Bleacher Report's Top 20 WNBA Player Rankings at 2025 All-Star Break

We've reached the All-Star break, which means it's time to check back in with player rankings. If you missed the preseason edition, you can check that out here.

There's a push-and-pull to updating things. We have 21-24 games to react to, which certainly isn't nothing as a sample, but there's still half (or a little more) of a season to go. Parsing through "Player X is having a better season than Player Y" versus "Player X is better than Player Y" wasn't an easy task, but I made some judgment calls.

Some players have earned their way out of the honorable mention section—hello Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston, in particular—and some players are omitted due to injury woes, a slight shift from the preseason process. We're rolling with a 15-game minimum for this—roughly 70 percent of (league-average) games played to this point of the season.

Ultimately, the criteria remains a mix of current skill-set value, production (this season weighs the heaviest, but body of work still means something), efficiency and impact. With down years, players with a history of productivity and impact get a little more grace from me than younger players who haven't yet proven it consistently.

Roster and role context obviously affect different players in different ways, and I tried my best to account for that when putting this list together.

And as a final reminder: No, I do not hate your favorite player who may be ranked lower than you'd like.

Let's get into the rankings, shall we?

All stats are current through games played on July 16. The stats are courtesy of WNBA.com (basic player stats/advanced team stats), PBP Stats (lineup combinations), or Second Spectrum (player or team tracking/play-type data) unless otherwise noted.

Honorable Mentions

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You simply can't make everyone happy with ranked lists. Top 10? You must hate the player you'd hypothetically have 11th. Top 15? Surely you want the 16th player to lose internet access right before an important meeting.

By virtue of going with a top-20 list, there are going to be multiple players who were selected for this year's All-Star Game that won't be included—quick apologies to the rookie duo of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, for example. The league is really freakin' talented.

Before digging into the top 20, here are a few—just a few!—players I had a tough time leaving off and was sure people would ask about. First, the Did Not Qualify (games played) list:

Caitlin Clark (13 games played): I ranked Clark fifth entering the season, but quad and groin injuries have derailed her sophomore season to this point. Her basic box score numbers—16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.6 steals—are still unmatched, but her efficiency (49.1 True Shooting, 4.6 points below league average) has plummeted from last season (58.3 True Shooting, plus-4.7). It's been interesting watching teams dial down the blitzing she saw last season and opt for more switching; hopefully we get a healthier second half from Clark to see how quickly she's able to problem-solve on that front. I don't have long-term concerns; she remains floor-tilting, game-changing talent.

Jonquel Jones (9 games): Ranked 8th in the preseason piece, there was high likelihood that she'd be sliding up in this one if she was able to stay healthy. Jones will make her return from an ankle injury sometime after the All-Star break, and the Liberty couldn't be more pleased with that development. Her blend of size, shooting skill, passing, rim protection, rebounding and overall versatility makes her uniquely difficult to replace.

Kahleah Copper (6 games): Ranked 10th heading into the year, Copper hasn't really had a chance to leave her mark on this year's Mercury team yet. We've gotten early glimpses of how her driving and pull-up comfort can mesh with the MVP-level play of Alyssa Thomas (more on her later); here's hoping we get to see more of it after the break.

And here are a few more names, in alphabetical order, that deserve a shout out:

Chelsea Gray: Gray has enjoyed a return of her shot-making—48.6 percent on twos, 37.2 percent on threes—and remains the league's most audacious passer. That audacity, as endearing as it is, has bitten her more often this year as she's averaging a career-high 3.4 turnovers. The decline in burst has also shown itself on film, though she deserves a hat tip for the amount of strips and deflections she's generated to compensate for it.

Brittney Griner: Griner has adjusted mostly fine in Karl Smesko's new system, and the spacing that it requires. We've seen her benefit from those tweaks—she's being double teamed at a lower rate than last year, for example—but she's been below her usual dominance on the interior. She's converted 52 percent on twos, the lowest mark she's logged since her 12-game 2020 campaign. It's also worth noting that teams have gotten more comfortable putting her in action, and that Smesko often closes games with Griner on the bench at this point.

Arike Ogunbowale: Ogunbowale has struggled to gain a rhythm amidst all the change around her—personnel, schematic, you name it. Throw in the fact that she's been injured and it's easy to understand why this has been such a down year for her. Still, Ogunbowale remains ignitable as a scorer and garners tough defensive assignments despite her slow start to the season.

Alanna Smith: If not for Smith's three-point shooting dipping again (27.3% on 4.1 attempts in July), Smith might've wound up in the top-20 for me. It's been yet another high-impact season with her screening, finishing, and quietly DPOY-level prowess on the defensive end. I thought she deserved legitimate All-Star consideration, but that's for another article, I suppose.

Azurá Stevens: Stevens has broken out in what has been an odd season in Los Angeles. Players her height shouldn't be able to shoot (40.6% on 4.4 attempts) or drive as well as she does—much less be able to do both. She's one of my favorite players in the league to watch, though her defense within the Sparks' aggressive system hasn't been as impactful as her box score numbers (1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks) would suggest.

Courtney Williams: Is Williams, now a multi-time All-Star, a better streamer or point guard at this point? Don't answer that. After a slow shooting start to the season, Williams has settled into her usual role as a smooth pick-and-roll creator (0.97 PPP, 3rd among 35 high-volume PnR players) that can run hot at any given time—especially fourth quarters.

Gabby Williams: Williams is enjoying the best season of her career, boasting highs in points (13.2), assists (4.4), steals (2.4, leads the league) and three-point shooting (33.3 on 4.6 attempts). She was rightfully named an All-Star, and should factor heavily into DPOY discussions if she keeps up her pre-All-Star break play.

Nos. 20-16

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20. Rhyne Howard, Wing, Atlanta Dream (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)

First and foremost, a hearty "Get Well Soon" to Howard, who's slated to miss the rest of July as she recovers from a left knee injury. Before she went down, Howard was defending at an All-Defense level while making legit strides as a playmaker (career high 4.5 assists). A fun stat, based largely on that playmaking: among 35 players to run at least 200 pick-and-rolls, Howard's 1.00 points per possession (PPP) mark leads the WNBA.

19. Brittney Sykes, Wing, Washington Mystics (Previous Rank: Brief Mention)

Sykes was rightfully, finally, named as an All-Star for the first time this season. Her drives have popped all year, only trailing Kelsey Plum (14.8) in per-game volume (12.3). She's practically lived at the free-throw line, logging career highs in attempts (7.7) and a free throw rate (58.6) that would make the NBA's Jimmy Butler proud. Oh, and she remains a menace on and off the ball defensively.

18. Dearica Hamby, Forward/Big, Los Angeles Sparks (Previous Rank: 17)

Another season, another batch of career highs from Hamby. She's never tossed this many dimes (3.7) or racked up this many steals (1.9, second among players to play at least 15 games), and she's already tied her career high with 12 blocks this season. Her slips to the rim and bully-ball finishes at the rim remain a pleasant adventure.

17. Bri Jones, Big, Atlanta Dream (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)

Jones being a dominant post presence (1.14 PPP), a force on the offensive glass (3.0 OREB, 2nd to Angel Reese), and a sneaky-solid passer (career high 2.5 assists) isn't new. Her exhibiting those skills to the point where 1) she's easily been their best free-agent acquisition in a class that features a future Hall of Famer and 2) she's firmly been the Dream's second-best player is a bit of a surprise. It's a testament to the year she's had, and I'm glad she finally got an All-Star nod for it.

16. Kelsey Mitchell, Guard, Indiana Fever (Previous Rank: 18)

Mitchell, much like her later-to-be-named teammate, has taken slightly more on-ball ownership this year with Caitlin Clark missing bundles of games. Still, she remains one of the most lethal off-ball scorers in the league. Not many can match her blend of shooting and quick rim attacks on the move.

Nos. 15-11

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15. Kayla McBride, Wing, Minnesota Lynx (Previous Rank: 15)

McBride missed a handful of games to start the year as she recovered from, essentially, yearlong basketball. Since returning, she's furthered her reputation as one of the league's best three-point shooters (37.7% on a career high 6.9 attempts) while quietly self-creating a little more than last year. Her screening for Napheesa Collier remains impossible to deal with, and she's been a key perimeter cog to the league's best defense.

14. Angel Reese, Forward/Big, Chicago Sky (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)

We can start here:

• First seven games: 9.1 points (30.8% on 2s), 12.3 rebounds (5.6 OREB), 2.6 assists (3.7 TOs), 1.6 steals, 0.3 blocks
• Last 14 games: 16.4 points (53.7% on 2s), 12.8 rebounds (2.9 OREB), 4.4 assists (3.9 TOs), 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks

Reese looks a lot more comfortable these days. The finishing has taken a leap as her process and timing has improved (the early work with seals and overall physicality has always been there). Her pass-or-drive balance feels better, an important area of growth considering how much of the offense she's been tasked with running as of late. The defense hasn't consistently hit the peaks of last year, but she remains a firm positive on that end with All-Defense upside worth believing in.

If the Reese we've seen over the last month is the new bar, she's going to be even higher on the list when we run this back.

13. Satou Sabally, Forward, Phoenix Mercury (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)

Aggression has been the name of the game for Sabally this year. Donning new threads in Phoenix, she's oscillated between taking what the defense gives her—she is pulling whenever teams duck under screens against her—and bending the defense to her own sheer will. She's also had to do that with Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas missing time at different points of the season.

The Mercury have done a great job of generating mismatches for her off the ball, and Sabally has held up her end of the bargain by bludgeoning smaller defenders whenever they switch onto her. She's posting a career high in scoring (19.1) largely because she's getting to the line a ton (6.3 attempts, 41.2 free-throw rate).

Sabally (ankle) is slated to make her return after the All-Star break.

12. Paige Bueckers, Guard, Dallas Wings

Bueckers has already established herself as one of the best guards in the league, someone capable of doing just about anything you ask her to. The playmaking and mid-range scoring has popped; her defense has been solid on and especially off the ball. I've enjoyed the way she's been moved around the board, from simple staggers to random post touches. I'd still like for her to bump up her three-point volume, but there's time for that to be rectified.

11. Kelsey Plum, Guard, Los Angeles Sparks (Previous Rank: 12)

Plum has responded to a new team and heightened role (and defensive attention) by putting up career highs almost across the board. She's been the league's most prolific driver, with a lot of those coming from the many screens she's rejected in pick-and-roll. She's taken a notable leap as a passer, a necessary boost in light of the help she's seeing once she touches the paint.

Nos. 10-6

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10. Jackie Young, Wing, Las Vegas Aces (Previous Rank: 9)

It's been an inconsistent year for Young as she's adjusted to defenses throwing different things at her. A quick example: Young's been blitzed on 7.5 percent of her pick-and-rolls this year, nearly tripling the rate from last season (2.6%).

Zoom out, and Young has quietly bumped up her interior efficiency from last year (50.6% to 51.7%) thanks to increasing comfort with short jumpers and push shots. She's gotten to the line more often, and it's worth keeping an eye on the way she's been driving through some of the aggressive help defense she's seen. That, combined with solid defense amid tough assignments should garner more grace than even I've given her at times this year.

9. Aliyah Boston, Big, Indiana Fever (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)

Boston has grown into one of the most versatile offensive bigs in the league. She's converting a Jokician 55.6 percent of her shots between 3-10 feet while taking over 40 percent of her shots in that range. It's an infuriatingly good counterpunch that she can feast on in pick-and-roll, or when asked to self-create. And on that front, whew buddy have I enjoyed the handoff usage from Boston.

If there's an offensive silver lining to Clark's absence, it's that Boston has been tasked and trusted with expanding her usage. She's had to get the offense from Point B to Point C with side-swapping handoffs; because she's playing with Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull in particular, she's been able to pick out cutting opportunities when they present themselves.

8. Skylar Diggins, Guard, Seattle Storm (Previous Rank: 11)

Diggins having one of the best three-point shooting seasons of her career (38.2% on 3.9 attempts) has been a pleasant surprise, especially within the context of the shooting questions I had for the Storm entering the season.

Beyond that, she's continued to thrive within Seattle's low screen setting. Not many players can keep Diggins away from the rim when she wants to get there, and sending help too early can open up passing windows she's more than willing to hit.

Oh, and she remains a pain to deal with at the point of attack defensively.

7. Nneka Ogwumike, Forward, Seattle Storm (Previous Rank: 7)

The other half of Seattle's dynamic guard-big duo, Ogwumike remains a woefully underrated star in this league. Turn on a Storm game and you're liable to catch Ogwumike chasing down another historic milestone.

Her pick-and-roll-or-pop chemistry with Diggins has popped all year long. The willingness to expand her range (career high 3.4 attempts from deep) has been welcome, though she can still give anyone buckets in the low or mid post when necessary. Defensively, she doesn't blitz as often as we've become accustomed to seeing, but she's still incredibly good at it when it's time to ramp up the pressure.

6. Allisha Gray, Wing, Atlanta Dream (Previous Rank: 20)

What a delight it is to watch a player blossom into the fully-actualized version of themselves.

Gray has (almost) always been able to drive, shoot, make solid passing reads and defend at a high level. This is the first time we've seen her do all of those things with this kind of volume. She's logging career highs in points (18.4), rebounds (5.6), assists (4.0), and overall efficiency (59.5 True Shooting, plus-5.9 above league average).

It's clear she's enjoyed the spacing tweaks and overall freedom given with head coach Karl Smesko's system. Being able to play off the post presence of Bri Jones, Brittney Griner, or both, certainly helps her scoring and playmaking context.

That she's been able to ramp up her usage and efficiency while also defending at a high level—the Dream allow just 0.77 PPP on trips featuring a pick-and-roll defended by Gray, fourth-lowest among "high volume" defenders—is a testament to how awesome she is.

No. 5: Sabrina Ionescu, Guard, New York Liberty

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Preseason Rank: 6 (+1)

This year's numbers: 18.7 points (career high), 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 steals (career high), 0.4 blocks, 2.6 turnovers

Efficiency stats: 45.3% on 2s, 31.1% on 3s, 93.5% on free throws, 53.0 True Shooting (-0.6 above league average)

A similar story resumes for Ionescu: she continues to round out her game while her box score numbers fail to capture all of her growth.

Her overall shotmaking has been below her (and the league average) level, but a peek under the hood reveals more. Her added strength and craft from last season has carried over—and she's parlaying that growth into more foul-drawing (career high 4.7 free-throw attempts). She hasn't knocked down pull-ups at a high clip, but has "quietly" drained over 39% of her catch-and-shoot threes.

I imagine she'll get more of those opportunities once Jonquel Jones is back in the fold.

On the defensive end, Ionescu has seemingly progressed from "she does her job" to "she's just rock-solid on that end now."

If you'd like a fun number: the Liberty are allowing 0.73 PPP on trips featuring a ball screen defended by Ionescu, the lowest mark in the league among 30 players to defend at least 200 of them.

Similar to the preseason piece, I am not here to argue that Ionescu is the best defender in the league based on that number. But it is difficult to get there, especially with Jones missing so much time, without Ionescu at least holding up her end of the bargain.

(Quick aside: I always cackle at Ionescu immediately showing her hands after, like, the second dribble of her opponent's drive. It's a very loud "Hey, ref, just letting you know I am not reaching and I am surely not fouling whatsoever!" maneuver that I've come to appreciate.)

No. 4: Breanna Stewart, Forward, New York Liberty

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Preseason Rank: 3 (-1)

This year's numbers: 19.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists (career high), 1.4 steals, 1.4 blocks, 2.1 turnovers

Efficiency stats: 54.6% on 2s, 20.6% on 3s, 82.1% on free throws, 57.1 True Shooting (+3.5 above league average)

The bad news is that Stewart's deep ball seems to be officially gone. The multi-year (and multi-league, if you count Unrivaled) sample keeps growing, and she's currently having the worst three-point shooting season of her career ... for the second straight season.

The good news, however, is that Stewart is doing virtually everything else sans rebounding at an incredibly high level.

She can still defend, or simply cover for, multiple positions defensively. Transition opportunities with Stewart leading the way, or streaking down the floor, almost always end with a good look.

The playmaking has been fun, a nice mixture of handoff usage, transition dimes, and inverted ball screens that generally put defenses in a blender. She's back to baking helpless defenders in the mid-range, and is even putting her head down and getting to the rim (and free-throw line) more. It's like she's decided, "If I can't hit threes anymore, you're just going to have to deal with me in here."

Defenses largely haven't had fun with that scenario.

No. 3: Alyssa Thomas, Forward, Phoenix Mercury

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Preseason Rank: 4 (+1)

This year's numbers: 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 9.5 assists (career high), 1.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.4 turnovers

Efficiency stats: 52.2% on 2s (career high), 0% on 3s, 69% on free throws, 55.3 True Shooting (career high; +1.7 above league average)

Thomas running an offense isn't a new phenomenon. She did it all the time as a member of the Connecticut Sun, culminating in a near-MVP win during the 2023 season.

We've now reached unforseen levels of ownership taken by Thomas—or given by head coach Nate Tibbetts—that's led to a lot of fun in Phoenix. Two quick numbers, if I may:

• Thomas is bringing the ball up the floor 22.5 times per game this season, up from 16.8 last season
• Thomas has initiated 201 pick-and-rolls so far this season (17 games); she logged 298 all of last season, including the playoffs

Watching guards like Monique Akoa-Makani and Sami Whitcomb screen for Thomas has been a joy to watch; they're physical, they understand angles, and they're legitimate shooting threats in those inverted looks. Defenses never look fully comfortable defending the setup, and Thomas makes it even more untenable by rejecting some of those screens in an effort to get downhill.

The defense remains incredibly rude (complimentary), mostly because you really never know what Thomas is going to do. Sometimes she just drops back; other times, she'll get to the level and drop back. On a different possession, she'll immediately switch before getting into your grill. Depending on the guard, she may just flat-out jump you and see how you handle it.

That mixture of versatility and aggression is what makes Thomas, arguably, the best defender in the league. She's the driving force behind the league's third best defense so far; hopefully this means she'll get real DPOY consideration this year.

No. 2: Napheesa Collier, Forward, Minnesota Lynx

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Preseason Rank: 2

This year's numbers: 23.2 points (career high), 7.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.6 blocks (career high), 2.3 turnovers

Efficiency stats: 57% on 2s (career high), 34.2% on 3s, 94.6% on free throws (career high), 62.1 True Shooting (+8.5 above league average)

There's a sense of inevitability that permeates through Collier these days; it's not if she'll find the weak points of your defense, but when. Quiet starts are generally the precursor to loud, cruel finishes. Hot starts generally put games out of hand before you can blink.

There isn't a thing Collier can't do at this point. While it's still worth keeping a cursory glance at the three-ball, I'm not sure if it even matters at this point. She's so automatic inside the arc, so good at drawing fouls and, because of the way the Lynx are structured, darn near impossible to truly load up against. She just torches you in a myriad of ways, and has the passing chops to keep the machine running if you do try to send extra help.

On the other end, Collier remains one of the league's elite. While Alyssa Thomas and Nneka Ogwumike blow up ball-handlers with hedges and traps, Collier chews up ground on switches to make life difficult. Off the ball, she oscillates between putting out fires at the rim and jumpstarting transition opportunities altogether with her active hands on the perimeter.

I'm in the grace-giving period for our top ranked player—she's earned that!—but Collier has a legitimate Best In The World argument. At the very least, she's the front-runner for this year's MVP award.

No. 1: A'ja Wilson, Big, Las Vegas Aces

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Preseason Rank: 1

This year's numbers: 22.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists (career high), 1.6 steals, 2.4 blocks, 2.1 turnovers

Efficiency stats: 50.8% on 2s, 23.1% on 3s, 82.4% on free throws, 57.6 True Shooting (+3.9 above league average)

On one hand, Wilson is undoubtedly having a down year.

Fresh off a historic, unanimous MVP campaign, her numbers are down almost across the board. She's missed games between concussion protocol and an injury to her right wrist.

On the floor, teams have recently dialed back some of the early double teams and seemingly dared her to make enough long-twos for them to (re)adjust, preserving their extra help for drives. To that end, Wilson has made 41 percent of her non-rim twos this year, a massive drop from last season (46.4%).

On the other hand: do you know how good you have to be for 22-9-3—on well above league-average efficiency despite being double teamed at a higher rate than anyone in the league—plus four "stocks" per game to be considered a down year?

Wilson has continued to grow as a playmaker, bringing the ball up the floor and initiating action more consistently. She remains a versatile pick-and-roll threat, and is the league's most prolific post-up option. The Aces have generated an absurd 1.24 PPP on trips featuring a Wilson post-up.

The defense has been interesting to track this year. Wilson is, often literally, defending in a no-help context. In theory, that limits three-point attempts and keeps the defense out of constant rotation. In practice, it puts unbelievable strain on whoever's defending an action to keep things in front.

Despite the injuries, personnel changes, schematic tweaks, and counters from opponents, Wilson has still been incredibly difficult to deal with on both ends. To drive the point home: the Aces have outscored opponents by 5.2 points per 100 possessions with Wilson on the floor, and have been outscored by nearly 14 points per 100 possessions when she sits.

That's an MVP-level on-off split, though the Aces' record—and the great play of Collier, Thomas, Gray and Liberty Representative—has her on the fringes of that conversation, and rightfully so.

Collier's on her heels—and I don't begrudge anyone that feels she's passed her—but Wilson remains at the top of the list for me.