Stewart Among Top All-Star Candidates
In Chicago, Breanna Stewart is currently ranked No. 4 in the early fan voting for the WNBA All-Star selections.
Chris DeMarco highlighted several reasons Stewart deserves to be an All-Star for the eighth consecutive year next month. “She’s consistently impressive,” he noted. “Her ability to play on both ends—being versatile offensively and defensively—really stands out. She’s talented and knows how to make critical plays and score when it counts. Just remarkable. We have a great roster, but her consistency throughout the year has been key. When games are tight, she truly excels.”
Stewart has garnered 255,879 votes in the first week and is one of three New York Liberty players in the top 40.
Five-time All-Star Jonquel Jones is in 28th place with 53,742 votes, while Marin Johannes ranks 36th with 41,245 votes.
Leading the pack are four-time MVP A’ja Wilson with 308,249 votes and 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers with 298,027 votes.
Caitlin Clarke from the Fever, who topped fan votes for the past two years, is currently fifth with 253,602 votes.
The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game is scheduled for July 25 at the United Center in Chicago.
Voting for the All-Star starters will involve 50% fan votes, along with 25% from active players and a media panel.
In another development, the WNBA announced plans to expand its regular season from 44 games to 50 beginning next year.
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert commented on this change, saying, “The interest in our league is at an all-time high. This reflects our aim to enhance the game and provide fans more opportunities to enjoy top-level talent.”
Skylar Diggins expressed surprise at the prospect of 50 games, reflecting, “Wow, that’s quite a leap. I’m curious to see how everything unfolds next year, but that’s ultimately my responsibility to manage.”
Last year saw teams compete in a record 44 games, up from 40 in the prior two seasons. Before that, the league had 36 games in 2022.
On another note, Bethnia Laney Hamilton missed Wednesday’s match due to an injection in her surgically repaired left knee. DeMarco explained, “It was planned in advance. We anticipated she would suit up, but she opted to sit this one out.”
