On July 2, Caitlin Clark earned her third consecutive All-Star spot when she was named among the July 25 All-Star Game starters. However, her All-Star status has generated debate. Last year, she was voted the 9th-best guard by her colleagues, but this year they ranked her even lower at 11th. Now, 3-time WNBA champion Candice Parker has joined the voices triggered by the ranking discrepancy.
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“Caitlin Clark was voted the 11th-best guard by WNBA players. I wholeheartedly believe there need to be some rules with the WNBA player voting. This is getting out of hand,” Parker said in the introductory clip for the next episode of Post Moves.
While we’ll have to wait for Parker’s full comments on the situation until the next episode drops, journalists such as Annie Costabile and Christine Brennan have already highlighted the discrepancy in player votes.
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“There is no way Caitlin Clark is the 11th best guard in the league,” said Costabile, who is the senior writer for The Athletic.
“That’s just factually incorrect based on statistics and, obviously, where the Fever are at. So I would just say to the players, y’all let your personal feelings factor into this decision, clearly. I think that’s questionable, to say the least.”
The players account for 25% of the votes. In addition, the 2026 player voting process generated controversy immediately after the results. According to an ESPN report, only 85 of the WNBA’s roughly 180 players submitted their ballots to pick the All-Star starters.
Caitlin Clark has averaged a career-best 21.2 points per game, which is the fourth-highest in the league. She is also averaging 8.2 assists, the second-best number in the league. Clark is shooting a career-high 43% from the field. However, players ranked Clark behind Paige Bueckers, Rhyne Howard, Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron, Marina Mabrey, Allisha Gray, and Kelsey Mitchell. All are behind Clark in scoring and assists this season, apart from Mitchell.
It’s unlikely that the WNBA will regulate how players vote when it comes to the All-Star selection process. However, the mismatch between the players and the rest of the voters, including the media, has been large enough to turn into a point of contention.