WNBA All-Star starters announced as Caitlin Clark encounters unexpected player vote

WNBA Announces All-Star Game Starters for 2025

The WNBA has revealed the final eight starters for the 2025 All-Star Game, with Kate Linklark of the Indiana Fever and Nafisa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx stepping in as captains this year.

Upon reviewing the voting results, it was a bit unexpected to see where Clark was positioned among her peers. The All-Star voting process is split into three categories: fan votes, media votes, and player votes. Clark ended up first in the fan category but ranked third in media votes, while her fellow players placed her ninth among guards.

It’s worth noting that Clark finished second overall in the player voting, which is significant since fan votes account for half the total. Interestingly, Page Bueckers, a rookie from the Dallas Wings and the first pick in the recent WNBA draft, took the top spot overall. She was second in the fan rankings, fifth in media, and fourth among players.

Alicia Gray from the Atlanta Dream emerged as a strong contender, taking the lead in both media and player rankings, outperforming notable players like Seattle’s Skylar Diggins and New York’s Sabrina Ionescu.

Linklark’s achievement is remarkable; she garnered over a million votes to secure her captaincy for the 2025 All-Star Game.

A possible reason for Clark’s lower rank among her peers might be due to her limited playtime, as she has only participated in nine out of the Fever’s 16 games this season, mostly because of injuries that have affected her sophomore year.

Recently, Clark has struggled a bit on the court, shooting just 13 out of 47 from beyond the arc in her last three outings. Yet, she still maintains impressive averages of 18.2 points, 8.9 assists, and 5 rebounds over about 33 minutes per game this season. Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury, selected by the league’s head coach, is also in the running and is likely to be among the All-Star reserves, supported by her 9.3 assists per game in her twelfth contest this season.

Fans really showed their support for Clark, as she racked up a total of 1,293,526 votes.

Clark has undeniably played a key role in boosting the WNBA’s popularity, having broken several rookie records last season, but her journey hasn’t been without controversy. There was a notable squabble during a game against the Connecticut Sun, where she was involved in a physical play that forced her to the ground. This was followed by a retaliatory incident from her teammate, Sophie Cunningham, which escalated tensions between the teams.

Moreover, Clark has found herself at the center of various sports discussions, especially after encounters with other teams like the Sun and Chicago Sky.

Now, as both captains, Clark and Collier will be responsible for selecting players for their All-Star teams ahead of the game on July 19 at Gainbridge Field House.