Angel Reese Blasts WNBA All-Star Vote After 12-7 Dream Get 0 Starters

Q: Why did the league's top rebounder miss an All-Star starting spot?

Angel Reese missed an All-Star starting spot because the WNBA uses a weighted voting system, and her combined score was just outside the cutoff. Starters are chosen by 50% fan voting, 25% media voting and 25% player voting, with six frontcourt spots available. Reese, the league’s top rebounder and one of only two players averaging a double-double, finished seventh among frontcourt players in the final weighted results. That left her one place short of a starting berth. The key issue was not a lack of support in one area, but that other frontcourt candidates scored slightly better across the three voting groups. Reese was the only top-10 overall fan vote-getter who did not make the starting lineup, showing she had strong public backing. But she was edged out in the final weighted standings, reportedly by a very small margin, with Natasha Howard taking the last frontcourt starting spot. Her omission also reflects how competitive the frontcourt field was. Players such as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Aliyah Boston, Gabby Williams and others benefited from stronger rankings in at least one voting bloc, which lifted their overall averages above Reese’s. So, despite elite production and major fan support, Reese did not secure enough combined media and player backing to overcome the weighted formula. She is still widely expected to be selected as an All-Star reserve by the league’s coaches.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 2

Angel Reese said it was a "slap in the face" that Atlanta had no WNBA All-Star starters despite the Dream entering Thursday at 12-7, first in the East and fourth overall.
Howard and Gray finished fifth and sixth among guards in weighted voting, leaving them outside the four starting spots even though fan ballots counted for 50% and media and players 25% each.
Rhyne Howard ranked No. 4 with media and No. 2 with players, while Allisha Gray was seventh with fans, eighth with media and sixth with players, underscoring how fan support hurt Atlanta's case.
Reese, seventh among frontcourt players, said she expects criticism herself but spoke up because Howard and Gray drive Atlanta's success and are unlikely to complain publicly.
The snub stood out against Indiana's three starters—Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston—and Reese said Dream fans needed to rally harder even as she expects Atlanta players to still make the All-Star team.