We're in the 30th year of the WNBA, and it's the best year yet to be a women's basketball fan. As the audience expands, so does the league, with new expansion teams almost every season. The talent pool is also expanding, and players are getting more skilled every year. Even as everyone in the league performs at a high level, some still stand out among the crowd.
As we approach the final stretch of the season, let's take a moment to highlight the best of the best. These are the 30 best performers of the 2026 season so far, judged by their skill level and contributions to winning basketball. Players with a sample size too small to judge reliably will not be included (sorry, Phee).
30-21
30. Sydney Taylor, Chicago Sky
29. Dominque Malonga, Seattle Storm
28. Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks
27. Brittney Sykes, Toronto Tempo
26. Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury
25. Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries
24. Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
23. Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo
22. Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
21. Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics
20. Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces
The floor general of the Aces dynasty, Chelsea Gray is still one of the very best at reading the court and making the right pass. In fact, it’s probably not appreciated just how much the Point Gawd optimizes Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson, and the rest of this Aces roster. Â
How she can get to the next level: Her own scoring is a little streaky. There were some points when she was shooting lights out from deep, but sometimes, she can’t hit those same shots when they really need it.
19. Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx
Natasha Howard is having a wonderful 13th season in the WNBA as she returns to the Lynx. It’s a brand new squad from when she was with them in their last championship season. She has immediate chemistry with rookie point guard Olivia Miles, and their pick-and-roll attack is absolutely devastating to teams like Dallas with weak rim protection. Playing center on a small-ball roster, she is able to contend with much taller players in the paint.Â
How she can get to the next level: She’s in just a bit of a rut right now and seems to have a little more difficulty without Olivia Miles feeding her. To move up, she’d have to prove she can still play at a high level without the rookie point guard on the floor.
18. Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty
Jonquel Jones just completed a historic sweep. She is the first player to win regular-season MVP, Finals MVP, Commissioner’s Cup MVP, and now All-Star MVP. For comparison, only Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James have completed the counterpart sweep. She’s not quite living up to it in the regular season this year, but she’s still a top 20 player at partial strength.Â
How she can get to the next level: In addition to excessive turnovers, Jones is way too passive for a player of her caliber. She needs to get more involved and active on both sides of the ball.
17. Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx
Is it still a bad shot if you make it? In the age of optimized, efficient, post-three-point-revolution hoops, you have to appreciate a good old-fashioned hooper like Courtney Williams. She’s the enemy of the concept of shot selection, and yet she still gets results. She’s excelled back in her natural position and can out-rebound players a foot taller than her. Maybe most importantly, she’s a StudBud. For better or for worse (but always fun), the messy, memable, sweet, honest, unpredictable, and never PR trained twitch duo is the perfect microcosm of the state of the league. Believe It.Â
How she can get to the next level: Look, I know what I said, but if she just took one step back on her signature deep two…Â
16. Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx
The leader in career triples among active players, Kayla McBride is having one of the best stretches of her career. She’s one of the better defensive guards in the league and among the best shooters of all time.Â
How she can get to the next level: It's hard to ask more of her than what she’s doing right now --especially for a 34-year-old vet.Â
15. Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream
The most polarizing player in the league, Angel Reese is a misunderstood and unappreciated young star who is nevertheless quite flawed. Her rebounding is some of the best the sport has ever seen, and her defense is also at a very high level. Her mistakes are loud, but she’s a great player.Â
How she can get to the next level: Most urgently, she needs to improve her finishing. If she can get to 50% shooting from the field, that’s a good start.Â
14. Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries
In their inaugural season, the Golden State Valkyries outperformed reasonable expectations and managed to make the playoffs, but the signing of Gabby Williams turned them into a true contender in their second year. She’s a DPOTY candidate while also being the Valkyries' highest scorer.Â
How she can get to the next level: Offensive reliability. She’s averaging 14.9 points, but she’s scored as few as two points in a game.Â
13. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
After being in MVP conversations last year, Allisha Gray has regressed slightly but remains an essential piece of Atlanta’s offense. A well-rounded 6’0” guard, she probably can’t be the best player on a championship team, but behind Howard, it’s easy to see how the Dream could click into place.Â
How she can get to the next level: Atlanta have gotten themselves in some pretty bad cold stretches where they desperately needed someone to step up and shoot them out of it, and no one did. Getting Gray’s 3-point shot back to where it was last year would be huge for the Dream.
12. Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings
Jessica Shepard is precarious to rank. On one hand, her numbers are extraordinary. Averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists has never been done before in the W. It’s an incredibly impressive leap from last year. On the other hand, the defense… If you’re this good on offense, you don’t need to be a great defender; you just need to be passable. The problem is, sometimes, she’s not. She’s an elite scorer, rebounder, and playmaker, but her defense risks making her a liability in the playoffs.Â
How she can get to the next level: She just recorded her first two blocks of the season (except in the All-Star Game), so I’d start with getting some more of those.Â
11. Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics
The 2025 Rookie of the Year runner-up is still only 22. That makes her younger than many of the current rookies. Sonia Citron is rapidly improving into one of the brightest young stars in the WNBA. The silent, nonchalant assassin is also proving to be one of the most clutch players in the league.
How she can get to the next level: What the heck happened to her three-ball? Last year, she led the league in three-point percentage with 44.5%, and now she’s well under 30%. If she can find that again and combine it with her substantial improvements in every other part of her game, the league is in trouble.Â
10. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
One third of the Fever’s scary big three, Aliyah Boston is responsible for anchoring a team otherwise lacking in defense and post moves. Even with their other talent and stars, Indiana is very reliant on Boston, and her health is of the utmost importance.
How she can get to the next level: Stay on the floor. The fouling needs to go down, especially on the offensive end.
9. Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
Being in A’ja Wilson’s shadow has made Jackie Young probably a little overlooked in the success of this Aces team. She’s similarly versatile and dangerous on both ends of the field. The former first-overall pick is a perfect Robin to Wilson’s Batman and not one to underestimate.Â
How she can get to the next level: Aces are a top-heavy team with little margin for error. If both stars play at a high level, they’re gonna win; otherwise probably not. A’ja Wilson shows up every day; Jackie Young, most days. Reliability is the difference between the very best and the next stage down.Â
8. Kelsey Plum, Phoenix Mercury
It’s easy to forget Plum Dawg was getting MVP buzz before she went down with an injury. She could be the best offensive weapon in the league—which is why a Phoenix Mercury team desperate to make the postseason traded for her.
How she can get to the next level: Since her injury, the Sparks offense has plummeted… but the defense has improved by almost as much. It’s that.
7. Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
As a first-round pick still waiting for the MVP jump, Rhyne Howard is one of the best two-way players in the W right now. The leader in 3s attempted, her shooting has regressed to the mean after a strong start to the season, but she remains the engine of this Atlanta team
How she can get to the next level: Her scoring has not been strong enough to sustain the First Team All-WNBA pace she started on. She’s had entirely too many scoreless halves recently to be a top five player in the league
6. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Kelsey Mitchell is the platonic ideal of a shooting guard. She will get you points. She’s not a “passing guard” or a “rebounding guard”; she’s a shooting guard, and shooters shoot. When you’re this good at it, who needs anything else? There’s no player for whom size matters less. She’ll drive on anyone and probably come out with a bucket.  Â
How she can get to the next level: Mitchell does everything she needs to for her role; she scores at a high volume efficiently. Cracking the top 5 requires more elite skills just beyond scoring.
5. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
The most hyped prospect in history, Caitlin Clark has yet to take the crown in the pros, but a career-best 45-point, 10-assist game against Seattle is a reminder of her insane potential. It’s been a rocky season for her, but she’s been healthy for an extended time, and her shooting and passing are still generational.Â
How she can get to the next level: Her defense has improved just enough that it can be hidden by her teammates in a good system. I’m more worried about consistency. If she’s shooting well, all of her other flaws become irrelevant.Â
4. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
It’s not hard to imagine that without such poor injury luck, Stewie would be in the GOAT conversation, but it feels almost cruel to dwell on that instead of her incredible accomplishments with the hand she was dealt. She’s poetry in motion with her 7’1“ wingspan and her slithery movement. She’s so visceral that it's almost impossible to remember how good she is between the moments when you're actually watching her play. As shaky as New York has been this year, the issue is never her.
How she can get to the next level: Been there, done that.
3. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
She was already one of the best guards in the league in her rookie season on an abysmal Dallas team, but the stronger, more polished second-year player on a ready-to-win team is the best version of Paige Bueckers yet. She’s the platonic ideal of a three-level scorer and a well-rounded combo guard. She’s the kind of player you dream of when your team is in dire straits, and you need a savior from the draft. She’s also frustratingly unhatable. Who can resist getting a little excited when she’s cooking, even when it’s your favorite team on the receiving end?
How she can get to the next level: First of all, there is another level. She’s going to be the one to break the guard MVP drought; I’m calling it right now. And the answer is: be more assertive. We all know you’re a great teammate, Paige, but you gotta be selfish when you’re this good.Â
2. A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Those watching the World Cup this year might have noticed that, despite probably being the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi was sort of not great at penalty kicks. Similarly, LeBron James was never a fantastic free-throw shooter. Tom Brady’s didn’t have speed. A’ja Wilson has nothing. She’s the perfect basketball player. She can drive, finish, defend, shoot, dribble, etc etc etc. Her most underrated trait is her durability; she very rarely gets injured. We are in the A’ge of A’ja, the prime of the greatest player to grace the WNBA court so far. Wilson is possibly the most dominant player on both sides of the court. The top two are basically interchangeable, and you could easily move her to #1.Â
How she can get to the next level: Literally nothing. There are no holes in her game whatsoever. She is the fully evolved version of her archetype.
1. Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
Olivia Miles is a winner. The rookie is both the beating heart and the brain of this unstoppable Minnesota team. She's #1 on this list because not only is she about as individually talented as anyone (fearless to drive on A’ja in their only meeting so far), she is also a player who makes her teammates so much better. Who expected 34-year-old Kayla McBride and Natasha Howard to be this good? Who expected this whole team to be this good? The Lynx’s offense is a beautiful, well-oiled machine, and she's the one behind the wheel. She's an extraordinary facilitator and bucket getter as well as a strong rebounder and a surprisingly pesky defender. The playoffs will be another test for the rookie sensation, but so far she has been the best player in the 2026 WNBA season.
How she can get to the next level: This question is the key to Miles’s success. She’s never stagnant. Cheryl Reeve described her as a “sponge,” excited to absorb information and advice. Early in the season, 3-point shooting was considered her weakness, with concerns that defenses would force her to shoot. Since then, she has snuck up to a very respectable 38% from deep. She’s endlessly adaptable and constantly finding new ways to elevate herself and teammates.Â
Honorable Mentions:
- Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks
- Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky
- Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
- Carla Leite, Portland Fire
- Natisha Hiedeman, Seattle Storm
- Bridget Carleton, Portland Fire
- NaLyssa Smith, Las Vegas Aces
- Janelle Salaun, Golden State Valkyries
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