Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Received Low All-Star Vote Totals From WNBA Players
Both finished high in fan voting, but struggled to gain votes among their fellow players
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark is one of two captains for the All-Star Game next month because she received more fan votes than any player in the league. However, she didn't receive nearly as much support among fellow WNBA players.
That's not entirely surprising, since Clark isn't exactly the most beloved player by her contemporaries. However, it's a little surprising that Angel Reese also struggled to get support from WNBA players.
Clark set a new WNBA record, receiving 1.29 million votes from fans. For context, in 2023, the top 30 vote-getters for the WNBA All-Star Game received 1.17 million votes COMBINED. The WNBA awards All-Star Game captaincy to the two players who receive the most votes from fans, so Clark is one captain and Napheesa Collier – who plays for the Minnesota Lynx – is the other.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese both did well in WNBA All-Star fan voting, but struggled to garner votes from their fellow players.
(Imagn Images & Getty Images)
The rest of the All-Star starters are determined by a combination of fan vote (which accounts for 50% of the weighting), media vote (25%), and votes by WNBA players (25%).
Clark, obviously, was No. 1 among guards in the fan vote. She was third in the media vote. But, when it came to fellow players, Clark ranked just ninth. Yes, WNBA players think eight guards are more deserving of an All-Star Game nod than Clark.
Now, it's worth noting that Clark has missed several games because of injury this season and struggled mightily in her last three games before her latest absence. That being said, she's the biggest star in the league and possesses a skill set that no other player has.
Rookie Paige Bueckers, who has consistently delivered left-wing talking points about racism throughout her career, fared much better among WNBA players, ranking fourth among guards in player voting – several spots ahead of Clark.
As far as Angel Reese, she finished fifth among front court players in fan voting (10th overall), but 12th in both the media and players vote. It's actually refreshing to see the media and players recognize that Reese isn't quite as good at basketball as she would like people to think. However, she has had an impressive run over the past few games.
The question now is whether Reese will make the All-Star Game at all. Reserves are selected by WNBA head coaches, who can vote for any player that is not on their team. Reserves will be announced on July 6 and the All-Star Game is July 18 in Indianapolis.