The 20 Best WNBA Players Right Now (Updated)

Team: Minnesota Lynx
Last Ranking: –
2026 Stats: 18.2 PPG 3.6 REB 2.3 AST 46%/40%/91%
The fiery veteran is enjoying perhaps her best season yet, averaging a career-high in points in her 13th season. Along with Courtney Williams, she deserves a lot of credit for holding down the Lynx defense with 2025 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier missing the team’s first 27 games. But she’s also been a clutch shooter for the Lynx, knocking down over 40 percent from deep. —Thomas Golianopoulos

Team: Phoenix Mercury
Last Ranking: 18
2026 Stats: 20.5 PPG 3.7 REB 1.8 AST 42%/27%/81%
Though Copper’s scoring declined during her second season in Phoenix (down from 21.1 PPG in 2024), she turned it on in the postseason. As the Robin to Alyssa Thomas’ Batman, Cooper had a hand in leading the Mercury to the WNBA Finals. Now in season eleven, she’s still one of the most feared offensive players in the league, especially from long range. Even though the Mercury have been a disappointment this season, Copper is not to blame as she ranks just outside the top five in scoring. —TG

Team: Las Vegas Aces
Last Ranking: 17
2026 Stats: 12.6 PPG 3.5 REB 7.3 AST 44%/39%/94%
The Las Vegas Aces’ floor general, a three-time WNBA champion, is one of those players whose winning attributes don’t really come across in the box score. In a recent ESPN survey, WNBA general managers named Gray the league’s best point guard, the player they most trusted to take a winning shot, the best passer, highest basketball IQ, and the current active player who’d make the best head coach. —TG

Team: Minnesota Lynx
Last Ranking: –
2026 Stats: 15.8 PPG 7.9 REB 3.1 AST 58%/ 16%/70%
Howard has rebounded following a down season with the Indiana Fever in 2025, during which she never seemed to gel with the team’s trio of stars. She’s having no problem fitting in in Minnesota though where she won a championship in 2017; Howard also won chips with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020. A 13-year veteran, she’s in the midst of her best season since pre-COVID, shooting a career high from the field while holding down the Lynx front line. — TG

Team: Atlanta Dream
Last Ranking: 13
2026 Stats: 17.6 PPG 4 REB 3.4 AST 40%/35%/86%
Rhyne Howard, the other half of the Atlanta Dream’s backcourt duo, delivered a career-defining season in 2025 filled with milestones. She earned her third consecutive All-Star selection and set a franchise record while tying the WNBA record with nine three-pointers in a single game. Howard also reached 2,000 career points and, in June, became the fastest player in league history to hit 300 career three-pointers, doing so in just 114 games—further establishing herself as one of the league’s premier scorers. —Bryanna Symone

Team: Golden State Valkyries
Last Ranking: –
2026 Stats: 14.8 PPG 3.3 REB 2.2 AST 41%/34%/72%
Defense has been Gabby Williams’ calling card dating back to her days at UConn. Last season, as a member of the Seattle Storm, she led the WNBA in steals and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. She’s been even better this season with the Golden State Valkyries, the surprise team in the WNBA. Thanks to Williams, the Valkyries sport the best team defensive rating in the league. But Williams has also emerged as one of the top two-way players around. She’s taken more responsibility on offense this season and is averaging a career high in points and 3-point percentage. —TG

Team: Phoenix Mercury
Last Ranking: 5
2026 Stats: 14.4 PPG 7 REB 8.3 AST 50%/ 0%/68%
A six-time WNBA All-Star, Thomas had her best season in Year 12. The now 34-year-old forward is one of the most versatile player in the league and also its best playmaker. In her first season in Phoenix, Thomas led the league in assists, broke the season assist record, and recorded more triple-doubles (eight) than the rest of the league combined. It was enough to get the Mercury to the WNBA Finals, where they were swept by the juggernaut Aces. Though Phoenix opened the season primed for another deep playoff run, they struggled out the gates and currently sit outside the Top 8 with a 11-18 record. —TG

Team: Los Angeles Sparks
Last Ranking: 15
2026 Stats: 17.1 PPG 9.1 REB 2.8 AST 52%/39%/85%
Nneka Ogwumike, a 14-year WNBA veteran, remained a consistent and dominant force for the Seattle Storm last season. She now ranks sixth on the league’s all-time scoring list, surpassing 7,000 career points. Ogwumike is known not only for her impact on the court but also for her leadership. She serves as president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and was named the 2025 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award winner. She also played a critical role in CBA negotiations. This season, Ogwumike returns to the Los Angeles Sparks, the franchise that originally drafted her. —BS

Team: Las Vegas Aces
Last Ranking: 9
2026 Stats: 16.7 PPG 4.4 REB 6.8 AST 47%/36%/93%
Jackie Young, long known for her quiet but lethal playing style, stepped into a stronger leadership role last season. As one-third of the Las Vegas Aces core, Young helped steady the team after an early .500 start, using her efficiency and consistency to guide them on another championship run. By season’s end, she added yet another title to her résumé, becoming a three-time WNBA champion. Still under 28, Young has firmly cemented her place among the league’s elite, building an impressive legacy in the past eight years. Young has rebounded nicely following a slow start to the season. —BS

Team: Atlanta Dream
Last Ranking: 6
2026 Stats: 19.1 PPG 3.2 REB 2.3 AST 45%/32%/75%
Allisha Gray, long known for her dynamic two-way play, put the league on notice. Last season marked a true breakout for the Atlanta Dream guard, as she fully stepped into her own. The 2017 Rookie of the Year delivered the best statistical campaign of her career, highlighted by setting a franchise record with 773 points in a single season. She also helped lead the Dream to the No. 3 seed in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs before they were eliminated by the Indiana Fever. —BS

Team: New York Liberty
Last Ranking: 14
2026 Stats: 14.8 PPG 3.7 REB 4.1 AST 39%/31%/89%
Ionescu is one of the league’s best playmakers and an elite ballhandler but there are still some concerns about her game. Though she has the reputation of a sniper from deep, her 3-point shooting has plummeted since hitting 44 percent in 2023, dropping down to 29 percent last season. Ionescu has also struggled with injuries. She missed time last season with toe, foot, and neck injuries, and was inactive for the first two weeks of this season after rolling her ankle in the Liberty’s final preseason game. Ionescu returned but then missed more time with a back injury. Now back on the court, she is starting to resemble the four-time All-Star who led the Liberty to the 2024 WNBA Championship. But hopes are still high for this Liberty team. There are few things more exciting in the WNBA than Ionescu running the pick and roll or pushing the ball in transition. —TG

Team: Dallas Wings
Last Ranking: 12
2026 Stats: 14.9 PPG 12 REB 5.4 AST 59%/0%/73%
Shepard, a 6-foot 4-inch forward out of Notre Dame, has become a star in season six, her first with the Dallas Wings after signing as a free agent this spring. A frontrunner for Most Improved Player of the Year, Shepard is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists, and is a triple-double threat each time she steps onto the floor. She has already been named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week twice this season. —TG

Team: Indiana Fever
Last Ranking: 11
2026 Stats: 17.3 PPG 8.5 REB 2.8 AST 52%/46%/80%
Aliyah Boston has been a major force behind the Indiana Fever’s success, even as the team battled multiple injuries. Just three years into her career, Boston has already stepped into a significant leadership role. She led the league in field goal percentage for part of the season at 59.7% and finished with an impressive 53.8% overall. She also became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 rebounds. The 3x All-Star is making history off the court as well. This offseason, she signed a four-year, $6.3 million extension with the Fever—the richest total salary in league history to date. —BS

Team: Indiana Fever
Last Ranking: 7
2026 Stats: 23.3 PPG 1.7 REB 2.7 AST 49%/ 42%/ 84%
Kelsey Mitchell has established herself as one of the league’s most prolific scorers. She became the first player in Indiana Fever history to average over 20 points per game and capped off the season with 11 career 30-point performances, surpassing franchise legend Tamika Catchings. With the Fever battling injuries and star guard Caitlin Clark sidelined for more than half the season, Mitchell stepped up in a major way, leading Indiana to a No. 6 seed and a semifinal run. —BS

Team: Indiana Fever
Last Ranking: 10
2026 Stats: 21 PPG 3.8 REB 7.9 AST 43%/34%/86%
Clark—the biggest attraction in the WNBA and its greatest lightning rod—has rebound from a disappointing 2025. Soft tissue injuries (quad and groin strains) limited her to 13 games last season and she struggled during her time on the court. Clark’s turnover issues as a rookie carried over into Year Two and though it’s a small sample size, her shooting percentage dropped during her sophomore campaign. Still, Clark has the potential to be the best player in the WNBA. Despite leading the league in assists as a rookie, she’s an underrated playmaker. She has unlimited range on her jumper, can get to the bucket with ease and, more impressively, has the ability to finish at the rim. All of her skills were on display during a virtuoso 45-point 10-assist performance against the Storm in mid-July. —TG

Team: Minnesota Lynx
Last Ranking: 4
2025 Stats: 19.3 PPG 4.7 REB 5.9 AST 49%/35%/87%
The most exciting player in the WNBA this season is a 5-foot 10-inch rookie out of Notre Dame with a throwback look and a futuristic game. Miles is quick and smart, relying more on guile than explosive athleticism. She’s a master of pace and tempo with elite court vision—there are shades of Luka in her game—and she can score at all three levels. Perhaps most impressive: She’s winning. Despite Napheesa Collier missing the first 27 games of the season, the Minnesota Lynx currently have the best record in the WNBA.—TG

Team: Minnesota Lynx
Last Ranking: –
2026 Stats: 19.5 PPG 8 REB 2 AST 45%/22%/87%
After missing the first two months of the season following offseason surgeries on both ankles, Phee is back. Surprisingly, the Minnesota Lynx didn’t miss a beat without her in the lineup thanks to runaway Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles and throwback seasons from vets Kayla McBride and Natasha Howard. Still, the Lynx will need Collier at full strength if they’re to win their first WNBA title since 2017. Collier notched career highs in points, blocks, and field goal percentage last season, while finishing second in the MVP voting. —TG

Team: New York Liberty
Last Ranking: 2
2026 Stats: 21.1 PPG 8.6 REB 3 AST 46%/26%/85%
Breanna Stewart built an elite résumé long before entering the WNBA. Since being drafted in 2016, it’s only grown stronger. Now a three-time champion, two-time league MVP, two-time Finals MVP, and eight-time All-Star, her list of accolades continues to expand. During the 2025 season, Stewart remained a cornerstone for New York, delivering another dominant year and reinforcing her leadership on both ends of the floor. After a first-round playoff exit last season, she’s entering the new campaign focused on bringing another championship back to the city. —BS

Team: Las Vegas Aces
Last Ranking: 1
2026 Stats: 26.1 PPG 9.5 REB 3 AST 53%/44%/ 84%
The only four-time MVP in WNBA history is the undisputed best player in the game and the greatest player in league history. Wilson, 29, is a three-level scorer, who can pound in the paint, step back and pop a three, and get to the line with ease. That she plays her best in big moments is another of her superpowers. Wilson’s sublime offensive game sometimes overshadows her prowess on the defensive end. But she’s a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and near the top of the league leaders in rebounds, blocks, and steals. Alongside Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, Wilson and Aces are the favorite to bring home their fourth title in five years. —TG