Angel Reese Gets Left Off the WNBA All-Star Top 10 — And the Fans Just Redefined Who Matters Most
It started with numbers.
A long list. Cold. Unbiased. Brutally honest.
At the very top: Caitlin Clark.
Over half a million votes — 515,993, to be exact.
And then, you kept scrolling.
Down past All-Stars. Past MVPs.
Past rising rookies, past longtime vets.
And you still didn’t see her.
No Angel Reese.
Not in the top 5.
Not in the top 10.
Thirteenth.
In a season where the media crowned her “the new face of the league,”
In a league that has wrapped much of its marketing strategy around her charisma and polarizing energy,
Angel Reese didn’t crack the top 10 in fan votes for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.
To some, it was surprising.
To others, it was inevitable.
But to everyone paying attention — it was louder than a press release.
Because what the fans just did wasn’t just vote.
They made a statement.
The Caitlin Clark Machine Just Changed the Rules
Let’s start with the obvious: Caitlin Clark didn’t just top the vote totals. She rewrote what that means.
With over 515,000 votes, she’s the only player to cross the half-million mark this year. The next closest? Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier, with 485,000. And third? Indiana’s own Aaliyah Boston, at 447,000.
That’s three players pulling away from the pack. And two of them are on the same team.
Then it gets crazier. Kelsey Mitchell — another Fever player — is sitting around 277,000. Lexie Hull? Over 217,000. Even Natasha Howard is hanging on at 16th, with Sophie Cunningham climbing from 23rd.
That’s potentially five Indiana Fever players in serious All-Star contention.
Five.
This isn’t a fluke.
This is a wave.
And at the center of it? Clark’s fan base — relentless, massive, and now, undeniable.
They’re not just voting for Clark. They’re pulling her whole team into the spotlight with her.
Angel Reese, The Headlines, And The Unexpected Gap
Meanwhile, Angel Reese — arguably the most media-hyped name in the league this year — found herself sitting at 13th.
Roughly 173,000 votes.
Behind rookies.
Behind bench players.
Behind players with far fewer national interviews or magazine covers.
And certainly behind Kiki Iriafen, a first-year name with more than 213,000 votes.
It’s a jarring contrast for a player Forbes dubbed one of the “drivers of WNBA growth.” For a player who’s led in social media followers. For a player who — by all external appearances — has had the league wrapped around her storyline.
But the fans saw something else.
And they made that clear.
Why Reese’s Numbers Fell Short — And What Fans Are Really Saying
Let’s get one thing straight: Angel Reese is not irrelevant. She’s got impact. She’s generating attention. Her college legacy and her fierce playing style still matter.
But when it comes to fans casting ballots? Emotion trumps narrative. Performance outweighs potential.
Reese has had a solid rookie campaign — but not a historic one. Her stats are respectable, but not spectacular. Her play has had flashes of dominance, but also inconsistency. Her team isn’t leading the standings. And her on-court efficiency has been a point of scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark is breaking records in real time. She’s producing triple-doubles. She’s carrying a franchise on national television every week. She’s redefining what “rookie” even means.
And here’s the key difference: Clark connects.
With kids, with parents, with basketball purists, with casual viewers. The crowd that shows up for her isn’t just loud — it’s cross-generational. It’s cultural. And it’s organized.
Her fans aren’t voting out of curiosity.
They’re voting with conviction.
Every vote is a pushback — against what they see as the league downplaying her influence.
The Media Said One Thing. The Fans Said Another.
All season long, Angel Reese has been positioned by sports media as the next big thing. And to be fair — she might still be. Her personality, her social savvy, and her comfort in the spotlight are powerful assets.
But this All-Star vote reveals a massive disconnect.
While the media touted her as the “It Girl,” fans chose someone else.
And that’s a dangerous crack in the narrative.
Because what happens when the league starts listening to press coverage more than to ticket buyers?
When marketing departments make decisions based on engagement numbers instead of game film?
You get headlines that say Reese is the reason fans are tuning in — while those same fans are casting ballots for Clark, Collier, and Boston.
That’s not just a contrast. That’s a rebuke.
Paige Bueckers, Rookie Kiki, and the Rise of the “Other” Stars
Even more shocking than Reese’s position was who ranked above her.
Kiki Iriafen — a rookie — outvoted her.
Lexie Hull — not a household name — outvoted her.
Paige Bueckers, who’s only a few months into her pro career, is climbing as well.
That says something critical:
The fans are building their own storylines now.
The league doesn’t get to crown stars from the top down anymore. The audience is voting, watching, and choosing who they resonate with.
Clark’s fans are voting with urgency.
Reese’s followers? They may be plentiful on social media, but when it came time to click a ballot — the silence was noticeable.
Media Votes Could Still Change the Outcome — But At What Cost?
Here’s where it gets tricky.
The WNBA All-Star selection process is split:
50% fan vote
25% player vote
25% media vote
So while Reese is out of the top 10 in fan support, the media can still push her in.
But if that happens — if a player voted 13th by the fans ends up leapfrogging names like Hull, Mitchell, or Iriafen — the backlash could be ugly.
This isn’t just about one All-Star Game anymore.
This is about whether the league is truly listening to the people who show up, watch the games, and buy the merch.
And if they get overruled by editorial agendas?
That won’t be forgotten next year.
The League Is at a Crossroads — And The Fans Are Leading
What we’re witnessing isn’t just an All-Star voting anomaly.
It’s a power shift.
The WNBA — for years — has fought for attention, respect, and marketability. But now that it has those things, it’s facing a different challenge:
What happens when the fans take control of the narrative?
This vote shows that performance, authenticity, and real-time impact matter more than curated personas. Clark, Collier, Boston — they’re not just stars. They’re surging because they deliver on the court and off the stat sheet.
They make fans feel something real.
And while Reese is still growing into her role, this moment serves as a reality check:
Charisma may draw headlines.
But only connection draws votes.
Final Take: This Isn’t the End for Angel Reese — But It Might Be the Beginning of Something Bigger
Reese missing the top 10 doesn’t mean her career is in trouble. Far from it.
She’s still a valuable figure in the sport. Her voice still carries. Her potential remains high.
But what fans just told the league — and the media — is clear:
Don’t tell us who the face of the league is. We’ll tell you.
And this year, her name is Caitlin Clark.
And behind her?
A movement that’s only just begun.
Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available vote totals, player statistics, and documented reactions across social media. All conclusions reflect audience-driven response to All-Star voting and are grounded in verified league data.
