In the past three seasons, the WNBA has grown massively. Three new expansion teams have entered the league, the WNBA Players Association reached a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that increased the salary cap nearly five-fold, and the league is pulling in more viewership than ever. Stars like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and A’ja Wilson have become household names.

Clark, Bueckers, and Wilson will all be in action when the WNBA All-Star Game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET. League legends Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon drafted their teams, and they’ll play tonight in Chicago with $100,000 in charitable donations on the line.

Team Weatherspoon is a 4.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook (-195 Moneyline), with the total set at 277.5 points. Team Cooper is +160 on the Moneyline. Below, I’ll break down tonight’s showcase and offer a prediction.

2026 WNBA All-Star Game Best Bet

Team Cooper Moneyline (+160): In Bueckers, Kelsey Mitchell, and Marina Mabrey, Team Cooper has the better three-point shooters, especially ones willing and able to fire away from well beyond the arc. Team Weatherspoon’s finishing and rebounding edges matter less in a game without defense. The +160 odds are a bonus.

2026 WNBA All-Star Game Rosters

Team Cooper: HC Becky Hammon, Las Vegas Aces; G Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings; G Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics; G/F Kahleah Copper, Phoenix Mercury; F Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx; G Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo; C Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm; G Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever; F Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream; F Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty; F Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries; G Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces

Team Weatherspoon: HC Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx; G Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever; C/F Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever; G Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream; G Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream; F Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics; C Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty; G Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx; F Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks; F Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings; G Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx; C A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

2026 WNBA All-Star Game prediction, pick

Team Weatherspoon might have the better chemistry in this matchup, as they have three sets of teammates (Clark and Boston, Gray and Howard, Miles and Williams), while each player on Team Cooper plays for a different team. Clark and Boston have combined for 38.3 points per game for the Eastern Conference-leading Fever this season, though they’ve been out-scored by 0.7 points per 100 possessions in their 431 minutes on the court together. The Indiana duo is the only All-Star pair to have been out-scored on the court, as the Lynx have won their 587 Miles-Williams minutes by 11.3 points per 100 possessions and the Dream have won their 716 Gray-Howard minutes by 8.6 points per 100 possessions. Still, Team Cooper isn’t completely devoid of chemistry; Bueckers and Malonga played together in Unrivaled, as did Copper and Reese and Mitchell and Citron. Two pairs of Team Weatherspoon players (Gray and Williams and Howard and Boston) also teamed up in the winter three-on-three competition.

There likely won’t be too much defense played in the All-Star game, so shooting will be critical. Among the 32 players who have played at least 20 games, attempted at least three three-pointers per game and connected at at least a 33.3% rate, five play for Team Cooper and six for Team Weatherspoon. Of that grouping, two of the three players with the best three-point percentage (Mitchell and Bueckers) play for Team Cooper. Three of the four players with the worst percentages (Miles, Howard, and Clark) play for Team Weatherspoon, though Team Cooper’s Gabby Williams has been the least accurate among the elite grouping. Given that Mitchell and Mabrey both attempt at least three shots per game from at least 25 feet and have connected at rates north of 44% on such shots, I’d give Team Cooper the slight overall shooting edge, especially in an All-Star Game setting in which both teams will likely attempt audacious looks.

It’s also worth looking at finishing, although it’s going to be easier than usual for players to finish given the lack of intensity on defense. 39 players have attempted at least three restricted-area shots per game and connected at at least a 60% rate, and here, Team Weatherspoon has a clear edge; nine of the 11 players belong to this elite grouping, while only five of Team Cooper’s players do, and of that group, by far the most accurate finisher (Wilson) plays for Team Weatherspoon. Team Cooper might also be somewhat undone by Reese, who’s made fewer than half of her restricted-area tries despite attempting more than any other player in the league. Reese will surely help the team by grabbing rebounds — she leads the league in rebounding percentage among all players with at least 20 games played averaging at least 24.0 minutes per game — but she probably shouldn’t take too many layups.

Team Cooper has the slightly better passers. There are 31 players with at least 20 games played and at least 24.0 minutes per game who have an assist percentage north of 15%, and while there are seven on each team, three of the five All-Stars with the highest assist percentages play for Team Cooper (Young, Bueckers, and Mabrey), as well as six of the top 10. True, Team Weatherspoon has Clark, the league leader by assist percentage who ranks second in assists per game, but between Young and Bueckers, Team Cooper has two steady-handed playmakers. Young and Bueckers have the two highest assist-to-turnover ratios among this elite grouping, while Clark ranks towards the middle of the pack.

Each team has its advantages and disadvantages, but Team Cooper thrives in matters most in an All-Star setting. Given that 120 of the 211 shots attempted in the 2025 All-Star Game were three-pointers and that Team Collier shot 37.5% on such shots to Team Clark’s 29.7%, I’d bank on Team Cooper ultimately pulling it out in the end. Team Weatherspoon has the best player on the floor overall in Wilson, but Bueckers isn’t too far behind, and her game is arguably better-built in the exhibition, since Wilson’s game is more built on substance than style and Bueckers has the more flashy maneuvers.

Best Bet: Team Cooper Moneyline (+160)