WNBA All-Star voting is in, and 2 veterans were snubbed

WNBA All-Star starters have officially been announced, with ten players earning their spot thanks to a mix of fan, media, and player votes.

In the backcourt, Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings), Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), and Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream) will start.

In the frontcourt, Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), and Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercury) will start.

Each player’s score was weighted based on 50% fan votes, 25% player votes, and 25% media panel votes.

Bueckers led all guards in voting, ranked 2nd among fans, 5th among media, and 4th among players. But, given that Clark earned the most fan votes, she’ll be one of two All-Star captains.

Collier led all bigs in voting, ranked 1st among fans, 2nd in the media, and 2nd among players.

In addition to the 10 named starters, coaches will select the remaining 12 players who will serve as All-Star reserves.

It’s no surprise that those voted starters earned that honor, but there are a few players who were vastly underrated in the scheme of voting. That’s always going to be the case in a league so talented, but in this case, two veteran players stick out in particular.

Alyssa Thomas headlines the list of All-Star snubs. Thomas finished 10th overall among frontcourt players, coming 13th in fan voting, 7th in media voting, and 6th in player voting. That’s despite leading the league in assists with 9.3 per night, and shooting a career-best 53.8% from the field en route to 14.8 points per game.

Thomas has been a critical part of the Mercury’s success; Phoenix has the league’s second-best record at 12-5. Of note, Phoenix has been significantly better when Thomas is available; they are 10-2 when she is in the lineup, and 2-3 without her. It’s possible that the five games she missed with a calf injury negatively impacted her in fan, media, and player voting.

A contributing factor could also be that Thomas has spent most of her WNBA career playing for a smaller market with the Connecticut Sun, and receiving less of the limelight despite continued dominance.

In addition to Thomas, Skylar Diggins was likely ranked lower than she should have been. Diggins was ranked sixth among guards, including 9th among fans. She is averaging 18.9 points per game on 46.3% shooting, including 41.8% from three. She’s fourth in the WNBA in assists per game with 6.1 a night, and has been one of the league’s most consistent high-volume three-point shooters.

The Seattle Storm haven’t been quite the powerhouse some projected them to be, but they nonetheless have the league’s fifth best record, and Diggins has been a massive part of why.