Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will feature two legendary captains serving as guest general managers for the first time in league history.
- Each team must work with predetermined starters and reserves, creating unique roster challenges for both sides.
- One team appears built for perimeter shooting while the other leans on interior physicality, setting up an interesting tactical matchup.
The WNBA All-Star Game is almost here and will pit Cynthia Cooper's team against Teresa Weatherspoon's team in a ... WAIT, what? Cooper? Weatherspoon? What is this, 1997? Well, yeah, in a sense. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the league, two legends who met in the first WNBA Finals served as captains for this year's event.
What does that mean? What do their rosters look like? Which roster is better? Let's try to answer those questions.
2026 WNBA All-Star Game format and team rosters
This season, Cooper and Weatherspoon served as the guest general managers for this game. They didn't just get free rein, though, to select their rosters. There were a few stipulations.
First, the starters were already determined, as were the reserves. The 10 starters were determined via a combination of fan, media and player votes, while the reserves were chosen by the league's head coaches. So, each GM had to pick five starters and six reserves.
They also didn't get to select their first player themselves. The two leading fan vote-getters, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, serve as kind of ceremonial captains, and a coin flip determined which team got which player. Team Coop won the coin flip, giving them Bueckers, who received the most fan votes, while Team Weatherspoon was assigned Clark.
Team Coop
Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
Paige Bueckers | Guard | Wings |
Sonia Citron | Guard | Mystics |
Kahleah Copper | Guard/Forward | Mercury |
Natasha Howard | Forward | Lynx |
Marina Mabrey | Guard | Tempo |
Dominique Malonga | Center | Storm |
Kelsey Mitchell | Guard | Fever |
Angel Reese | Forward | Dream |
Breanna Stewart | Forward | Liberty |
Gabby Williams | Forward | Valkyries |
Jackie Young | Guard | Aces |
There's a weird imbalance with these All-Star rosters. Not from a talent perspective, as I think both are fairly evenly matched, but more from the perspective of what the teams do well.
Team Coop, for example, definitely has the edge if this game turns into a 3-point shooting contest. It's a guard-heavy lineup, and even the bigs have some versatility. The only true center on the roster is Dominique Malonga, who takes an average of two 3-pointers per game. Versatility is the key here, and this team, which will be coached by Becky Hammon, will be able to have shooters on the field at most positions at all times, and having clutch players like Paige Bueckers and Sonia Citron will put the team in a good spot in a close game.
There is a definite concern about being bullied up front, though that concern is probably lessened by the whole "this is an All-Star Game" thing. If these teams were both playing with something more tangible on the line and were going 100 percent, I'd be really worried about this roster getting worn down by the other's physicality. As it stands, that's not too much of a concern, unless we get a close game late. This roster is better built for winning the kind of game this is, even if I don't necessarily view it as the more talented roster.
Team Spoon
Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
Aliyah Boston | Center | Fever |
Caitlin Clark | Guard | Fever |
Allisha Gray | Guard | Dream |
Rhyne Howard | Guard | Dream |
Kiki Iriafen | Forward | Mystics |
Jonquel Jones | Center | Liberty |
Olivia Miles | Guard | Lynx |
Nneka Ogwumike | Forward | Sparks |
Jessica Shepard | Forward | Wings |
Courtney Williams | Guard | Lynx |
A'ja Wilson | Center | Aces |
Something you'll notice right off the bat here: this roster has a pretty big size advantage, considering you have Aliyah Boston, Jonquel Jones and A'ja Wilson all on the roster, and that's without mentioning Nneka Ogwumike or Kiki Iriafen.
I do worry, though, about spacing. Yeah, yeah, yeah — it's an All-Star Game, so traditional ideas about what makes a winning basketball team don't apply, but you really are lacking in shooters. Caitlin Clark, Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard all have the potential to make shots, but have also struggled at times to show consistency in the regular season.
Someone has to step up here and make big shots. Clark is the obvious player who should feel that pressure as, ostensibly, the team captain based on this format, but will the opposing defense put pressure on her that's more akin to a regular season game than an All-Star Game? Possibly.
Of course, there is the cheat code for Team Spoon: A'ja Wilson, the best player in the world. The roster around her might not be one that really works in this format, but Wilson is capable of doing basically anything asked of her. Maybe she'll be the one stretching out to the arc, allowing space inside for the team's other bigs to work in.
If I had to pick a winner, it's Team Coop, but if Team Spoon can get some shooting luck on its side and have the game close late, its physicality could come into play, giving it an edge in a competitive fourth quarter.
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