The WNBA announced its starters and reserves for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game, with three players officially representing the Minnesota Lynx.
Lynx rookie guard Olivia Miles and veteran forward Natasha Howard have been named starters, the fifth time in franchise history the Lynx have had numerous players named as All-Star starters. Days later, veteran guard Courtney Williams was selected as a reserve, marking the eighth time in franchise history — and second consecutive year — the Lynx will be sending three players to the All-Star Game.
Along with Miles and Howard, Paige Bueckers (Dallas), Caitlin Clark (Indiana), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas), Breanna Stewart (New York), Jessica Shepard (Dallas), Aliyah Boston (Indiana) and Gabby Williams (Golden State) round out the list of starters.
Miles — the only rookie starter in the All-Star Game — finished second in voting among backcourt players, behind only Paige Bueckers, ranking fifth in fan voting, first in media voting and third in player voting.
Howard finished sixth in voting among frontcourt players, ranking seventh in fan voting, fourth in media voting and fifth in player voting.
On July 7, Williams and 11 other players were selected as reserves by the WNBA’s 15 head coaches. Joining Williams is Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles), Kiki Iriafen (Washington), Jonquel Jones (New York), Dominique Malonga (Seattle), Angel Reese (Atlanta), Sonia Citron (Washington), Allisha Gray (Atlanta), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta), Marina Mabrey (Toronto), Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas).
Now with the pool of players announced, WNBA legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will act as honorary general managers and will draft rosters as part of the league’s 30th season celebration.
Rookie Making History
For Miles, this honor is just the latest accolade to recognize what has been an impressive start to her rookie campaign and WNBA career.
As the only rookie to be part of the group of starters in the All-Star Game, she is the 11th rookie in league history to be making a start in the annual midseason game. Maya Moore (2011) was the other Lynx rookie to do so.
Miles has been on a tear this season, putting the league on notice right out of the gate and proving to be a must-watch show every time she steps on the floor. Through 20 games, Miles is averaging 18.5 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals over 30.6 minutes per game, shooting 50.6% from the field and 30.9% from three.
She leads all rookies in scoring and assists, also ranking eighth in assists in the WNBA. Oh, and she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach at least 350 points and 100 assists.
Vet Revitalizing Her Career
For Howard, this is her third selection as an All-Star, but first since last doing wo with New York in 2022.
After returning to the Lynx this offseason — a team she won a WNBA Championship with in 2017 — Howard has rejuvenated her career at the age of 34 and is enjoying one of the best seasons of her lengthy career here in 2026.
Through 21 games, Howard has averaged 17.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals over 29.6 minutes while shooting 59.8% from the field. Her point and rebound totals are the highest since she set career-highs of 18.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game with Seattle in 2019 — a year she finished fifth in MVP voting.
Howard is enjoying one heck of a year back with Cheryl Reeve in Minnesota. And this honor is in recognition of that and what she has been able to accomplish to this point in a Lynx uniform.
Buhlieve It
Williams is having the best season she’s had in a Lynx uniform in 2026 and is having one of the best overall seasons of her career in her 11th career year. That is in part due to her moving back to her more natural position of being off ball rather than the primary point guard, something that has opened up her game and freed her up to get back to the Williams we’ve all known to this point in her career.
As a result, Williams has been recognized for those efforts, earning her third All-Star selection and second straight honor.
Photo credit: Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images
Through 21 games, Williams averaged 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals over 30.4 minutes while shooting 46.6% from the field and 41.7% from three. Her scoring and rebound totals are the highest they’ve been in a Lynx uniform, with her 16.2 points being the second-most of her career behind only her 2021 season when she averaged a career-high 16.5 points in an All-Star campaign with Atlanta.
You can tell Williams loves playing with fellow guard Miles, and moving back to the off-ball guard spot has been a natural transition back for the veteran guard — and you can see it in her play that she is enjoying every moment of it. Buhlieve it.