The WNBA released on Wednesday the first returns of the fan voting for the 2026 All-Star Game in Chicago. The major surprise was Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark ranking just No. 5 this year after leading the fan voting in the past two seasons.
In an X post on Wednesday, sports analyst Jason Whitlock slammed Clark’s fans for what he described as an “unprecendented” drop-off.
“The Caitlin Cult is busy making content blaming everyone but themselves and Caitlin Clark for this unprecedented fall in popularity,” Whitlock said. “Caitlin has behaved as a sterotypical WNBA player, and her content cult turned her into a victim rather than victor. Sad.”
In his other tweets on Wednesday, Whitlock expressed his surprise at Clark’s drop in fan votes. He also compared the Fever star to San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, whom he previously said has become a “villain” in the NBA.
In last year’s first round of fan voting returns, Clark had 515,993 votes, which ranked first. This season, she received just 253,602 votes. The drop-off could be attributed to the decreased number of total votes.
This season, the top 40 players garnered 4,353,318 votes, which is over two million fewer than last year. In 2025, the first returns totaled 6,410,965 votes.
Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson led the first fan returns with 308,249 votes. The Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers, the Fever’s Aliyah Boston and the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart rounded out the top five.
Jessica Shepard’s rank in ASG voting also shocked many
Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard’s ranking in the first returns of the fan voting for the 2026 All-Star Game has also been described as a surprise. Shepard ranked No. 6, receiving 211,598 votes. She is ahead of more popular names and former All-Stars like Angel Reese, Olivia Miles, Kelsey Mitchell, Kelsey Plum and Allisha Gray.
Shepard has been one of the most productive players early this season. In 14 games, the 6-foot-4 forward is averaging career-highs across the board, putting up 13.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
The 2026 All-Star Game is scheduled on July 25 at United Center in Chicago. Wintrust Arena will host the other All-Star events, including the 3-point contest and the skills challenge.
Fan voting will account for 50% of the final score for each All-Star starter. The other 50% will come from the players and media voting. The four guards and six frontcourt players with the highest tally will be named starters, with the fan votes serving as the tiebreaker.
Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos