Top 10 WNBA players in the world right now – No room for Caitlin Clark as Kelsey Plum climbs the ranks

The 2026 WNBA is in full swing.

After an offseason that was headlined by the marathon Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations between the WNBA and the Players’ Association, women’s basketball has never been in a better place.

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The league’s 30th season has now got underway, and with the addition of two new expansion franchises in the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, there has never been more eyes on the product than in 2026.

With star faces like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese back in action – and healthy – as well as the emergence of some younger faces like Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron and No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd, the WNBA is projected to hit even greater heights by the end of the campaign.

That has got talkSPORT thinking about who the best 10 players in the league are in the 2026 campaign, as of right now.

Neither Clark or Reese have yet to make the cut, which may surprise some, while Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier is currently exempt from this ranking due to having missed the season to date with injury.

That’s not to say these players won’t earn their way onto the list as the 2026 season goes on, though.

Without further ado, here goes…

10. Sabrina Ionescu

One of the best pure shooters in the WNBA, Sabrina Ionescu is hoping to get her rhythm back on track after shooting below 30 percent from behind the three-point line for the first time in her career in 2025.

As she navigated a somewhat shooting slump – albeit still putting up 18.2 points – she was money from the free-throw line, leading the league by shooting 93.3 percent.

Her 5.7 assists ranked seventh in the WNBA, while she will get more opportunities in 2026 to showcase her playmaking and elite ball-handling with a star-studded supporting cast with Natasha Cloud having moved on to the Chicago Sky.

It’s hard to truly rank Ionescu at this time, though, with her having missed the start of the season with injury.

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However, in her season debut – albeit in a 91-76 blowout defeat to the Wings – she dished a game-high seven assists as she gets back into the swing of regular game time.

9. Alyssa Thomas

Alyssa Thomas may be in the twilight years of her professional career, but the 34-year-old is ageing like a fine wine.

Having made the move to the Phoenix Mercury last season after a decade at the Connecticut Sun, Thomas still established herself as a top MVP candidate, finishing third.

In Year 11, the six-time All-Star averaged a near triple-double across the entire season (15.4 PPG, 8.8 REB, 9.2 AST) as the Mercury improved to 27-17 in their first year without all-time great Diana Taurasi.

The only reason that Thomas doesn’t sit higher on the list is due to her age, despite her being the second scoring option (16.9 PPG) to four-time All-Star Kahleah Copper (18.8 PPG), as well as the Mercury’s poor 2-6 start to the campaign.

8. Jackie Young

The first of three Aces players to feature on this list, Jackie Young has gone from strength-to-strength since being drafted by Las Vegas with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019.

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One of the league’s most premier two-way players, Young has often gone under the radar over the years because of other star names on her roster.

A quiet personality off the hardwood, Young transforms into the ‘Silent Assassin’ when she has the ball in her hands.

Her 20.4 points on 49.4 percent shooting en route to her third championship, the 28-year-old guard is a huge part of the Aces’ dynastic core.

Even if her scoring has been underwhelming by her own high standards, averaging just 10.1 points per contest, her distribution numbers have markedly improved, with Young averaging a career-high 5.7 assists through seven outings.

7. Paige Bueckers

Paige Bueckers has entered the top 10 for the first time this season, claiming the No. 7 spot due to her and the Dallas Wings’ hot start to the 2026 campaign.

The former No. 1 overall pick enjoyed a stellar rookie campaign on the way to clinching Rookie of the Year honors, but the Wings stumbled to the worst record in the WNBA (10-34).

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Having received the No. 1 overall pick for a second successive season and using it to select her former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd, Bueckers’ team-leading 19.4 points and shooting 45.7 from distance off of 4.4 attempts per game has contributed to winning basketball in Dallas.

After eight outings, they sit fifth in the overall standings with a 5-3 record, albeit just 0.5 games back from the current leaders Lynx.

6. Kelsey Mitchell

In a season in which the Fever got just 13 games out of Clark, veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell stepped up and showed exactly why she is one of the league’s most elite bucket-getters.

Injuries depleted the Fever roster as a whole, but the left-hander was stalwart. She featured in all 44 games and had the best season of her eight-year WNBA career.

Mitchell also became the first player in Fever franchise history to average 20-plus points a game, and she eclipsed the 30-point mark on 11 occasions.

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In doing so, she surpassed icon and Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings.

Let’s not forget that she almost single-handedly took down the Las Vegas Aces in the Eastern Conference finals as the sixth seed, taking the series to all five games while averaging 21.6 points shooting at a 41.3 percent clip.

All while putting her body at risk when she came down with rhabdomyolysis in Game 5 – a rare muscle injury that can lead to muscle death.

In 2026, while backcourt partner Clark has stolen the headlines and leads the team in scoring (22.5 PPG), Mitchell is following closely behind with 21.1 points, while shooting an improved 45.7 percent from the field to Clark’s 41.0 percent.

5. Chelsea Gray

Chelsea Gray has been one of the WNBA’s best point guards since she entered the league in 2014 as the 11th overall pick.

In fact, she has deservedly earned the nickname ‘The Point Gawd’, which is a testament to just how influential she is out on the floor.

A traditional floor general, Gray has a unique ability in being able to set the tone of the game, and has a repertoire of elite passing in her arsenal that has seen her climb to sixth all-time in career assists.

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While her numbers don’t necessarily jump out on the stat sheet, it’s all the other little intangibles which she does so well – her passing, her floor spacing, etc.

And her basketball IQ? Off the scale – so much so that WNBA general managers named her as the league’s best point guard, the best passer of a basketball, and the current active player who’d make the best head coach.

Her clutch gene can also not be taught, with many stating via the ESPN survey that Gray would be the player they trust the most to take a game-winning shot.

4. Breanna Stewart

Stew-York City might be back in 2026.

Having pledged her long-term future to the Liberty in free agency, Stewart is hoping to spearhead the Big Apple back into the championship conversation once again.

Despite having a slightly down year in 2025, the 6-foot-4 two-way star comes off an off-season in which she spearheaded Fenerbahce to EuroLeague success, and also won the Unrivaled championship with the Mist.

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Having dealt with injury last season, the seven-time All-Star’s presence was missed, with the Liberty going 5-8 in her absence.

To begin 2026, and with Ionescu having only featured once this season so far with injury, the 31-year-old has had to shoulder the majority of the load on both ends of the ball.

Averaging a team-high 33 minutes per contest, Stewart is averaging 20 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.0 blocks.

3. Allisha Gray

Allisha Gray had a breakout season for the Atlanta Dream in 2025.

The 31-year-old posted 18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists on her way to finishing fourth in MVP voting as the Dream clinched a franchise-best 30 wins on the regular season.

The 2017 Rookie of the Year had 15 games in which she tallied at least 20 points, while nine of those were of 25-plus points, helping her to set a franchise record for most points scored in a single season with 773.

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Gray’s consistency was integral in helping the team secure the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, though they would fall to the Fever.

However, with the addition of Angel Reese this offseason, the Dream have signaled their intent to compete for a championship in 2026 and Gray has taken her play up a new gear.

To start the season, she has averaged a team-high 21.7 points to go with 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists with the Dream sitting with the best win record (4-2) in the Eastern Conference.

2. Kelsey Plum

After playing second-fiddle to A’ja Wilson in Las Vegas, Plum was ready for a new chapter in her career.

The fiesty 5-foot-8 guard was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in a stunning move which sent shockwaves across the WNBA.

As the No. 1 option on the team, Plum – who just penned a $999,999 extension – had a career-year in assists (5.7) and rebounds (3.1), while she also tallied a career-high 1.2 steals.

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Although the Sparks struggled for wins, finishing with a 21-23 record, the City of Angels look a much better unit in 2026, with Plum leading the WNBA in scoring, averaging 26.8 points per contest, shooting at a career-high 58.9 percent clip, and 48.8 percent from beyond the arc.

She also ranks inside the top 10 in assists with 6.3 per night, although the Sparks sit at 3-3 through the first six games of the season

1. A’ja Wilson

It’s hard to form any argument where the reigning WNBA MVP – who won it for an unprecedented fourth time last season – can be knocked off her perch as the world’s best basketball player.

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Leading the Aces to their third title since 2022, Wilson was also named co-defensive Player of the Year alongside Lynx star Alanna Smith – the first time in league history that the award has been shared.

In the 2025 playoffs, Wilson elevated her game once again, averaging 26.8 points per contest, in which she shot 47.8 percent from the field, along with 10 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.5 blocks.

In 2026, she has picked up where she left off, averaging 24.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, doing so despite Aces head coach Becky Hammon’s bold claims that her side are being officiated differently.

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