Awards season is in full swing, with five of the winners having been announced over the past week, including:
As the WNBA Playoffs continue, the remaining awards will be announced in the coming days and weeks. We’ve already broken down the Most Valuable Player race and analyzed some of the top candidates to make the All-Rookie Team.
Today, we look at the contenders to make the All-WNBA First Team, which honors the five best players in the league during the regular season regardless of position. Below are 12 of this year’s top candidates as the depth of talent in the league continues to grow in this 30th anniversary season.
Note: Players are listed alphabetically, with stats and rankings from the complete 2026 season.
Shakira Austin (Washington Mystics)
Shakira Austin #0 of the Washington Mystics
- 2026 Stats: 17.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 0.4 3PM, 20 DD2, 48.3% FG, 31.5% 3P, 72.5% FT, 29.4 MPG, 43 GP
This awards season, Austin already has a runner-up finish for Most Improved Player (by only four votes) and a fourth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year. Austin made a huge leap in her fifth WNBA season with the Mystics, nearly averaging a double-double (17 ppg, 9.5 rpg) while serving as the defensive anchor for the youngest team in the league. Austin was one of only three players this season to average at least 17 points and nine rebounds. The other two: four-time MVP A’ja Wilson and one-time MVP Nneka Ogwumike.
Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings)
Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings
- 2026 Stats: 20.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 1.9 3PM, 51.2% FG, 41.0% 3P, 87.1% FT, 32.8 MPG, 42 GP
Bueckers was the driving force behind the Dallas Wings making the WNBA’s largest single-season leap in wins — plus-17 over last season — and returning to the postseason. She finished in the top 10 in points (20.9 per game, 5th), assists (5.9 per game, 8th), and 3-point percentage (41.0%, 9th) as she put up career numbers across the board following her Rookie of the Year campaign a year ago. After putting up 51.2/41.0/87.1 shooting splits in her sophomore season, could a 50/40/90 season be in her future?
Veronica Burton (Golden State Valkyries)
Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries
- 2026 Stats: 12.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1.4 3PM, 42.2% FG, 35.5% 3P, 83.6% FT, 28.6 MPG, 44 GP
Burton may not have the gaudy counting stats of some of the other players on this list, but her impact on winning is undeniable — only reigning MVP A’ja Wilson had more win shares than Burton (7.55) this season. Burton is one of the league’s top two-way guards — an elite on-ball defender and a remarkably efficient playmaker. She finished ninth in both steals and assists with the league’s second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (3.94). She not only led the Valkyries in minutes, but the team was also 14.1 points per 100 possessions better with Burton on the court (+13.5 in 1,259 minutes) than when she was on the bench (-0.6 in 506 minutes).
Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever
- 2026 Stats: 22.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 2.9 3PM, 14 DD2, 44.5% FG, 36.1% 3P, 85.2% FT, 31.1 MPG, 40 GP
No player in WNBA history has generated more offense in a single season than Clark, who averaged 41.2 points created per game in 2026. Clark became the first player to finish a season ranked in the top three in both points (career-high 22.3 per game, 3rd in the WNBA) and assists (8.3 per game, 2nd) as she orchestrated the highest-scoring offense in WNBA history. The Fever’s 96.0 points per game broke the mark previously held by the 2010 Mercury (93.9 ppg) for a decade and a half. Clark’s scoring and playmaking were paramount to that achievement.
Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream)
Rhyne Howard #10 of the Atlanta Dream
- 2026 Stats: 17.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 3.1 3PM, 40.5% FG, 35.5% 3P%, 86.2% FT, 34.2 MPG, 43 GP
Howard also made her impact on both ends of the court, leading the WNBA in steals, finishing second in 3-pointers, 11th in scoring, and 19th in assists in her fifth WNBA season for the Dream. Howard became the first player in league history to average at least three 3-pointers (3.1) and two steals (2.3) over an entire season. In fact, only four other players have averaged at least two 3s and two steals: Cynthia Cooper and Ruthie Bolton (1997), Tamika Catchings (2002, 2003), and Arike Ogunbowale (2024). They each made All-WNBA that season, including three on the First Team.
Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx)
Olivia Miles #5 of the Minnesota Lynx
- 2026 Stats: 19.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 1.6 3PM, 49.2% FG, 38.8% 3P, 87.0% FT, 31.0 MPG, 40 GP
The unanimous Rookie of the Year winner is also among the top contenders for Most Valuable Player, looking to become the second rookie to capture both awards in the same season after Candace Parker in 2008. Miles not only broke numerous rookie records; she also finished her debut season ranked eighth in scoring and seventh in assists across the entire WNBA, using her scoring and playmaking to lead the Lynx to a 33-11 season and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Miles joins Caitlin Clark (2024, 2026) and Diana Taurasi (2013) as the only players to average at least 19 points, four rebounds, and six assists in a season.
Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever)
Kelsey Mitchell #0 of the Indiana Fever
- 2026 Stats: 24.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 3.1 3PG, 50.9% FG, 45.0% 3P, 85.1% FT, 32.5 MPG, 44 GP
Mitchell etched her name in the WNBA record books this season with elite, consistent scoring. She set new league records for most points in a season (1,086), three-pointers in a season (135), 10+ point games in a season (44), and 20+ point games in a season (35). She had three months (June 22 – Sept 22) in which she scored at least 20 points for 27 straight games, shattering the previous record of 16 games. Her 24.7 points per game ranked second in the league this season and fifth all-time. The phrase “she’s a bucket” is often overused. But it fits Mitchell perfectly.
Angel Reese (Atlanta Dream)
Angel Reese #5 of the Atlanta Dream
- 2026 Stats: 16.4 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 0.3 3PM, 32 DD2, 45.1% FG, 19.3% 3P, 72.1% FT, 31.0 MPG, 43 GP
Reese has already collected two honors since the regular season ended. In her first season in Atlanta, she became the first player in Dream history to win Defensive Player of the Year, while also collecting her third straight Peak Performer Award as the league’s top rebounder. Reese became the first player in league history to collect over 500 rebounds in a season and broke the single-season record for double-doubles (32). She is only the eighth player in league history to average 15-10 over a season. Six of the first seven players to do so won league MVP honors (for a combined 11 times) during their career.
Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)
Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty
- 2026 Stats: 20.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 0.7 3PM, 12 DD2, 47.4% FG, 25.4% 3P, 84.1% FT, 33.0 MPG, 42 GP
Stewart didn’t wait until the end of the WNBA season to earn her first award of 2026. She was named MVP of the Commissioner’s Cup after leading the Liberty past the Aces in the championship game. Beyond being the best player in the in-season competition, Stewart was the consistent force for a Liberty squad that saw its ups and downs over the year. She finished in the top 10 in points (20.8 ppg, 7th), rebounds (8.3 rpg, 10th), blocks (1.3 bpg, 9th), and win shares (7.04, 5th), while averaging the fourth most minutes (33.0 mpg) in the entire league.
Gabby Williams (Golden State Valkyries)
Gabby Williams #1 of the Golden State Valkyries
- 2026 Stats: 14.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.7 3PM, 40.4% FG, 34.2% 3P, 73.6% FT, 25.1 MPG, 39 GP
For the second straight season, Williams earned All-Star honors (as a starter in 2026) and a top-three finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting (finishing as runner-up to Reese in 2026). In addition to her defensive prowess (she finished fourth in the league in steals and 10th in defensive win shares), Williams was Golden State’s top threat on offense, leading the team with a career-best 14.4 points per game and six 20+ point performances (she has an additional three in her first four playoff games, but this is a regular-season honor). Her ability to serve as an offensive creator and a lockdown defender for the second-best team in the league bolsters her argument for All-WNBA honors.
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces
- 2026 Stats: 26.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.9 BPG, 0.9 3PG, 20 DD2, 52.7% FG, 40.4% 3P, 86.4% FT, 32.0 MPG, 41 GP
Wilson is reaching the level where it becomes difficult to find new words to describe her greatness. Already the only four-time MVP in league history, Wilson is the frontrunner to add a fifth MVP trophy to her collection. She led the WNBA in points (26.2 ppg), blocks (1.9 bpg), and win shares (9.43) for the third consecutive season, while also finishing fifth in rebounds, fourth in double-doubles, and 13th in steals. Wilson’s 26.2 points per game marks the second-highest scoring average in league history — a mark only topped by Wilson herself in 2024 (26.9 ppg). For Wilson, the argument is less about All-WNBA honors and more about the GOAT conversation as she continues to build a WNBA resume unlike any other.
Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)
Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces
- 2026 Stats: 18.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.3 3PM, 7 DD2, 48.8% FG, 38.3% 3PM, 92.8% FT, 32.3 MPG, 43 GP
Young is the fourth out of this dozen All-WNBA candidates to rank in the top 10 in both points (career-high 18.9 ppg, 10th) and assists (career-high 6.8 apg, 4th) this season, joining Clark, Bueckers and Miles. Among those four players, Young leads the group in true shooting percentage (61.4%), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.89), and win shares (6.82), while also carrying the lowest usage rate (23.9%). That level of efficiency sets Young apart in her case for All-WNBA honors; she already has two Second Team honors on her resume.
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