Michael VoepelCloseMichael VoepelESPN Senior WriterMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Follow on X, Charlie CremeCloseCharlie CremeESPN.comCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com., Kendra Andrews, Kareem CopelandMultiple AuthorsApr 30, 2026, 08:45 AM ET
play1:20New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever – Game HighlightsNew York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever – Game Highlights
play0:12DeWanna Bonner nails it from behind the arcDeWanna Bonner nails it from behind the arc, 04/29/2026
Phoenix Mercury vs. Japan – Game Highlights (1:09)Watch the Game Highlights from Phoenix Mercury vs. Japan, 04/29/2026 (1:09)
New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever – Game HighlightsNew York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever – Game Highlights
play0:12Allisha Gray drills the treyAllisha Gray nails it from behind the arc, 04/29/2026
play0:14What a shot by Kahleah CopperWhat a shot by Kahleah Copper, 04/29/2026
play0:13What a shot by Rhyne HowardWhat a shot by Rhyne Howard, 04/29/2026
play0:14Angel Reese muscles in layup on Atlanta debutAngel Reese muscles in layup on Atlanta debut
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Before the WNBA tips its 30th season with a new collective bargaining agreement in place and new franchises in Portland and Toronto, we’re ranking the top 50 players heading into the 2026 season.
Rookies are not included in these rankings but will be considered for subsequent updates throughout the season. Players who are currently unsigned by a WNBA team are not eligible. But players who are expected to start this season injured but are projected to return within the first two months are included.
The New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream lead the way with six players each, and the Aces, Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks have five players apiece.
Last season, Wilson, 29, won an unprecedented fourth regular-season MVP award and then was WNBA Finals MVP as the Aces won their third title. She was also co-defensive player of the year and for the second season in a row averaged a double-double in scoring and rebounding. She shot 50.5% from the field, which included making 42.4% of her 3-point attempts (25 of 59). And for the fifth consecutive season, she shot better than 80% from the free throw line. — Michael Voepel
Thomas had an MVP-caliber season in her first year with the Mercury, finishing third in award voting. One of the league’s best playmakers, she led the WNBA in assists per game and broke the league’s single-season assists record (357), finishing with at least 300 for the third straight season. Thomas also recorded eight triple-doubles — more than the rest of the league combined — to break her own single-season record (six in 2023). — Kendra Andrews
Young was one of two Aces players to start every game last season — Chelsea Gray was the other — and was the team’s second-leading scorer. In Las Vegas’ 12 playoff games, Young upped her scoring average to 20.4 PPG and shot 49.4% from the field. Both were postseason career highs for Young, who has competed in the playoffs in all seven of her WNBA seasons. She has three WNBA titles and has said her next individual goal is to earn league all-defensive honors. — Voepel
Gray had the best statistical season of her career last year, posting career highs in points, rebounds and assists. She finished fourth in MVP voting as the Dream won a franchise-best 30 games and posted the third-best record in the WNBA. Gray recorded 15 games with at least 20 points and nine games with 25 or more. Gray also broke a franchise record for most points in a single season (773). — Andrews
Allisha Gray drills the treyAllisha Gray nails it from behind the arc, 04/29/2026
Allisha Gray nails it from behind the arc, 04/29/2026
After six seasons and two championships in Las Vegas, Plum wanted a change and was traded to Los Angeles before last season. As the Sparks’ star, she had the highest assist and rebounding averages and second-highest scoring average of her career. Now, Plum hopes to lead Los Angeles back to the postseason for the first time since 2020. — Voepel
Clark received the fourth-most MVP votes as a rookie while setting a single-season league record for assists and posting the second-most 3-point field goals in a season. She became one of the league’s best passers and long-range shooters the moment she stepped onto a WNBA court, and was just getting started when she was named Rookie of the Year and first-team all-WNBA in 2024. Injuries limited her to only 13 games in 2025, but she was still named an All-Star. — Copeland
New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever – Game Highlights
New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever – Game Highlights
Mitchell had the best year of her career in 2025 and finished fifth in MVP voting. Her 20.2 scoring average was a career high while leading a battered and bruised Fever team to the WNBA semifinals before having to leave Game 5 against the Aces when her legs went numb due to rhabdomyolysis, a condition when muscle cells break down and release a protein into the bloodstream. The three-time All-Star was the No. 3 scorer in the league last season behind Wilson and Collier. — Copeland
Copper was the offensive centerpiece for the Mercury on their path to last year’s WNBA Finals appearance. She averaged 15.6 points and 2.9 rebounds during the regular season and then upped her production in the playoffs to 17.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. She also registered a 30-point game in Game 4 of the Finals. Her ability to generate offense for herself and her teammates is one of Copper’s best attributes. — Andrews
What a shot by Kahleah CopperWhat a shot by Kahleah Copper, 04/29/2026
One of the best defensive guards in the league, Howard was awarded all-defensive honors for the first time in her career last season, making the second team. She led Atlanta with 1.5 steals per game and finished 10th in the league in the category. She also tallied a career-high 27 blocks — including a six-block game in August. But Howard is more than just defense: She led the league in 3-pointers per game (3.1). — Andrews
What a shot by Rhyne HowardWhat a shot by Rhyne Howard, 04/29/2026
Boston is coming off a career year in which she finished tied for sixth in MVP voting. The 2023 No. 1 pick has been a model of consistency in her three All-Star seasons. With Clark and the Fever guards being decimated by injuries last season, Boston stepped into the role of facilitator for stretches. She finished in the top five in total rebounds in all of her three seasons and has signed a four-year, $6.3 million contract that set the record for total salary in league history. — Copeland
Ogwumike is back where her pro career began as Los Angeles’ No. 1 pick in 2012. After two seasons in Seattle, she returns to try to help the Sparks end their five-season playoff drought, the longest in franchise history. A career 53.9% shooter from the field, Ogwumike has finished all previous 14 seasons shooting 51% or better. — Voepel
Gray wasn’t entirely healthy in 2024 after suffering a foot injury in the 2023 WNBA Finals. But she said she felt like herself again last season, starting every game. Like teammates Wilson and Young, Gray turned things up a notch in the postseason, averaging 7.2 assists and 35.4 minutes. That was her highest assist average and second-highest minutes average in 10 career playoff appearances. She won her third title with Las Vegas after one with Los Angeles. — Voepel
Diggins earned her seventh All-Star selection in her 11th season as she remains one of the most competitive players in the league. Her 3-point shooting bounced back to 36.5% after not surpassing the 30% threshold since the 2021 season. Diggins remains an upper-echelon starter at 35 years old; her points dipped in two years with the Storm, but her assists rose. Unexpectedly strong for her frame, Diggins continues to be a pest defensively. — Copeland
Last season, her third in Los Angeles after three in San Antonio and five in Las Vegas, Hamby had career highs in scoring average and field goal percentage (57.2). She has started every game the past two seasons and this year will team with another veteran in Ogwumike to lead the Sparks’ interior game. — Voepel
Angel Reese muscles in layup on Atlanta debutAngel Reese muscles in layup on Atlanta debut
McBride is coming off back-to-back All-Star campaigns, her first selections since 2019. Not surprisingly, the rise in her game has coincided with the Lynx advancing to the Finals and being the title favorites for much of 2025. The sharpshooter is the league’s active-league leader in 3-point field goals (722) and shot 39.5% and 40.7% from behind the arc the past two seasons. — Copeland
The three-time EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year is coming off a career season with Seattle, posting career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals (her 2.3 steals per game led the league). Williams’ 99 regular-season steals were one shy of Teresa Weatherspoon’s record (100, set in 1998). Now Williams brings her length, quick pace and versatility to Golden State. Already a defensive-minded team, Williams’ fit with the Valkyries seems to be perfect on paper. — Andrews
Williams has shined the past two years as the Lynx have returned to championship contention. Her midrange game has evolved into one of the best in the game and she can be a dogged defender. After joining the Lynx two seasons ago, Williams has grown into a core player that earned a two-year max deal worth $2.4 million. Additionally, 6.2 assists per game ranked No. 2 in the league, and she has ranked in the top six every year since 2023. — Copeland
Atkins spent seven seasons in Washington, where she was drafted No. 7 in 2018, then was traded to Chicago last season. Almost nothing went right for the Sky, who finished tied for last. This year Atkins was traded to Los Angeles. Known for her offensive and defensive consistency, Atkins adds needed backcourt depth and experience for the Sparks. — Voepel