The WNBA playoffs begin Sunday, so it’s the best time to highlight the league’s top talent. It’s also a chance to update our ranking of the top players in the league.
We’ve ranked ESPN’s top 50 players three times previously this season. Now that we are down to eight teams, we cut the list in half. It reflects how the players are performing right now. It’s not a historical ranking.
A’ja Wilson remains our wire-to-wire No. 1 selection. The Las Vegas Aces superstar hopes to lead the defending champions to the team’s fourth championship.
ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Kareem Copeland, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel rank their top 25 players in the WNBA postseason, some of whom will be celebrating a championship next month.
1. A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Center | 6-foot-4August rank: 12026 stats: 26.0 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.0 BPG
Wilson started the season in the top spot and didn’t budge. This is her fifth consecutive season shooting better than 50% from the field and sixth in a row shooting better than 80% from the free throw line. Wilson leads the WNBA in win shares and player efficiency rating (PER) and appears on her way to her fifth MVP award. -- Voepel
2. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Guard | 6-footAugust rank: 22026 stats: 22.8 PPG, 8.5 APG, 3.9 RPG
Clark finished the best year of her career ranked No. 3 in points and went into the final day of the regular season battling Alyssa Thomas for the assists title. She was at the helm of the league’s No. 1 offense and paired with Kelsey Mitchell as the league’s most potent backcourt. The 2024 No. 1 pick has 14 point-assists double-doubles this season, including a 45-point, 10-assist masterpiece on July 17. -- Copeland
3. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Forward | 6-foot-4August rank: 32026 stats: 20.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.3 APG
Stewart has been on a tear since returning from the World Cup break, averaging 26.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in her past three games. She did not play in the Liberty’s regular-season finale as a precaution because of knee soreness, where her absence was acutely felt as New York faltered once more against the Dream. -- Philippou
4. Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
Guard | 5-foot-10August rank: 42026 stats: 19.8 PPG, 6.0 APG, 4.7 RPG
The Rookie of the Year might be the most clear-cut award of them all in 2026, and Miles has been the favorite throughout the season. With Napheesa Collier out much of the year and the Lynx going through a roster transformation, Miles stepped in and led the team to the No. 1 seed with the league’s best record. She has the third-most points scored in a single season in franchise history and the second-most assists. -- Copeland
5. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Guard | 5-foot-8August rank: 82026 stats: 25.0 PPG, 2.8 APG, 45.2 3FG %
Mitchell, one of the league’s top scorers and most exciting players to watch, got into the MVP discussion this season. She set the league’s single-season record for points (1,076 before Thursday’s finale) and hit career highs in scoring average and shooting percentage, both overall and from 3-point range. -- Voepel
6. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Guard | 6-footAugust rank: 52026 stats: 20.9 PPG, 51.2%, 5.9 APG
Fans have long awaited to see how Bueckers, who had a litany of big-game performances at UConn, will fare in her first WNBA postseason. She has proved herself as one of the best guards, and players, in the league, and ended her second season as one of seven players ever to average 20 points and five assists in a season -- and did so the most efficiently. -- Philippou
7. Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
Guard | 6-footAugust rank: 62026 stats: 19.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.7 APG
Young and Wilson were back-to-back No. 1 picks in 2018 and 2019. Some players might struggle being in the shadow of perennial MVP candidate Wilson, but Young takes it in stride. This season, she has career-high averages in scoring and assists, plus is shooting a career-best 92.8% from the foul line. -- Voepel
8. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Forward | 6-foot-1August rank: 72026 stats: 17.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.5 APG
Though the Lynx haven’t looked as strong in the final stretch of their schedule as they did for the majority of the regular season, Collier has steadily continued to find her footing since returning in July. She has played 15 games this season and is shooting an incredibly efficient 51% from the field and 44% from 3. Collier -- and Minnesota -- was hopeful she would hit her peak by the start of the postseason, and now it needs that from her more than ever. -- Andrews
9. Shakira Austin, Washington Mystics
Center | 6-foot-5August rank: 152026 stats: 17.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.3 BPG
This has been the breakout year the Mystics have been hoping for since Austin was selected No. 3 in the 2022 draft. She has posted career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and 3-point percentage while setting the franchise single-season scoring record. Austin’s growth and progression has helped the Mystics return to the playoffs for the first time since 2023, and she’s firmly in the running for Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year. -- Copeland
10. Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream
Guard | 6-foot-2July rank: 122026 stats: 17.7 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.8 RPG
Howard has been like a metronome with her scoring consistency: She has averaged 17.7 points this season and is at 17.3 for her five-season career. She is one of the league’s top 3-point shooters (134) and has made a notable jump defensively as she ranks first in steals (99). -- Voepel
11. Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream
Forward | 6-foot-3August rank: 142026 stats: 16.4 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.8 SPG
Reese has continued the best season of her young career, and now she gets the opportunity to play in the postseason for the first time. Reese offered a gentle warning on what to expect from her in the playoffs, and if it’s anything like what she has been doing in the past few games of the regular season (she recorded a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double on 11-of-14 shooting), opponents should be scared. -- Andrews
12. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Guard | 6-footAugust rank: 92026 stats: 19.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.4 SPG
Gray has been dominant on the offensive end all season, averaging a career high in scoring (19.0) and her best field goal percentage since 2020 (46.3%). But Gray has also been stealthy on defense, tallying the most steals in a game since her rookie year. -- Andrews
13. Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Forward/center | 6-foot-5August rank: 102026 stats: 16.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.2 BPG
The four-time All-Star has continued to be a steady force in the league as the primary, and arguably lone, offensive option in the post for Indiana. She became a 3-point threat (41.3%) in 2026 and helped open up the league’s No. 1 offense. An average of 16.4 points is a career high and ranks No. 17 in the league. Coach Stephanie White has insisted that the team will need Boston at her best to have a deep playoff run. -- Copeland
14. Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings
Forward | 6-foot-4August rank: 162026 stats: 14.5 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 5.3 APG
Shepard recorded her sixth triple-double of the year in the Wings’ regular-season finale, tied for the second most in a season in league history. Only one other player has ever averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a season, and that was Candace Parker (2015), who was limited to only 16 games that year. -- Philippou
15. Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces
Guard | 5-foot-11August rank: 172026 stats: 12.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.6 APG
It says a lot about how well Young and Gray play together in the Aces’ backcourt as both average more than six assists. Gray, who turns 34 in October, averaged more than 32 minutes for the fifth time in her career. And it’s the fifth season Gray has shot better than 90% from the foul line. Gray also has a knack for hitting clutch shots in the postseason. -- Voepel
16. Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty
Center | 6-foot-6August rank: 182026 stats: 14.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 39.2 3FG%
It has been another steady season for Jones, who enters the playoffs with 19 double-doubles, tied for fifth most in the league, while continuing to hurt opponents with her 3-point shooting. The center rolled her ankle in the second half of the Liberty’s regular-season finale, so her health will also be something to watch. -- Philippou
17. Sonia Citron, Washington Mystics
Guard | 6-foot-1August rank: 192026 stats: 16.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.4 APG
Citron earned her second All-Star nod in her second season while her scoring and assist averages both rank No. 16 in the league. There’s a good chance she’ll be an all-defense selection as one of the top perimeter defenders in the league. Her play has sped up the rebuild timeline for Washington as the Mystics are the youngest team in WNBA history to reach the playoffs, returning for the first time since 2023. -- Copeland
18. Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx
Guard | 5-foot-11August rank: 202026 stats: 17.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG
McBride has the second-highest scoring average of her WNBA career, plus it is the seventh season she has shot better than 90% from the foul line. McBride also has been a very durable player since joining the Lynx in 2021, with this season being her highest scoring average in Minnesota. -- Voepel
19. Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries
Forward | 5-foot-11August rank: 212026 stats: 14.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG
Williams came to Golden State during free agency because she wanted to take this team to the next level, and she has followed through on her word. She has led the team to one of the league’s best defenses, and her production on both ends of the court has elevated the Valkyries from narrowly clinching the No. 8 seed a year ago, to the No. 2 seed this year. -- Andrews
20. Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx
Guard | 5-foot-8August rank: 242026 stats: 13.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.2 APG
Along with McBride, Williams has been the veteran glue that has held the Lynx together all season. Williams adjusted to rookie Miles playing point guard, but she also steps in there when needed. Williams also can be a big scorer when Minnesota needs it, and her defense is also key for the Lynx. -- Voepel
21. Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx
Forward | 6-foot-2August rank: 272026 stats: 14.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.3 APG
Howard’s production has dipped since Collier returned at the end of July, but the 12-year veteran is still putting together one of the best seasons of her career. She’s shooting a career-best 59.2% from the field, while grabbing the third-most rebounds in her career (7.6 RPG) and eighth-most steals in the league (1.6 SPG). -- Andrews
22. Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics
Forward | 6-foot-3August rank: 282026 stats: 15.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 51.4 FG%
The 2025 No. 4 pick improved her scoring and rebounding averages and picked up a second consecutive All-Star invite in her second season. Shooting 51.4% from the field tied for fifth in the league among players who averaged at least 15.0 points. Increased versatility, range and the ability to play outside of the post has allowed her and Austin to thrive without stepping on each other’s toes. -- Copeland
23. Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries
Guard | 5-foot-9August rank: 292026 stats: 12.1 PPG, 5.7 APG, 1.6 SPG
Burton has taken her game to another level this year. She’s shooting the best she ever has -- 42.2% from the field, 35.7% from 3 and 83.0% from the free throw line -- while also becoming a premier defender with 68 steals. -- Andrews
24. Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings
Guard | 5-foot-8August rank: 322026 stats: 15.3 PPG, 40.6 FG%, 3.3 APG
Ogunbowale has evolved tremendously over the past few seasons in Dallas, and more has been asked of her with backcourt mate Azzi Fudd out for the season. The guard has found more of a groove with her efficiency from the field as the season has progressed, though the Wings could use better 3-point shooting from her (25.2% in September). -- Philippou
25. Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Guard | 6-footAugust rank: 232026 stats: 14.6 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.8 RPG
It hasn’t been a smooth season for Ionescu, who sat out time at the beginning of the year because of foot and back injuries. But rounding into the postseason, she hasn’t been looking like herself: Her productivity and efficiency have dropped each of the past three months, and in four games in September, she’s averaging just 11.3 points on 28.6% shooting (29.2% from 3). -- Philippou
