let's go ahead and remember, you know, let's go back over the starters real quick. Asia Wilson, Brianna Stewart, Kelsey Mitchell, Aaliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, Paige Beckers, Jessica Shepard, Olivia Miles, Natasha Howard, Gabby Williams. Okay? Those are the 10 ladies who will be starting in the WNBA All-Star game this season. The reserves are as follows Jackie Young, Ryan Howard, Alicia Gray, Angel Reese, John Quell Jones, Sonia Citron, Marina Mabry, Courtney Williams, Neko Goumake, Dominique Malonga, Kiki Erieffen, and Kelsey Plum. Now, my all-star reserves for the WNBA were as follows. And you'll, if you note, you'll you'll note some things. There were a couple differences, all right? Uh so I got Jackie Young, Ryan Howard, Alicia Gray, Angel Reese, John Quell Jones, Sonia Citron, Shakira Austin, Alyssa Thomas, Kalia Copper, Marina Mabury, Courtney Williams, NECA Goumake. That was my list, ladies and gentlemen. So out of the list of people that I did not mention, Dominique Malunga, Kiki Eri Effen, Kelsey Plum. I'm gonna just say this, right? Because Kelsey off top, averaging

Trey’s Reserve List And Key Differences

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24 points, six assists on 53, 38, 81 splits. It's a damn good season. Like it's a tremendous season so far for Kelsey. Tip of the cap to her. She just ain't played enough games. Again, going back to my personal criteria, she did not play enough games. I want to say she played about nine games because she's been out with injury and on my Spark team. That hurts her so badly. So again, I'm not losing sleep on the list, to be clear. I'm not losing sleep that Kelsey Plum got selected. I just did not select her because of the games played. Now, Dominique Malonga, this is somebody, and again, all three ladies deserve to have the award, to be clear. Dominique Malonga, 15 points, 7 rebounds, one assist, one, I'm sorry, one steal and 1.2 blocks. 46, 39, 71 splits. Those aren't bad, ladies and gentlemen. Not at all. But the only thing is, I did consider Seattle Storm and where they were a little bit. Again, production-wise, she there. She played enough games. For me, Seattle Storm, I think, are number two in the WNBA. And I mean second from the bottom. So I didn't put her in that category, even though her production is there. Her team success did have her dip just a little bit. Kiki Erie Effen. 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks on 52, 33, 61 splits. Ladies and gentlemen, again, she deserved to be in the all-star. Hell, she was she was there last season. But this does take me to my WNBA snubs. Because, again, ladies and gentlemen, we're talking about players who deserve the award, right? I think Shakira Austin should have replaced Kiki Ari Effen. Shakira Austin's given 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, points six steals, 1.4 blocks on 44% from the field, 41% from the three-point line, and 69% from the three-point line. On those basic eight categories, Shakira Austin wins the majority of

Why Plum Malonga Kiki Made It

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those categories in comparison to Kiki Arieffen. And she is almost scoring the same amount of points as Kiki while at the same time being able to space the floor and hit more free throws and be the Wizards on the Mystic's defensive anchor. So personally, I had Shakira over Kiki Ari Effen. And again, both women deserve all-star consideration. Unfortunately, Kiki's the one that got it over Shakira for me. I would have picked Alyssa Thomas over Dominique Malonga. Again, Alyssa Thomas is given 14 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1.5 steals. She never really does blocks, right? But again, I would have put her over Dominique. In terms of the stats, okay, Alyssa does pretty spectacular against her statistically. But here's the thing: the Mercury are a little higher than the Storm. That's what I was thinking. Okay, if the Storm were higher than the Mercury, then maybe I might put Dominique over Alyssa. But Alyssa's still one of the better players in this game. Her team has been decimated with injuries. It's understandable why her team dropped. I still, they still have playoff contention talent. Low tier. I said that at the beginning of the season before the season even started. But still, I would have put Alyssa over Dominique. Khalia Copper, I would have put over Kelsey. No disrespect. Again, the games played or lack thereof for Kelsey was the reason why I didn't have her up there. If she had played more games for me, Kelsey Plumsa, an all-star, to be clear. Might even be a starter. We'd have to see. But Khalia Copper giving me 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, 0.7 steals. The efficiency could be a little better. You know, 41 from the field, 26 from the three-point line. That ain't that isn't that stellar, to be honest with you. 81 from the free throw line, cool. But again, the games played is why I would have taken out Kelsey Plump. Now, to be clear, ladies and gentlemen, I told you why I would have selected these three ladies over the three that I mentioned that did get selected, right? I could have also thrown in Brittany Sykes. Okay, she was giving 20 points, four rebounds, four assists. Now she currently, and 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks. Now she currently is injured, right? So again, she could have also maybe replaced Kelsey Plum as well, too. Because she does have the games played. But again, those those four ladies I felt like got snubbed the most, okay? Kayla McBride, weirdly enough, her stats were better this season than they were last season, and she didn't get it. That's very interesting. Although I think the efficiency is what helped her out last season. Chelsea Gray, I look, man, I don't know, bro, because she has she had quality stats: 13 points, four rebounds, seven assists, 1.2 steals, 44 blocks on 44, 40, 90 splits. Her team's number one. I get it. I genuinely do. But if we're looking at this thing statistically, there are other players who are outperforming her. Same thing with DeErica Hanby. I like DeErica, don't get me wrong. But there were other players that were outperforming her. Like even Alyssa Thomas is outperforming Dearca Hambey. Hence why I have Alyssa Thomas and even Shakira Austin higher than Dearrica Hambey. And DeErica Hambey can hoop, to be clear. Veronica Burton, one of the better young guards in the WNBA. I don't think she would be a snub, but she came close to being a snub, ladies and gentlemen. Now, the

The Biggest Snubs And Swap Cases

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guarantees, we got to talk about them real fast, right? Jackie Young, she was arguably a starter. I've been trying to, I told y'all this last time on the show. She could have replaced Caitlin Clark or Gabby Williams. She really could have. Business-wise, you probably start Caitlin. And Gabby matters a little bit more to the Valkyrie than Jackie does. But Jackie has the she has the stats and the context to make her a starter. So I had to make sure that was played 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks, and only two turnovers on 46, 36, 94 splits. Those are pretty impressive. And she deserves to be a starter. Ryan Howard also could be a starter as well. 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.5 steals, leading the WNBA in steals, by the way, currently point in time. And 0.8 blocks on 42, 37, 88 splits. The field goal deficiency, I would love to see go up, right? And I thought she was guaranteed an all-star starter, an all-star reserve spot based on her stats and seating before her team dip. But to be clear, again, she could replace Ryan, meaning Ryan could replace Caitlin Clark, Gabby, or Kelsey Mitchell. I don't know. Kelsey Mitchell's actually kind of interesting. I'm going to throw Kelsey in there, but Kelsey's efficiency is making me say, uh-uh, champ. I'll know Kelsey, Kelsey's been moving right now. I'll tell you right now, because Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 22 points on 49, 40, 84 splits. That's kind of close to 50, 40, 90 right there, to be honest with you. The same thing that Kevin Durant be getting, same thing that Kyrie can get. That's what Kelsey is. So again, the efficiency is a little bit different from her. So I don't know. Kelsey's up in the air right now, but at least Caitlin or Gabby for Ryan Howard. Alicia Gray, all-star reserve. I think she was guaranteed it based on her stats and seeding from her team, which she's also on the same team as Ryan Howard and Angel Reese. But she gives 19 points, three rebounds, two assists, 1.6 steals on 4330, 73 splits. We could increase those splits, but again, Alicia Gray is a top-tier two-way wing in the WNBA. Angel Reese, listen, if some of y'all have been talking about her as the reason why the dream are slipping or not good, to be clear, the dream are on a five-game losing streak. She did make the statement that, you know, it's a slap in the face that one of the three aren't a starter based on their seating, but at that point in time their seating was a little higher. So Angel maybe just focused on the game, baby. But 15 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks on 42, 1071 splits. The 10, I get it, because it's not like she's a shooter, ladies and gentlemen. Okay, that's just that's still a part of her game that's trying to be improved. But everything else I just stated off was pretty spectacular, alright? So again, she's not as bad as y'all have been trying to make her out to be. And she's been improving, she's been evolving. And Angel, I'm proud of you. So keep it going. You know what I'm saying? Like, keep it going. I like this. I like this from Angel. Just like I like what I'm seeing from John Quell Jones. Again, a guaranteed reserve. Thought she could have even been a starter because she's been the second best player on the Liberty so far. 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.1 blocks on 51, 41, 81 splits. That's actually real disgusting work, ladies and gentlemen. If she keeps that up while the Liberty are getting healthy, they are looking like a dynasty. I don't even think the Aces could beat them. I don't even think they could really compete. Or the Lynx if she's doing this, and the Liberty are doing what we expect them to do. This is remnants of her MVP season. So that's just spectacular. And again, she's getting it on the defensive end, too, ladies and gentlemen. I'm just really excited right now. I'm also excited for Sonya Satron. Again, a guaranteed reserve. 19 points, four rebounds, four assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 block. Looks he's the best player on a playoff team, even though they're the eighth seed best player on a playoff team. She can increase those three-point percentages. Only shooting 29% from the three right now, but 48 from the field, 89 from the three point from the free throw line. Good quality stats across the board. And again, best player on the team. They're gonna need your three-point shooting. She's shown up at times for sure. She's a young player. I expect her to have a quality career. Swing Satron, guaranteed all-star reserve. I can't wait to see if she ever becomes a starter. I've I thought Shakira, Alyssa, and Khalia could be guaranteed star or reserves as well, too, but we already talked about them before. So let's move it on down to Marina Mayberry, right? I thought she was guaranteed simply because she tied the WNBA scoring record. Okay, Liz Cambej had 53 points. Marina Mayberry, thank you for tying it because I got tired of saying she was the leader, right? Matter of fact, Britney Sykes, I believe. No, no. Who was it that had 52? Oh my God, I'm putting I'm forgetting the name now. Dagg on it. But Marina Maybury tied it for 53. I appreciate it because I didn't like seeing Liz Cambage having the WNBA record for sure. But she's averaging 21 points, four rebounds, four. So it's one point on steals, 0.4 blocks on 46, 40, 86 splits. Again, when you tie the score record, I feel like you have to be in the WNBA All-Star game. But her stats also help her out. Not so much her team success, it's more so her production. And again, she hit that gameplay threshold for me. Courtney Williams, she was guaranteed. Again, her stats were better than last year's, and she was an all-star. And then on top of that, too, her team is number two. And that's without Nafisa Collier. So she's gotta be, yeah, she's kind of been producing, right? 16.6 rebounds, four assists, 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks on 47, 42, 82 splits. You can't be mad at that. And again, last season's stats were worse than this season's stats, and she was an all-star last season, to be clear. So again, you kind of gotta, yeah, you kind of gotta have her as an all-star. And then NECA Goomekay, ladies and gentlemen, this was the final one. And of course, this was guaranteed because we're talking about WNBA history right now, right? Don't get me wrong, the production is there, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, point 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks on 52, 37, 84 splits. She's still a top 10 player in the WNBA, ladies and gentlemen. But here's the thing why this was guaranteed. Because she has now tied Diana Tarossi. That's right, DT, the white mamba, for second all-time in all-star appearances. She has 11 of them things. And if she goes two more seasons, I believe she'll tie Sue Bird at 13. So that means we just need one more after that to become the all-time all-star

Other Fringe Names Worth Mentioning

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selection. So again, Nekka Gumake pretty much got to be an all-star for the next couple to next couple seasons. But again, it's not like we just sliding her in. The production's there. The only thing that could really drag her down this season was my sparks ain't really doing too well right now. But again, that's understandable because we did lose a big piece in Kelsey Plum. And it's not like she was only injured once. She's been injured a couple times this season, too. So again, ladies and gentlemen, the reserves, you heard them. But I'm curious, ladies and gentlemen, is there anyone here that you feel like should not be a reserve? Whether you feel like they should be a starter or not a reserve at all. Were there any other snubs that I missed? I talked about a couple. I talked about a couple. Because I ain't gonna lie to you. If you want to change some of these reserves and starters, there's only a couple of the of the starters that I'd even be willing to move. No, that I no, seriously. There's only a couple. And then if you want to take out the reserves, I ain't gonna lie to you. It was tough for me to try to say, alright, well, these reserves get it over these reserves. Like the once I start hitting, once I hit personally, once I hit Shakira and Alyssa, it got a little tricky. I thought I had to add Marina, of course. NECA, of course, you gotta

Guaranteed Reserves And Why

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slide in there again with the production, but Courtney, Khalil Copper, Dominique Malonga, Kiki Iri F, and Kelsey, like those players, it got a little dicey. But again, all these ladies deserve to be a WNBA All-Star. Unfortunately, only 22 ladies can be selected. So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the of the episode. The All-Star game. It should be a good one. You gotta, you gotta, you gotta be excited about the WNBA bands. We got good talent across the board, bro. And I'm really happy that we can have a tough debate about the WNBA All-Star selection. And just think, man, more W more players are gonna be coming in. So now we get to have even tougher discussions about who the WMA All-Star players should be, whether it's starters or reserves. And then, of course, you got the snubs. But, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, like I said, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone one about the WNBA and two about my show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get A Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Take care.