All-WNBA preseason teams: A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark and more

The 2025 WNBA season is setting up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory. Not only are multiple teams fully capable of winning this year’s championship, but individual award races could be as tight as ever, considering the league’s substantial talent.

The season kicks off Friday, and The Athletic’s women’s basketball team got together to take stock of what we expect to witness this season. Wednesday, we unveiled our awards and championship predictions. Here, the committee — reporters Ben Pickman, Sabreena Merchant and Chantel Jennings, “No Offseason” podcast host Zena Keita and women’s basketball managing editor Shannon Ryan — presents our preseason All-WNBA teams. Each voter put together their respective teams, slotting players regardless of position (which is how official All-WNBA teams are selected). Highest rated players received 10 points and then each player one point less in descending order on each ballot before the points were tallied to determine our combined team:

Also receiving votes: Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces; Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces; Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream; Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm

(All stats from 2024)

First team

A’ja Wilson

Las Vegas Aces, forward/center

26.9 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 1.8 spg, 51.8 fg%

The reigning MVP kept taking her game to new levels, showcasing unprecedented volume during the 2024 season to set the league’s scoring record while still finishing seventh in field-goal percentage. While other WNBA stars ply their trade in other leagues, Wilson is committed to the W through and through, which will allow her to survive a 44-game season on an Aces squad that is once again light on depth. She’s an elite scorer, rebounder and rim protector, and she’s widely regarded as the best player in the world. Expect an extra bounce in Wilson’s step as she dons her own sneakers for the first time in what should be another historic season for one of the league’s all-time greats.

Napheesa Collier

Minnesota Lynx, forward

20.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.9 spg, 1.4 bpg, 49 fg%

Collier should be at the forefront of the MVP and DPOY race, making her inclusion on the WNBA’s first team (which would be her third such honor) a given. She has had a year for the books, winning a gold medal in Paris with Team USA, the inaugural Unrivaled 3×3 season with her Lunar Owls team as well as the one-on-one tournament, and returning to the Minnesota Lynx, who return a core primed for a WNBA title run. Minnesota’s cohesion should be a boon to Collier’s production and the Lynx’s chemistry from the jump. It doesn’t hurt that coach Cheryl Reeve already has her foot on the gas. Those high expectations funnel through Collier on the floor, and it’s reasonable to think she’ll reach each expectation and even thoroughly surpass them too. That includes a first-team nod.

Caitlin Clark

Indiana Fever, guard

19.2 ppg, 8.4 apg, 5.7 rpg, 5.6 tpg, 34.4 3-pt%

Clark made the All-WNBA first team as a rookie despite an inefficient start following the short turnaround after the college season and a truncated schedule. Imagine what she can do with a full offseason and a more spaced-out WNBA calendar with no international break. It would be surprising if Clark doesn’t break her own assist record with four more games. She could chase Courtney Vandersloot’s 10 assists-per-game average (which was set during the bubble season) with more offensive threats around her, including additions DeWanna Bonner and Sophie Cunningham. Clark’s 3-point percentage should also improve; a career 37.7 percent shooter at Iowa, she made 37 percent of her triples after last season’s All-Star break.

a beautiful sight 🤩

Caitlin Clark fadeaway corner three. pic.twitter.com/aCysDEHQYE

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 14, 2025

Breanna Stewart

New York Liberty, forward

20.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.5 apg

Stewart has made the All-WNBA first team five consecutive years, finishing in the top three in MVP voting each time. Coming off a championship, with much of the same Liberty core around her, she’s set up for yet another productive season. New York is expected to lean into more five-out offensive sets, which could boost her assist totals. (She has averaged at least 3.5 assists per game in each of her first two seasons with the Liberty.) More than just a stylistic adjustment in New York’s offense, Stewart’s usage over the first few weeks of the season will be worth monitoring. She underwent a meniscus surgery in mid-March, after completing Unrivaled’s inaugural season, and was limited at the start of training camp as a result. The Liberty want Stewart playing her best late in the season, and her shooting percentages have dropped in each of the past two playoffs, so keeping her fresh for September and October is more important than any statistical output.

Alyssa Thomas

Phoenix Mercury, forward

10.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 7.9 apg, 1.6 spg

During 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, specifically the last few seasons, Thomas developed into one of the WNBA’s most versatile players, racking up a league-best 15 triple-doubles and proving a matchup nightmare for most clubs. With Phoenix’s changing of the guard with Diana Taurasi’s retirement and Britney Griner’s departure in free agency, she’ll be called upon to produce in many ways. She’ll anchor the Mercury as an offensive playmaker and a defensive stalwart, and playing alongside Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper should give her even more opportunities to display her unique court vision and distribution skills. The Mercury will have a different look this season, but the franchise is in good hands — literally and figuratively — with Thomas leading the charge.

Second team

Sabrina Ionescu

New York Liberty, guard

18.2 ppg, 6.2 apg, 4.4 rpg

Ionescu had a busy offseason, weaving training sessions into a schedule that included a multi-country Nike Asia tour, Paris Fashion Week and the Met Gala. She also participated in Unrivaled as she finished rehab on the UCL tear in her right thumb. Nevertheless, expect Ionescu to be even more productive this season. She looks to continue as a three-level scorer, using her size and skill to punish mismatches. She might be a screener more this season than ever before as the Liberty aim to invert some of their actions involving Ionescu and either Jonquel Jones or Stewart. Last season, Ionescu made a strong case to be on the All-WNBA first team, and she should be in the conversation again, assuming all goes to plan for the defending champions.

You know we had to run this back🔥

Of course @sabrina_i20 had to knock one down from the logo before leaving Eugene 😮‍💨🎯 pic.twitter.com/HwXlscezug

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 13, 2025

Satou Sabally

Phoenix Mercury, forward

17.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 45.2 3-pt%

Sabally’s 2024 campaign was cut short by a shoulder injury she suffered playing for the German national team. By the time she returned, the Wings were essentially out of the playoff chase, but the most important takeaway from her performance was that her 3-ball was still falling at an elite rate. That continued through Unrivaled, where she made 39 percent of her 3-pointers and showed no ill effects from the shoulder surgery. Because when Sabally is healthy, she is a consistent All-Star talent, a versatile matchup nightmare at forward who can take opponents off the dribble, space the floor and create for teammates. Sabally is primed for a bounce-back season in a system that is designed to unleash her full skill set.

Jonquel Jones

New York Liberty, forward

14.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 53.8 fg%

On any given night, Jones has shown she can be the best player on the floor. Her combination of size and skill makes her almost impossible to guard when she is aggressive and her 3-point shot is falling (she shot 38.8 percent last year). Liberty coach Sandy Brondello often preaches that her players need to play through the post, or at least find Jones for touches, knowing just how effective the 6-foot-6 big can be. Jones still isn’t far removed from winning league MVP in 2021, and though her numbers have dipped since joining the Liberty in 2023, her play is often the linchpin that determines how New York looks on both ends.

Kelsey Plum

Los Angeles Sparks, guard

17.8 ppg, 4.6 apg, 36.8 3-pt%

Moving to Los Angeles in free agency, Plum finds herself in a nearly perfect situation. She’s reunited with college coach Mike Neighbors, who was hired as a Sparks assistant in the offseason. The last time they were in a huddle together, Plum averaged more than 25 points a game, capping a college career in which she set the women’s Division I career scoring record (which was broken seven seasons later by Clark). The Sparks’ new offensive mentality — one brought by new head coach Lynne Roberts from Utah — is a perfect match for Plum’s game, almost exclusively targeting 3-pointers and layups. The familiarity and fit should allow Plum to hit the ground running as the Sparks’ leader to end a four-year playoff dry spell. Look for Plum to be the driving force to turn that around.

Sabrina Ionescu ➡️ Jonquel Jones ➡️ Ellie the Elephant

Getting us started in NYC! pic.twitter.com/3nbVspFjnZ

— espnW (@espnW) May 9, 2025

Arike Ogunbowale

Dallas Wings, guard

22.2 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.6 rpg

Ogunbowale recorded her second-highest points per game average last season, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see that number dip ever-so-slightly. Ogunbowale will have less on her shoulders with former UConn star Paige Bueckers joining Dallas’ backcourt. Bueckers should help free Ogunbowale for more open looks — keep an eye on how her shooting splits and efficiency numbers look as the year progresses — and easy baskets. While Bueckers might draw plenty of headlines in her first season, the Wings are going only as far as Ogunbowale and her elite shot-making can take them. Ogunbowale remains among the WNBA’s toughest covers.

(Top photos of Napheesa Collier and A’ja Wilson: Matt Krohn / Getty Images, Louis Grasse / Getty Images)