WNBA All-Star 2025 Starters Predictions: Clark, Collier Lead Elite Field
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis promises to showcase the league’s most electrifying talents, with voting to determine the starting lineup closing this Friday as fans, players, and media collectively shape what could be one of the most competitive rosters in recent memory. The intricate selection process, which weighs fan votes at 50%, player votes at 25%, and media votes at 25%, will ultimately crown the top four guards and six frontcourt players as starters, with the two highest fan vote recipients earning the coveted captain positions for the July 19th spectacle.
Leading the charge as projected captains are Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, two superstars who have dominated headlines and highlight reels throughout the season with their exceptional performances and magnetic appeal to basketball enthusiasts worldwide. Clark, despite missing five games due to a quad injury and recently sitting out with a left groin injury, continues to demonstrate why she earned All-Star recognition as a rookie last season, currently tied for the league lead in assists per game at 8.9 while maintaining her status as an ultra-elite playmaker even during shooting struggles. Her early dominance in fan voting reflects not only her on-court brilliance but also her unique ability to create opportunities for teammates as opposing defenses focus their entire schemes around containing her revolutionary impact on the game.
Frontcourt
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Leads league starters in field-goal percentage (59.3); two-time All-Star
Boston is top-10 in the league in blocks, rebounding and win shares. She came in as an elite defender, and has continued to improve there. But the hallmark of her three-year WNBA career is her consistency. She had a career-high 31 points in the Fever’s victory at Seattle on Tuesday, but struggled in Thursday’s loss to Los Angeles: the Fever as a whole struggled with Caitlin Clark sidelined, and Boston was 4-of-13 from the field for just 12 points. Still, Boston tends to bounce back well. — Voepel
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm
Ninth on the all-time scoring list; nine-time All-Star
In her 14th season, Ogwumike shows no signs of slowing down. Her scoring is up from a year ago and she’s doing it on a better shooting clip. Her 8.2 rebounds per game are her second most over the past six years.
Of course, being an All-Star — and a starter — is also about popularity, longevity and one’s impact on the game. Ogwuwmike currently sits ninth on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, ninth in rebounding and sixth in steals. The future Hall-of-Famer checks all of the boxes. — Andrews
Watch key moments from the Sparks-Storm contest.
Satou Sabally, Phoenix Mercury
Second in the league in usage rate (31.6); two-time All-Star
In her first season with the Mercury, Sabally has taken her game up a notch. She’s averaging 19.3 points — better than her last All-Star year (2023) and in fewer minutes.
She has a whopping eight 20-point games this season and she is only one of three players putting up at least 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal per game, alongside three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and 2024 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier. — Andrews
Satou Sabally beats the first-quarter shot clock buzzer with a floater to extend the Mercury’s double-digit lead.
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Top three in scoring (21.0 points per game) and win shares (3.1); six-time All-Star
In her ninth season in the league, Stewart is used to carrying a big load. That’s been even more the case during center Jonquel Jones’ absence with an ankle injury. The Liberty have lost three games, but Stewart continues to do her best to keep them in the hunt to repeat as WNBA champions. If her 51.9 field goal shooting percentage stays at that level this season, it will be her best since she finished at 52.9 in her first MVP season in 2018. — Voepel
Breanna Stewart tallies a game-high 23 points as the Liberty take down the Valkyries 81-78.
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Top three in scoring (21.2 points per game), rebounding (9.6) and blocks (2.6); six-time All-Star
It hasn’t been the easiest season for the 7-8 Aces, but Wilson — who missed three games in concussion protocol — continues to be MVP-caliber. On Wednesday, she became the quickest in WNBA history to reach 5,000 career points, doing it in 238 games. Wilson continues to be one of the best scorers and defenders in the league, and she’s also averaging a career high in assists (3.5) this season. [May add details from Thursday game if notable.] — Voepel
A’ja Wilson (22 points) Highlights vs. Connecticut Sun, 06/25/2025
Guards
Skylar Diggins, Seattle Storm
Top-10 all-time in assists (1,602); six-time All-Star
During the inaugural season of Unrivaled, Diggins said she didn’t feel like herself last season, the year after she returned to the WNBA from maternity leave. It seems the 3-on-3 league has helped bring her game back to the level she wanted. Diggins is averaging 18.7 points — the third-highest scoring average in her career. Her 45.5% field goal shooting is also the second-highest mark in her career and a massive rise in efficiency from last year.
Diggins has been an All-Star in six of her 10 seasons in the WNBA. With her production, there is no reason she won’t be one again this summer. — Andrews
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
First player to win the All-Star Skills Challenge and 3-point contest (2024); two-time All-Star
Gray, the highest-ranked Dream player in the first round of fan voting, is having the best season of her nine-year career. She was an All-Star last year but her playing level this season should insert her into the starting lineup. She has thrived in new Dream coach Karl Smesko’s system, operating in an incredible amount of space with the ultimate green light to shoot the 3. Her 42.9% shooting from distance is a career high, and she is sixth in the league in scoring. — Andrews
Allisha Gray comes up big from deep
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Averaging a career-best 19.7 points; three-time All-Star
Now in her fifth full season in the WNBA — she was limited to just three games by an ankle injury as a rookie in 2020 — Ionescu is a savvy veteran who can take over games when needed. She had back-to-back 34-point performances earlier this month, and she’s adjusted well to a new backcourt mate in Natasha Cloud this season. Ionescu can make the big plays at crunch time, like going 7-of-7 from the foul line in the last two minutes Wednesday for an 81-78 victory at Golden State. — Voepel
Sabrina Ionescu makes a huge defensive play for the Liberty with less than a minute to play in the game vs. the Valkyries.
The toughest cuts
Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream, guard
Howard is having an All-Star caliber season, though that isn’t necessarily evident from her stats. Her 35% shooting from the field and 30.6% shooting from 3 are career lows but she’s found other ways to impact the game. In Smesko’s system, Howard has found a way to thrive as a facilitator, averaging a career-high 4.7 assists. On defense, she’s often assigned to the opponent’s best scorer. Howard is averaging 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks. Her 5.3 rebounds per game are also a career high.
Starting in the All-Star Game takes so much into consideration, but Howard missed the cut. There’s no question, though, she should be in Indianapolis in July. — Andrews
Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury, forward
In her first season in Phoenix after 11 years in Connecticut, Thomas has been just what the Mercury wanted. She’s tied for the league lead in assists (8.9), while also averaging 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds. She missed five games with a calf injury but is back strong. She’s a huge reason the new-look Mercury are off to such a good start. However, it is difficult to crack the top six at the forward position because it is so stacked. — Voepel
Collier, the second-leading vote-getter and a four-time All-Star, has elevated her game to unprecedented heights this season, leading the league in scoring with 24.4 points per game while shooting career-best percentages from the field (52.4%) and beyond the arc (42.1%) in a campaign that has solidified her position among the league’s most dominant forces. The 2024 Defensive Player of the Year and MVP runner-up has seamlessly transitioned from her Finals appearance last season into an even more comprehensive offensive role, complementing her elite scoring with career-high assists (3.6) and blocks (1.5) that demonstrate her evolution into a complete two-way superstar.
The frontcourt selections present a fascinating blend of established veterans and emerging stars, with Aliyah Boston representing the Fever’s formidable interior presence alongside her backcourt partner Clark, leading league starters in field goal percentage at an impressive 59.3% while ranking in the top-10 in blocks, rebounding, and win shares. Boston’s consistency has become the hallmark of her three-year WNBA career, exemplified by her ability to bounce back from difficult performances like her recent 4-of-13 shooting night against Los Angeles with dominant displays such as her career-high 31-point explosion in Seattle.
Seattle Storm’s Nneka Ogwumike, a nine-time All-Star currently ninth on the all-time scoring list, continues to defy Father Time in her 14th season with improved scoring numbers and enhanced shooting efficiency, averaging 8.2 rebounds per game while adding to her legendary resume that includes ninth place in all-time rebounding and sixth in steals. Her selection represents not only current performance but also the respect and admiration earned through a Hall of Fame-caliber career that has helped define excellence in women’s professional basketball for more than a decade.
Phoenix Mercury’s Satou Sabally has elevated her game to new heights in her first season with her new organization, averaging 19.3 points per game with remarkable efficiency while recording eight 20-point performances and joining an exclusive group of players alongside A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier who are producing at least 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal per contest. New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, a six-time All-Star averaging 21.0 points per game, continues to shoulder an enormous load for the defending champions, particularly during Jonquel Jones’ absence due to ankle injury, while maintaining a 51.9% field goal percentage that would represent her best shooting campaign since her 2018 MVP season.
Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson rounds out the projected frontcourt starters despite her team’s struggles this season, recently becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 5,000 career points in just 238 games while averaging 21.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks alongside a career-high 3.5 assists that showcase her continued development as a complete basketball player. Wilson’s ability to maintain MVP-caliber production even after missing three games in concussion protocol demonstrates the resilience and determination that have made her one of the league’s most respected competitors and ambassadors.
The guard positions feature compelling storylines beyond Clark’s captaincy, with Seattle Storm’s Skylar Diggins experiencing a renaissance season that has seen her average 18.7 points per game on 45.5% shooting, crediting her participation in the inaugural Unrivaled season for helping restore the confidence and rhythm that had eluded her following her return from maternity leave. Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, the reigning Skills Challenge and 3-point contest champion, is enjoying the best season of her nine-year career under new coach Karl Smesko’s system, shooting a career-high 42.9% from three-point range while ranking sixth in league scoring and leading all Dream players in the first round of fan voting.
New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu completes the projected starting backcourt with her career-best 19.7 points per game in her fifth full season, demonstrating the veteran savvy and clutch gene that have become her trademarks, including back-to-back 34-point performances earlier this month and a perfect 7-of-7 free throw performance in the final two minutes of a crucial victory over Golden State. The selection process has created difficult decisions, with deserving candidates like Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard and Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas falling just short of starting positions despite exceptional seasons that should still earn them reserve selections when coaches make their picks.
As the All-Star draft approaches on July 8th during WNBA Countdown, the anticipated captain selections will provide fascinating insight into team chemistry and personal relationships, with Clark likely choosing teammate Boston to continue their remarkable on-court connection, while Collier may turn to former UConn teammate and current business partner Breanna Stewart to recreate the magic that has defined their friendship and rivalry throughout their basketball careers.
Bueckers called it “pretty surreal” to meet the NBA champion, who is somebody she has looked up to and has been her favorite player “since I was really really young.”
“So for him to come out and support us, support women’s basketball, have his daughter there, get to meet him,” she said postgame. “He’s been a big brother figure for me, and to finally meet him in person, it was a great moment.”
Bueckers also added that Irving is “probably one of the most unguardable people to ever play the game,” serving as inspiration for her own game.
Newly selected Mavs No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg was also in attendance, as well as Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham and Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons.