Reese: Dream's All-Star snubs 'a slap in the face'...

Kareem CopelandJul 2, 2026, 07:58 PM ET

A frustrated Angel Reese spoke out on behalf of her teammates Thursday, saying it was "disrespectful" that no one on the Atlanta Dream was selected as a starter for the WNBA All-Star Game.

The Dream (12-7) were in first place in the Eastern Conference heading into Thursday's game against the host Washington Mystics and fourth in the overall standings, just three games back of first place.

Reese, a two-time All-Star, was especially upset for Dream veteran guards Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.

"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."

Paige Bueckers, Olivia Miles, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell were announced as starters among guards, while A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, Aliyah Boston, Gabby Williams and Natasha Howard earned nods in the frontcourt.

All-Star starters are decided by a combination of fan, media and player votes. The fan vote accounted for 50% of each player's weighted score, while the media and player votes accounted for 25% each. The four guards and six frontcourt players with the best scores were named starters.

Howard and Gray had the fifth- and sixth-highest scores among guards; Reese was seventh among frontcourt players.

Howard and Gray rank 12th and 13th in the league, respectively, in scoring, and both are two of the top 3-point shooters in the game. Reese noted that Howard and Dream guard Jordin Canada rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in steals per game.

Reese leads the league in rebounds (11.6), is No. 24 in scoring (14.8) and is one of just two players who average a double-double, along with Shepard, who was voted a starter. Gray and Reese rank No. 9 and No. 10 in defensive win shares, with Canada (No. 12) and Howard (No. 16) not far behind.

"Congrats to the ones that were nominated, they were well-deserved," Reese said. "But it's a very big shocker to see that none of us were starters, especially where we are as a team in the league.

"I'm sure we're still going to be All-Stars. I have no doubt in my mind that we still will be, but I think it is important to note that none of us were starters on a team that has had so much success this year."

Howard was ranked No. 9 among guards in fan voting, No. 4 by the media and No. 2 by the players. Gray was No. 7 among guards in fan voting, No. 8 by the media and No. 6 by players.

Reese was ranked No. 6 by fans, media and players.

By comparison with the Indiana Fever starting trio, Clark was No. 2 and Mitchell was No. 3 among guards in fan voting, while Boston was No. 1 among frontcourt players.

Reese said she wishes Dream fans would have galvanized around their players more.

"I haven't really said much this year in the media, because honestly it's been tough for me over the last two years," Reese said. "But I feel like it was important for me to speak for my teammates that don't necessarily speak for themselves all the time.

"I know the work they put in. I know the reason why I'm in Atlanta is because of them. I know that the team success is based off those two as well."