Teresa Weatherspoon and Cynthia Cooper brought a sharp edge to the 2026 WNBA All-Star draft, with both Hall of Famers building rosters that reflect very different ideas about how the game should be played.
Cooper landed the top pick after a coin flip gave Team Coop the first selection, and that meant Paige Bueckers. The Dallas Wings guard received the most fan votes, so the coin flip decided which side got her.
Cooper said of Bueckers on the broadcast, “Paige does it all,” adding that she can shoot the 3, score at all three levels and lead her teammates.
| Team Coop | Team Spoon |
|---|---|
| Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, Gabby Williams, Angel Reese, Marina Mabrey, Dominique Malonga, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Sonia Citron | Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Aliyah Boston, Jessica Shepard, Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Jonquel Jones, Courtney Williams, Kiki Iriafen, Nneka Ogwumike |
| Top pick after coin flip; five starters; six reserves | First pick for the rest of the starters; five starters; six reserves |
Weatherspoon used her first pick for the remaining starters on A’ja Wilson, then filled out her starting group with Olivia Miles, Aliyah Boston and Jessica Shepard. Her bench included Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Jonquel Jones, Courtney Williams, Kiki Iriafen and Nneka Ogwumike.
Cooper answered with Breanna Stewart as her first pick for the rest of the starters, then added Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard and Gabby Williams. Her reserves were Angel Reese, Marina Mabrey, Dominique Malonga, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Sonia Citron.
Weatherspoon said she wanted a balanced roster built around playmakers, scorers, rebounders and defenders. Cooper, meanwhile, said scoring came first, along with speed and the ability to play up and down the floor without half-court sets or called plays.
The matchup will be played July 25 at the United Center in Chicago, with the Shooting Stars event and 3-point contest set for July 24 at Wintrust Arena. The teams will play for a $100,000 prize pool benefiting two Chicago-based groups focused on keeping girls in sports, with $70,000 going to the organization tied to the winning team.
There is also a notable rookie presence on the rosters, with Miles as the lone first-year player and Malonga and Mabrey among the other first-time All-Stars joining Shepard.
Becky Hammon will coach Team Coop, while Cheryl Reeve will lead Team Spoon. On the broadcast, Cooper’s playful reply to Weatherspoon’s confidence summed up the tone of the draft: “But can you score enough points?”
