The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game is exactly 30 days away, scheduled for Saturday, July 25. As part of the league’s 30th-anniversary celebration, this year’s edition will feature a significant format change, specifically in how the All-Star rosters are drafted.

According to a post shared on Yahoo Sports‘ X handle, the drafting will not be handled by active players this year. Instead, two WNBA legends will serve as honorary general managers for All-Star weekend, responsible for building their respective rosters from a pool of 22 All-Stars.

In previous editions, the draft was conducted by active player captains. After voting (split between 50% fan votes, 25% active player votes, and 25% sports media votes) and after WNBA head coaches selected their reserves, the top two vote getters became team captains. Those captains would then conduct a pickup-game style, televised draft, taking turns in picking from the remaining All-Star pool to form the two opposing rosters.

The format will not apply in 2026. While the voting process remains largely unchanged, the draft itself will. Two WNBA legends will step in as honorary GMs and select their roster directly from the All-Star players’ pool.

The change is being framed as a tribute to the league’s 30th anniversary. And the history behind it gives the decision real weight. The players who entered the WNBA during its inaugural 1997 season did so in a professional landscape that was deeply skeptical of women’s basketball. Over three decades, that foundational generation helped establish the league’s credibility, grow its fanbase and define it’s identity.

By bringing those figures back in a functional capacity and not just as ceremonial guests, the league is acknowledging that the WNBA today cannot be separated from who built it. Also, the format change carries a subtle practical benefit. The old captain-led draft regularly produced tense television moments, with active players visibly navigating the politics of picking friends, rivals or teammates in public. Removing that from the equation eliminates a recurring source of awkwardness and backlash.

Whether the format will extend beyond this season is unclear. The league has specifically framed it as a 30th-anniversary tribute, suggesting it may not carry forward. But now that we have the format in place, what about the player pool?

WNBA All-Star voting 2026: Who is making the cut?

Fan voting for the All-Star pool is still underway. The league’s second official return show Indiana Fever stars Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark at the top of the field. Boston holds the No.1 spot with 683,996 votes. On the other hand, Clark is second with 670,510 votes.

This marks a gradual shift from the first returns, where A’ja Wilson and Paige Bueckers occupied the top two positions. Boston was third in that release with 282,186 votes, while Clark was fifth with 252,602 votes. Wilson and Bueckers have since dropped to third and fourth, respectively.

Caitlin Clark has always topped the fan voting conversation since entering the WNBA. With these latest returns, however, it appears like this year, her teammate Boston may finally be breaking that pattern.

Voting, however, still carries on until Saturday, June 27. After that, player and media votes will follow, after which we could probably get a better idea of this season’s All-Star pool.

Perhaps Clark might eventually take over her regular top spot in fan voting or maybe this time, her teammate might be at the top for a change. Nevertheless, this year’s WNBA All-Star weekend promises tons of excitement, especially with such a tight race amongst the league’s superstars in the All-Star voting process.