The 20 Best WNBA Players Right Now (Updated)

Team: Los Angeles Sparks
Last Ranking: 18
2026 Stats: 13.7 PPG 8.1 REB 2.4 AST 52%/26%/70%
A two-time WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award winner, Hamby has evolved into a top flight scorer and rebounder in the second half of her career. Last year, her 11th season in the W, she established career highs in scoring and shooting, while leading the Sparks to 23 wins (up from 8 in 2024). She’ll join Kelsey Plum and newly acquired Nneka Ogwumike to form a Big Three in LA. —Thomas Golianopoulos

Team: Atlanta Dream
Last Ranking: 20
2026 Stats: 15 PPG 11.8 REB 2.7 AST 42%/ 10%/72%
The former Bayou Barbie is the most polarizing player in the W. Is she a dominant rebounder who controls the boards? Yes! Does she need to improve her shooting? Yes! Is she one of the most versatile defenders in the league? Yes! Does she need to cut down her turnovers of which she averaged nearly four a game? Yes! Reese, a two-time All-Star, now enters her first season as a member of the Atlanta Dream, having exited the drama and disorder in Chicago. And so far, it’s working. The Dream are currently tied for the second-best record in the league. —TG

Team: Phoenix Mercury
Last Ranking: 15
2026 Stats: 19.2 PPG 3.6 REB 1.8 AST 37%/25%/81%
Though Copper’s scoring declined during her second season in Phoenix (down from 21.1 PPG in 2024), she turned it on in the postseason. As the Robin to Alyssa Thomas’ Batman, Cooper had a hand in leading the Mercury to the WNBA Finals. Now entering season eleven, she’s still one of the most feared offensive players in the league, especially from long range. —TG

Team: Las Vegas Aces
Last Ranking: 17
2026 Stats: 12 PPG 4 REB 7.3 AST 44%/43%/90%
The Las Vegas Aces’ floor general, a three-time WNBA champion, is one of those players whose winning attributes don’t really come across in the box score. In a recent ESPN survey, WNBA general managers named Gray the league’s best point guard, the player they most trusted to take a winning shot, the best passer, highest basketball IQ, and the current active player who’d make the best head coach. —TG

Team: Toronto Tempo
Last Ranking: –
2026 Stats: 20.1 PPG 3.8 REB 3.5 AST 42%/27%/89%
One of the most tenacious defenders in the WNBA, the Slim Reaper signed a max deal with the Toronto Tempo this offseason. The thinking was that Sykes would benefit from having a more prominent role in the offense than in previous stops in Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Atlanta. Sykes has delivered, averaging 20.1 points per game, a career high. Unfortunately, Sykes suffered a plantar fascia injury on June 16 and will be out an extended period of time. —TG

Team: Los Angeles Sparks
Last Ranking: 14
2026 Stats: 15.8 PPG 8.7 REB 2.2 AST 51%/42%/83%
Nneka Ogwumike, a 14-year WNBA veteran, remained a consistent and dominant force for the Seattle Storm last season. She now ranks sixth on the league’s all-time scoring list, surpassing 7,000 career points. Ogwumike is known not only for her impact on the court but also for her leadership. She serves as president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and was named the 2025 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award winner. She also played a critical role in CBA negotiations. This season, Ogwumike returns to the Los Angeles Sparks, the franchise that originally drafted her. —Bryanna Symone

Team: New York Liberty
Last Ranking: 10
2026 Stats: 8.8 PPG 4.2 REB 3.3 AST 33%/29%/80%
Ionescu is one of the league’s best playmakers and an elite ballhandler but there are still some concerns about her game. Though she has the reputation of a sniper from deep, her 3-point shooting has plummeted since hitting 44 percent in 2023, dropping down to 29 percent last season. Ionescu has also struggled with injuries. She missed time last season with toe, foot, and neck injuries, and was inactive for the first two weeks of this season after rolling her ankle in the Liberty’s final preseason game. Ionescu returned but then missed more time with a back injury. Now back on the court, she still doesn’t resemble the four-time All-Star who led the Liberty to the 2024 WNBA Championship. But hopes are still high for this stacked Liberty team. There are few things more exciting in the WNBA than Ionescu running the pick and roll or pushing the ball in transition. —TG

Team: Atlanta Dream
Last Ranking: 13
2026 Stats: 19.1 PPG 4 REB 3.3 AST 42%/38%/86%
Rhyne Howard, the other half of the Atlanta Dream’s backcourt duo, delivered a career-defining season in 2025 filled with milestones. She earned her third consecutive All-Star selection and set a franchise record while tying the WNBA record with nine three-pointers in a single game. Howard also reached 2,000 career points and, in June, became the fastest player in league history to hit 300 career three-pointers, doing so in just 114 games—further establishing herself as one of the league’s premier scorers. —BS

Team: Dallas Wings
Last Ranking: –
2026 Stats: 14.2 PPG 11.1 REB 5.6 AST 57%/0%/71%
Shepard, a 6-foot 4-inch forward out of Notre Dame, has become a star in season six, her first with the Dallas Wings after signing as a free agent this spring. A frontrunner for Most Improved Player of the Year, Shepard is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists, and is a triple-double threat each time she steps onto the floor. She has already been named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week twice this season. —TG

Team: Indiana Fever
Last Ranking: 12
2026 Stats: 16.6 PPG 8.6 REB 2.8 AST 48%/42%/83%
Aliyah Boston has been a major force behind the Indiana Fever’s success, even as the team battled multiple injuries. Just three years into her career, Boston has already stepped into a significant leadership role. She led the league in field goal percentage for part of the season at 59.7% and finished with an impressive 53.8% overall. She also became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 rebounds. The 3x All-Star is making history off the court as well. This offseason, she signed a four-year, $6.3 million extension with the Fever—the richest total salary in league history to date. —BS

Team: Indiana Fever
Last Ranking: 11
2025 Stats: 21.3 PPG 4.3 REB 8.2 AST 42%/33%/84%
Clark might be the biggest attraction in the WNBA but she’s attempting to rebound from a disappointing 2025. Soft tissue injuries (quad and groin strains) limited her to 13 games last season and she struggled during her time on the court. Clark’s turnover issues as a rookie carried over into Year Two and though it’s a small sample size, her shooting percentage dropped during her sophomore campaign. Still, Clark has the potential to be the best player in the WNBA. Despite leading the league in assists as a rookie, she’s an underrated playmaker (though she will be playing off-ball more this season). She has unlimited range on her jumper, can get to the bucket with ease and, more impressively, has the ability to finish at the rim. With Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston also on the roster, expect the Fever to go deep into the WNBA playoffs. —TG

Team: Las Vegas Aces
Last Ranking: 4
2026 Stats: 15.6 PPG 4.4 REB 6.8 AST 43%/35%/89%
Jackie Young, long known for her quiet but lethal playing style, stepped into a stronger leadership role last season. As one-third of the Las Vegas Aces core, Young helped steady the team after an early .500 start, using her efficiency and consistency to guide them on another championship run. By season’s end, she added yet another title to her résumé, becoming a three-time WNBA champion. Still under 28, Young has firmly cemented her place among the league’s elite, building an impressive legacy in the past eight years. Young has rebounded nicely following a slow start to the season. —BS

Team: Atlanta Dream
Last Ranking: 6
2026 Stats: 19.5 PPG 3.4 REB 2.2 AST 45%/34%/77%
Allisha Gray, long known for her dynamic two-way play, put the league on notice. Last season marked a true breakout for the Atlanta Dream guard, as she fully stepped into her own. The 2017 Rookie of the Year delivered the best statistical campaign of her career, highlighted by setting a franchise record with 773 points in a single season. She also helped lead the Dream to the No. 3 seed in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs before they were eliminated by the Indiana Fever. —BS

Team: Phoenix Mercury
Last Ranking: 3
2026 Stats: 14.1 PPG 6.7 REB 8.4 AST 50%/ 7%/68%
A six-time WNBA All-Star, Thomas had her best season in Year 12. The now 34-year-old forward is the most versatile player in the league and also its best playmaker. In her first season in Phoenix, Thomas led the league in assists, broke the season assist record, and recorded more triple-doubles (eight) than the rest of the league combined. It was enough to get the Mercury to the WNBA Finals, where they were swept by the juggernaut Aces. Though Phoenix opened the season primed for another deep playoff run, they struggled out the gates and currently sit outside the Top 8 with a 6-13 record. —TG

Team: Minnesota Lynx
Last Ranking: –
2025 Stats: 18.5 PPG 4.9 REB 5.6 AST 53%/35%/92%
The most exciting player in the WNBA this season is a 5-foot 10-inch rookie out of Notre Dame with a throwback look and a futuristic game. Miles is quick and smart, relying more on guile than explosive athleticism. She’s a master of pace and tempo with elite court vision—there are shades of Luka in her game—and she can score at all three levels. Perhaps most impressive: She’s winning. Despite Napheesa Collier’s season-long absence, the Minnesota Lynx currently have the best record in the WNBA.—TG

Team: Los Angeles Sparks
Last Ranking: 9
2026 Stats: 23.9 PPG 2.2 REB 6.4 AST 52%/38%/80%
Kelsey Plum was ready for a new chapter after six seasons and two championships with the Las Vegas Aces. In January 2025, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks, bringing her elite scoring ability with her. She made an immediate impact, delivering a historic season opener with 37 points—the most ever in a WNBA debut or season-opening game. Plum also proved her reliability in clutch moments, tying for the league lead with six game-winning shots, including a standout 31-point performance. Plum was playing the best ball of her career this season until suffering a lower left leg injury on June 21. She will be out a minimum of four weeks. —BS

Team: New York Liberty
Last Ranking: 5
2026 Stats: 19.4 PPG 8.8 REB 3 AST 45%/20%/85%
Breanna Stewart built an elite résumé long before entering the WNBA. Since being drafted in 2016, it’s only grown stronger. Now a three-time champion, two-time league MVP, two-time Finals MVP, and seven-time All-Star, her list of accolades continues to expand. During the 2025 season, Stewart remained a cornerstone for New York, delivering another dominant year and reinforcing her leadership on both ends of the floor. After a first-round playoff exit last season, she’s entering the new campaign focused on bringing another championship back to the city. —BS

Team: Las Vegas Aces
Last Ranking: 1
2026 Stats: 25.1 PPG 9.1 REB 3.2 AST 51%/42%/ 83%
The only four-time MVP in WNBA history is the undisputed best player in the game and one of the greatest players in league history. Wilson, 29, is a three-level scorer, who can pound in the paint, step back and pop a three, and get to the line with ease. That she plays her best in big moments is another of her superpowers. Wilson’s sublime offensive game sometimes overshadows her prowess on the defensive end. But she’s a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and near the top of the league leaders in rebounds, blocks, and steals. Alongside Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, Wilson and Aces are the favorite to bring home their fourth title in five years. —TG