Angel Reese Calls All-Star Snub a 'Slap in the Face' with No Dream Players Named Starters

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese said it was a "slap in the face" that no Dream player was named a starter for the WNBA All-Star Game. In particular, she stood up for her teammates, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, per ESPN's Kareem Copeland.

"I expect to be disrespected," Reese said.

"For those two though, I think they work so hard and they put a lot of work in, and the way that they're guarded every game and they [have to] adjust. The reason why we're where we are is because of those two.

"For us not to have anyone was just a slap in the face, but they're not going to say anything. I am."

Four guards and six frontcourt players were named as starters. They are as follows.

Guards

• Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)
• Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings)
• Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx)
• Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever)

Frontcourt

• A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
• Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty)
• Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever)
• Jessica Shepard (Dallas Wings)
• Natasha Howard (Minnesota Lynx)
• Gabby Williams (Golden State Valkyries)

Per ESPN's Michael Voepel, 50 percent of the vote goes to fans, and then 25 percent each goes to current players and a media panel. Specifically, players and media panelists completed one ballot and were asked to list four guards and six frontcourt players.

Both Howard and Gray, on their own merits, have cases to be named All-Star starters.

Howard has averaged 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Gray has posted 18.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per contest.

Unfortunately, only four starting guard positions are available, and the quartet of players who got chosen have great cases as well.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is averaging 21.2 points and 8.2 assists.

Dallas Fever guard Paige Bueckers is scoring 19.9 points on 51.3 percent shooting alongside 5.9 assists per game.

Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles is starring for the WNBA's first place team while averaging 18.7 points on 51.9 percent shooting, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 21.6 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from three-point range.

As far as Reese herself goes, she has a case to be named a reserve as she averages her third double-double (14.8 PPG, 11.6 RPG) in as many years.

While the 12-8 Dream, which sit fourth in the WNBA standings, didn't get any All-Star starters, it's certainly possible a few make the All-Star Game as reserves. Twelve reserves will be chosen this year by league head coaches: three guards, five frontcourt players and two players from either position group.

Howard and Gray finished fifth and sixth on the guards list for the starters voting, so one can safely presume they should make the game as reserves.

Of note, Howard finished second among guards for players (Clark, of note, took 11th) but was doomed by a ninth-place fans vote. She should be in Chicago on Saturday, July 25 for the All-Star Game alongside Gray.

Reese should be there too. She finished sixth in the fan, player and media vote but ultimately ended up seventh, one spot outside the starter cutoff.

In the meantime, Atlanta is hoping to continue its good season on Saturday at home against the Golden State Valkyries.