Sparks Ballot Failure Leaves 85 of 180 WNBA Players Counted in All-Star Vote

Q: Why is Caitlin Clark an All-Star starter when her peers ranked her as the 11th-best guard?

Caitlin Clark is an All-Star starter because WNBA starters are not chosen by player vote alone. The league uses a weighted formula in which fans count for 50% of the result, while current players and media each count for 25%. Clark’s peer ranking was low — 11th among guards — but she finished second in fan voting and third in media voting. Those stronger results carried much more weight overall and gave her a weighted score of 4.5, which was enough to place her among the starting guards. The low player turnout also matters. Fewer than half of WNBA players, about 85 of 180, submitted ballots, and some teams had ballot-delivery problems, including the Sparks. That means the player portion reflected only a limited share of the league. Her on-court production also supports why fans and media rated her highly. Clark is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists and 4 rebounds, with her assist average ranking near the top of the league. In other words, the final result reflects the league’s voting system: broad fan support and strong media backing outweighed a weak showing in player voting. The same pattern appeared elsewhere in the voting. Kelsey Plum ranked only 12th with players but much higher with fans and media, showing that large gaps between peer voting and the final outcome were not unique to Clark.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 3

Some Los Angeles Sparks players never received All-Star ballots before results were released Thursday, leaving the WNBA's player-vote portion incomplete.
About 85 of the league's minimum 180 players cast ballots, even though player voting carries 25% of the weighted formula for selecting starters; fans and media supply the other 75%.
The shortfall showed up in the rankings: Sparks guard Kelsey Plum placed 12th among guards in player voting despite ranking fifth with media and sixth with fans, while Caitlin Clark was 11th with players but still made the starting backcourt.
July 25 is the All-Star Game date in Chicago, and coaches still must choose reserves in a separate vote that excludes their own players.