2026 season-ending awards lookahead: All-WNBA First Team

Awards season is in full swing, with five winners announced last week, including:

The remaining awards will be announced in the coming days and weeks as the WNBA Playoffs continue. we already broke Most Valuable Player Race and analyzed some of the top candidates to make it All-Rookie Team.

Today, we’re taking a look at the contenders to make the All-WNBA First Team, which honors the league’s five best players 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.

Comment: Players are listed alphabetically with statistics and rankings for the entire 2026 season.

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Shakira Austin (Washington Mystic)

• 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 has already been runner-up for Most Improved Player (by just four votes) and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year. Austin took a big step forward in her fifth WNBA season with the Mystics, averaging a near 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 to average at least 17 points and nine rebounds this season. The other two: four-time MVP A’ja Wilson and one-time MVP Nneka Ogwumike.

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Paige Bueckers (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 jump in wins – plus-17 over the previous 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 posting 51.2/41.0/87.1 shooting splits in his sophomore season, could a 50/40/90 season be in his future?

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Veronica Burton (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 gaudy counting stats compared to some of the other players on this list, but his impact on wins is undeniable – only reigning MVP A’ja Wilson had more win shares this season than Burton (7.55). Burton is one of the league’s top two-way defenders – an elite on-ball defender and remarkably efficient playmaker. She finished ninth in both steals and assists with the league’s second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (3.94). Not only did she lead the Valkyries in minutes played, but the team was 14.1 points better per 100 possessions with Burton on the court (+13.5 in 1,259 minutes) compared to when she was off the bench (+0.6 in 506 minutes).

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Caitlin Clark (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 produced more offense in a season than Clarke, who averaged 41.2 points per game in 2026. Clark became the first player to finish the season in the top three in both points (career-high 22.3 per game, third in the WNBA) and assists (8.3 per game, second) as she led the highest-scoring offense in WNBA history. The Fever’s 96.0 points per game broke the mark set the previous decade and a half by the 2010 Mercury (93.9 ppg). Clark’s scoring and playmaking were paramount to that accomplishment.

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Raine Howard (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 an impact on both ends of the court, leading the WNBA in steals, 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). Each of them made All-WNBA that season, including three first-team players.

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Olivia Miles (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 one of the top contenders for Most Valuable Player, trying to become the second rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 to capture both awards in the same season. Miles not only broke several rookie records; She finished her first season ranked eighth in scoring and seventh in assists in the entire WNBA, using her scoring and playmaking to lead the Lynx to a 33–11 season and a 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.

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Kelsey Mitchell (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 with elite, consistent scoring this season. He set new league records for most points in a season (1,086), three-pointers made in a season (135), 10+ point games in a season (44), and 20+ point games in a season (35). He had three months (June 22 – September 22) in which he scored at least 20 points for 27 straight games, breaking the previous record of 16 games. His 24.7 points per game this season rank second in the league and fifth all-time. The phrase “he’s a bucket” is often overused. But it fits Michelle perfectly.

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Angel Reese (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 received 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 earning her third consecutive 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 in a season. Six of the first seven players to do so won league MVP honors (11 times overall) during their careers.

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Breanna Stewart (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. He was named MVP of the Commissioner’s Cup after leading the Liberty past the Aces in the championship game. In addition to being the best player in the in-season competition, Stewart was a consistent force for a Liberty team that saw ups and downs throughout 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 4th in the entire league in most minutes played (33.0 mpg).

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Gabby Williams (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 consecutive season, Williams earned All-Star honors (as a starter in 2026) and finished in the top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting (finishing as runner-up to Reese in 2026). In addition to her defensive ability (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 that’s a regular season honor). Her ability to serve as an offensive creator and lockdown defender for the second-best team in the league strengthens her argument for All-WNBA honors.

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A’ja Wilson (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 a level where it’s 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 his 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 finishing fifth in rebounds, fourth in double-doubles, and 13th in steals. Wilson’s 26.2 points per game is the second-highest scoring average in league history – topped only by Wilson in 2024 (26.9 ppg). For Wilson, this argument is less about All-WNBA honors and more about the GOAT conversation as she continues to build a WNBA resume unlike any other.

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Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)

• 2026 stats: 18.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.8 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.3 bpg, 2.3 3 pm, 7 DD2, 48.8% FG, 38.3% 3 pm, 92.8% FT, 32.3 mpg, 43 GP

Young is the fourth of a dozen All-WNBA candidates this season to finish in the top 10 in both points (career-high 18.9 apg, 10th) and assists (career-high 6.8 apg, 4th), joining Clarke, 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 having the lowest usage rate (23.9%). That level of efficiency sets Young apart for All-WNBA honors; He already has two second team honors on his resume.