Atlanta Dream All-Star selections and surprises

Two selections and two surprises for the Atlanta Dream at the All-Star break.

Allisha Gray voted as an All-Star starter

The ten WNBA All-Star starters are selected by a combination of fan voting (50% of the criteria), player voting (25%), and media voting (25%). Allisha Gray is having a career year and was the top guard selection by both the media and her peers, despite finishing seventh in the fan vote, leading to her earning a starting position in the All-Star Game. If Gray continues to play at her current pace, she will be a favorite for the All-WNBA team, if not in the conversation for league MVP.

As of July 14^th, Gray is…

· first in the WNBA with 755 minutes played,

· fifth in the league in total points scored,

· third in the league in three-pointers made (behind All-Stars Kelsey Plum and teammate Rhyne Howard),

· sixth in the league in three-point percentage (for players with at least 500 minutes played), and

· third in the league in win shares, according to basketball-reference.com (behind All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Aliyah Boston).

Rhyne Howard selected as an All-Star reserve

While All-Star starters are selected by fans, players, and media, the remainder of the rosters are chosen by the WNBA coaches. Although Howard finished 27^th among guards in the fan voting, she was one of eight guards named as a reserve by the league’s coaches. Howard, drafted first overall in the 2022 WNBA draft, has shown less consistency than Allisha Gray this season, but has demonstrated a high ceiling in individual games while accumulating impressive statistics that justify her All-Star selection.

Howard is currently

· eighth in the league in minutes played despite battling multiple injuries,

· first in three-pointers made, and

· seventh in total steals.

Howard’s two most impressive offensive games this season occurred in wins against the Seattle Storm, scoring 33 points, and against the Chicago Sky, scoring 36 points with nine three-pointers. Unfortunately, Howard missed Atlanta’s game on Sunday against the New York Liberty with a knee injury sustained in Friday’s loss to the Indiana Fever. Unfortunately, Howard will miss the All-Star festivities with her injury.

Brionna Jones a surprise snub from the All-Star player pool

In his press conference after the release of All-Star voting results, Coach Karl Smesko shared his feelings about Brionna Jones’s status, stating that he “wasn’t even concerned about Bri” because she “was clearly going to be one of the All-Stars.”

Jones was named an All-Star in 2021, 2022, and 2024 with the Connecticut Sun. So far in 2025, she is

· sixth in the league in total rebounds,

· ninth in the league in field-goal percentage, shotting .517,

· sixth in the league in win shares, and

· fifth in the league in offensive rating (behind Aliyah Boston, Allisha Gray, Napheesa Collier, and teammate Naz Hillmon whose contributions throughout the season were described in an excellent piece by Michael Waterloo).

In fact, Jones is performing better than she did in her 2022 and 2024 All-Star seasons in her points per game, minutes per game, rebounding, assists, and three-point scoring. Only Angel Reese has more double-doubles than Jones this season and it will be a shame if WNBA fans do not get to see her in this year’s All-Star Game. If a replacement player is needed for this year’s rosters, Brionna Jones should be atop Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s list.

Brittney Griner not in the All-Star conversation

The surprise surrounding Brittney Griner is not that she failed to make this year’s All-Star Game — the surprise is that the ten-time All-Star has dropped off significantly from her career averages and that her All-Star absence this season is justified. Fans still have a soft spot for Griner, as demonstrated by her making the top-40 list of fan voting at no. 37, ranking between Washington rookie Sonia Citron and Connecticut guard Marina Mabrey.

However, as of July 10^th, Griner was averaging the fewest points per game in her career (10, compared to her next lowest of 12.6 in 2013), as well as the fewest field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made, free throws attempted, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game.

Many of these statistical lows can be attributed to a significant drop in Griner’s minutes per game played. While Griner has averaged 30.0 minutes per game throughout her career, she is averaging 23.5 minutes per game in 2025. However, this 22% drop in playing time alone does not explain Griner’s larger decreases in counting stats.

Griner’s last six games have shown improvement on her season averages, so it is possible that she is regaining her form as she adjusts to playing with a new WNBA team for the first time in her career. The addition of Jones in the offseason signaled that Griner’s minutes and usage might be limited as she shares the frontcourt with another All-Star. Perhaps Coach Smesko and the Dream coaching staff are helping Griner stay healthy and adapt, with playoff aspirations in mind. If Griner is able to lead Atlanta to a playoff series victory, that success could outweigh her absence from this year’s All-Star Game.

All statistics are from wnba.com and basketball-reference.com unless otherwise noted. The WNBA All-Star Game will take place on Saturday, July 19^th at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.