The Atlanta forward says her team’s strong record was ignored when All-Star starters were picked this week.
Angel Reese does not talk to the media often these days, but this week she made an exception. The Atlanta Dream forward spoke up for her teammates after the WNBA announced its All-Star Game starters and not a single Dream player made the list, despite the team sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference at 11 and 8.
Reese said the shutout felt like a snub aimed squarely at guards Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, players she credits for much of Atlanta’s success this season. She pointed to how hard both players work defensively and how much they’ve had to adjust given the attention opposing teams throw at them.
The voting math behind the snub
All-Star starters are chosen through a formula that blends three sources. Fan votes make up half the score, while media and player panels each contribute a quarter. Howard landed in the top four among guards in both the media and player categories but slipped to ninth in fan voting, which dragged her overall score down. Gray sat seventh with fans, eighth with media, and sixth among players. Reese herself ranked sixth across every category, just outside the frontcourt cutoff.
The four guards ultimately picked as starters were Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell. On the frontcourt side, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, Gabby Williams, and Natasha Howard rounded out the group.
A snub backed by numbers
Reese argued the stats support her frustration. She currently leads the league in rebounding, and Howard tops the steals column while ranking second in three point shooting. Guard Jordin Canada isn’t far behind Howard in steals either. Reese also noted she and Gray rank among the league’s top ten in defensive win shares, a category that rarely gets attention in All-Star conversations.
Atlanta wasn’t the only team left frustrated. The Toronto Tempo also missed out despite having two players averaging 20 points or more this season, a feat only they and the Indiana Fever managed. Forward Marina Mabrey ranked fourth among players and sixth with media panelists but fell to twelfth in fan voting, which kept her off the final roster. Her teammate Brittney Sykes didn’t crack the top eleven at all.
Speaking for a team that stays quiet
Reese admitted the past two seasons have been difficult for her personally, which is part of why she has kept a lower media profile lately. But she felt this moment called for her to step up on behalf of players who rarely speak out for themselves. She made clear she has no doubts either she or her teammates will still make the All-Star roster through the reserve selection process, which is handled separately by the league’s head coaches.
Reese is in her third WNBA season and first with Atlanta, having made an All-Star team every year of her career, including as a rookie starter. Howard and Gray have combined for six All-Star selections between them. Reese closed her comments by crediting both veterans directly for the team’s turnaround, saying their leadership is a big reason she landed in Atlanta in the first place.
The All-Star reserves will be announced Tuesday, with the game itself set for July 25 in Chicago.
