A’ja Wilson’s All-Star spot is familiar. That does not make it any less meaningful.
Wilson was named a starter for the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game, giving the Las Vegas Aces center her seventh starting nod and eighth All-Star selection. She is the lone Aces starter this year, but the voting data showed a wider Las Vegas presence below the cut line.
Wilson again
Wilson has made the All-Star roster every year the game has been held during her career. The All-Star Game was not played in 2020.
Her eighth selection ties her for fifth-most in WNBA history with Seimone Augustus, Tina Charles, Sylvia Fowles, Lisa Leslie and Breanna Stewart. Only Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Brittney Griner, Nneka Ogwumike and Tina Thompson have more.
Wilson’s case did not need much explaining. She entered the announcement leading the WNBA in scoring at 25.7 points per game. She also ranked fourth in rebounding at 9.4 per game and was tied for the league lead in blocks at 2.
Strong across ballots
Wilson’s voting profile was strong across all three groups.
She finished fourth overall in fan voting with 999,497 votes. Paige Bueckers led the fan vote, followed by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. Wilson ranked second among frontcourt players in the fan vote, behind Boston.
However, the full formula showed Wilson’s standing across the league. She ranked first among frontcourt players in player voting and second among frontcourt players in media voting. Her weighted score was the best among all frontcourt players.
The starters were selected through a formula that counted fan voting for 50 percent, player voting for 25 percent and media voting for 25 percent.
Starter field
Wilson was joined in the frontcourt by Boston, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, Gabby Williams and Natasha Howard.
The starting backcourt includes Bueckers, Clark, Olivia Miles and Kelsey Mitchell.
Stewart matched Wilson with her eighth All-Star selection, the most among this year’s starters. Shepard and Miles earned their first All-Star selections, while Williams and Mitchell were voted in as starters for the first time.
Aces in the top 40
Wilson was not the only Aces player to appear in the fan vote.
The WNBA released only the top 40 finishers in the fan portion of voting, not a full list for every player. Four Aces were in that public top 40.
Wilson ranked No. 4 overall. NaLyssa Smith was No. 33 with 167,064 votes, Young was No. 35 with 163,755 and Chelsea Gray was No. 38 with 147,485.
That does not show the full roster picture. However, it does show that Wilson’s All-Star pull was not the only Las Vegas presence in the public fan results.
Young waits
Young did not make the starter pool, but she remains the clearest Aces reserve candidate among players already listed in the public voting results.
She finished 11th among guards in the overall starter formula. Young ranked ninth among guards with media, 14th with fans and 14th with players.
Still, her production keeps her in the reserve conversation.
The 12 reserves will be selected by WNBA head coaches. Coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position, regardless of conference. They cannot vote for their own players.
The reserves will be announced Tuesday, July 7.
Voting gap
The player vote also added important context.
ESPN reported that about 85 of the WNBA’s roughly 180 players submitted ballots for starters. As a result, less than half the league’s players voted, even though the player ballot counted for 25 percent of the starter formula.
For the Aces, the split was clear. Wilson still finished first among frontcourt players in player voting. Young, meanwhile, finished 14th among guards in that group despite ranking ninth with media.
So, the limited player turnout did not change the starter list. However, it did add context to a process that shapes who starts, who waits and who needs a coach vote.
What comes next
The 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game will be played July 25 at United Center in Chicago. The game airs on ABC at 5:30 p.m. PT.
As part of the WNBA’s 30th season celebration, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will serve as honorary general managers. They will draft Team Cooper and Team Weatherspoon from the full pool of 22 All-Stars after the reserves are selected.
The All-Star head coaches will be the head coaches of the two teams with the league’s best records after games on July 10, regardless of conference. If the cutoff were today, Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve and Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon would be in line for those spots.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
