WNBA: A’ja vs. Aliyah among must-watch battles between All-Stars

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Fan voting for WNBA All-Star 2025 continues through Friday, June 28, meaning any fans dissatisfied with where their favorites landed in the first round of voting results have time to shower them with selections.

For more discerning voters, who determine their decisions based on performances rather than personal preferences, Sunday’s WNBA slate presents a number of head-to-head matchups between All-Star candidates, where one (or both) of the contending All-Stars can prove themselves worthy of a voting boost.

A young and veteran forward face off when the Chicago Sky take on the Atlanta Dream (3 p.m. ET, ESPN3/League Pass). The league’s top rookies will meet when the Dallas Wings travel to DC to play the Washington Mystics (3 p.m. ET, ESPN3/League Pass). Two Gamecock greats will battle in the showdown between the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces (3 p.m. ET, ESPN). A former Seattle Storm star will lead her New York Liberty against the Pacific Northwest’s new leader (7 p.m. ET, League Pass). The underrated driver of the unexpectedly-competitive expansion team welcomes a fading legend for a former contender when the Golden State Valkyries host the Connecticut Sun (8:30 p.m. ET, League Pass).

Here’s a look at those five most interesting of Sunday’s All-Star showdowns:

Angel Reese vs. Brionna Jones

Angel Reese and Brionna Jones.

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

The juxtaposition of Angel Reese and Brionna Jones captures the wide, wonderful breadth of WNBA players, both on and off the court.

Although both are forwards, Reese is striving to expand her suite of skills, applying her athleticism to explore the extent of her point-forward capabilities, while Jones, despite a few forays beyond the 3-point arc, remains the archetype of a traditional, low-post presence who bullies her way to efficient buckets around the basket. Those stylistic differences have, nonetheless, produced similar stats. Reese is posting 10.8 points and a league-leading 10.9 rebounds per game, making her one of two players averaging a double-double; Jones is averaging 13.1 points and 7.9 boards per game.

Off the hardwood, Reese is one of the faces of the sport, attracting absurd, out-of-line criticisms that she combats with an unapologetic and entrepreneurial spirit that earns her deserved acclaim. Jones, in contrast, is one of the league’s more anonymous players, appreciated by the sport’s longtime fans for her quiet, consistent play that comes with an ever-present smile. As evidence of their different places in the W zeitgeist, Reese ranked 13th in the first release of fan votes, while Jones failed to crack the top 40.

Unfortunately for the Chicago Sky, the differences extend to their team’s records. Reese’s Sky are 3-9, having suffered a seventh loss by at least 20 points on Saturday. Jones’ Atlanta Dream are 9-4, which includes an 18-point win over the Sky just over a week ago.

Paige Bueckers vs. Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron

New York Liberty v Washington Mystics — Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron.

It’s the rookie vs. the rookies.

The No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Paige Bueckers has met individual expectations despite the overall disappointing state of the Dallas Wings. Since returning from the concussion and subsequent illness that sidelined her for four games, she’s been particularly spectacular, unleashing a 35-point outburst before tallying back-to-back games of at least 20 points in a pair of much-needed Wings wins, pulling them out of the WNBA’s cellar at 3-11.

Selected soon after Bueckers in April’s draft at picks No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen likewise have impressed as ready-made rookies for a Washington Mystics team that is on the fringes of the playoff picture at 5-8. Iriafen and Citron both began their seasons with bangs, as Iriafen reeled off double-doubles and Citron scored with elite efficiency. A few more struggles since them have not dulled any optimism about Kitron.

Sunday is the first matchup between the top three rookies, all of whom landed in the top 35 in the first round of fan voting. All-Star honors may not be in order for all three of them in 2025, but their seasons have, at the least, been appetizers to All-Star seasons to come. And for both the wayward Wings and promising Mystics, that future is more important than the outcome of Sunday’s game.

Aliyah Boston vs. A’ja Wilson

Indiana Fever v Las Vegas Aces — Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson.

Aliyah Boston appeared to be following A’ja Wilson’s path:

Collect individual accolades as a South Carolina superstar.
Lead the Gamecocks to a national championship.
Become the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft.
Put together an impressive Rookie of the Year campaign.

The arrival of Caitlin Clark changed Boston’s trajectory. Unlike Wilson for the Las Vegas Aces, she is not the Indiana Fever’s centripetal superstar destined for MVPs. Instead, she’s had to adapt her game, while, for the Aces, the priority remains amplifying A’ja. The divergent situations have resulted in similarly uneven seasons for the 6-6 Fever and 5-7 Aces.

The degree to which the Fever feature Boston fluctuates, resulting in her not always seeing the touches required to turn in the efficient double-doubles she is capable of producing. Her inconsistent offensive role has not diminished her defensive effort, as she deserves credit for an Indy defense that has improved to No. 3 in the league. For Wilson, an atrophying supporting cast has further burdened her offensive load, which has made it more difficult for her to score efficiently. She also missed time with a concussion. All the while, she’s increased her activity for the defensively-deficient Aces, with the two-time Defensive Player of the Year averaging career highs in blocks and steals.

Both players, who were No. 3 (Boston) and No. 4 (Wilson) in the first fan voting results, are near-locks to be All-Stars. A win, however, will be the most pressing concern to both, as Indiana is coming off a loss in Golden State while Vegas has dropped three-straight games.

Breanna Stewart vs. Nneka Ogwumike

New York Liberty v Seattle Storm — Nneka Ogwumike and Breanna Stewart.

The Seattle Storm’s past star meets their present star, as Breanna Stewart’s New York Liberty, now 10-2, will look to avoid a two-game losing streak against Nneka Ogwumike and the 8-5 Storm.

Stewart slotted in at No. 5 in the first fan voting results, while Ogwumike was at a too-low No. 18. Although it may sound dismissive, the two are above All-Star honors at this point of their careers. (But, not above a video tribute.) Both are seven-time All-Stars who are sure to soon make it eight.

The goal, instead, is rings. A two-time champion with the Storm, Stewart is looking to lead the Liberty to a second title, further burnishing any already ridiculous resume with an elusive “two titles with two teams” accomplishment. Ogwumike similarly strives to match her Los Angeles Sparks championship with a Storm one, captaining a third era of championship-winning WNBA basketball in Seattle.

Since departing Seattle after the 2022 season, Stewie is undefeated against her former team, with seven wins across two seasons. Sunday might be the best chance for Ogwumike and the Storm to hand her a loss, as the Liberty, already without Leonie Fiebich due to EuroBasket Women commitments, also will miss Jonquel Jones, who is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks after suffering a right ankle sprain on Thursday.

Tina Charles vs. Kayla Thornton

Indiana Fever v Golden State Valkyries — Kayla Thornton.

Both the Connecticut Sun’s Tina Charles and the Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton snuck into the top 40 of the first release of fan voting results, with Charles ranking at No. 33 and Thornton at No. 39.

An eight-time All-Star, Charles’ time collecting mid-season selections has likely passed, especially as the Sun’s 2-11 record will do little to bolster her case. Nonetheless, this late-career version of Charles still consistently churns out buckets. Her 16.6 points per game, the most since her 2021 campaign with the Mystics, the last time she was named an All-Star, is a needed source of offense for a Sun team that is still searching for an identity. That production also will ensure that the No. 2 points scorer in WNBA history will soon reach 8,000 career points.

Thornton, in contrast, plays a game that has not resulted in the accumulation of stats or awards. The 2024 champ with the Liberty has been about the intangibles—toughness, hustle, grit—over the tangibles. However, that might be changing. After recording three-straight double-doubles in three-straight Valkyrie wins, she was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the first time in her career. She’s averaging career highs in points, rebounds and steals, playing a team-high 31 minutes per night for the 6-6 expansion squad. That sounds like a player worthy of earning some first-time All-Star hardware!