The WNBA named Nneka Ogwumike one of 12 reserves for the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game on July 7, and the selection gave her 11 career All-Star nods. That moved Ogwumike into a tie with Diana Taurasi for the second most in league history.
The announcement matters now because the reserve pool is the final step before the league turns to roster-building for the showcase in Chicago. The game will be played July 25 at United Center and will air on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET, with a special edition of WNBA Countdown at 8 p.m. ET and WNBA Postgame at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Ogwumike was described as the WNBA's fourth-leading scorer and rebounder of all time, a résumé that helps explain why she keeps surfacing when coaches are asked to sort out the league’s most complete players. The reserves were selected by the WNBA's 15 head coaches, who each voted for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. They could not vote for their own players, a rule meant to keep the process from turning into a home-team exercise.
The other frontcourt reserves were Kiki Iriafen, Jonquel Jones, Dominique Malonga and Angel Reese. The guard group was Sonia Citron, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Marina Mabrey, Kelsey Plum, Courtney Williams and Jackie Young. Jones is headed to her sixth All-Star Game, Plum and Young each picked up a fifth selection, Gray and Howard were chosen for the fourth time, Reese and Williams for the third, and Citron and Iriafen for the second. Mabrey and Malonga will make their debuts.
That leaves one clear point of contrast in Ogwumike’s honor roll. Eleven All-Star selections put her alongside Taurasi, but Sue Bird still sits alone at the top with 13. In other words, Ogwumike has reached a tier that only a few players in league history have touched, but the record still stands a little higher.
The rest of the All-Star picture is already beginning to take shape. The 10 starters were announced earlier, and Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will draft the two rosters from the pool of 22 All-Stars as part of the league’s 30th season celebration. The head coaches for the game will come from the teams with the best records after games on Friday, July 10, and if a player cannot take part, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will name a replacement. For Ogwumike, the next milestone is not the number itself. It is where she lands when the full All-Star roster is finally split in two.
