The Atlanta Dream, a team with a 12-8 record and players like Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard could not find themselves on the 10-player starter list. They were largely selected by fans, whose votes counted for 50% of the total weight. The media had 25% and the players 25%. Now, both the Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko and Reese herself have spoken out about being left out.

“It’s really disappointing. … We had three players who were so close to making it. I felt deserving of being starters by the merit of the play,” Smesko said as per analyst Wilton C. Jackson II on X.

“Now, the voting is half the fans, and we didn’t get as much fan voting as we would like, and that kind of put us in a tough position to get anybody as starters. But I definitely want to make it clear that, you know our three players, based on merit, deserve to be starters for the All-Star game.”

Angel Reese was practically a starter but missed her spot by a whisker. She was ranked 6th in fan, media, and player votes. Reese could not become a starter as she trailed by .25 weighted points behind Minnesota’s Natasha Howard. Rhyne Howard, the Dream’s second star, finished as the first guard out of the starting lineup. She was behind Paige Bueckers (1.25), Olivia Miles (3.5), Caitlin Clark (4.5) and Kelsey Mitchell (5) in overall weighted score. Allisha Gray finished behind Howard in sixth place among guards with a weighted score of 7. 

“I expect to be disrespected,” Reese said via ESPN. “For those two, though, I think they work so hard and they put a lot of work in, and the way that they’re guarded every game and they [have to] adjust. The reason why we’re where we are is because of those two. For us not to have anyone was just a slap in the face, but they’re not going to say anything. I am.”

Reese is currently the best rebounder in the league with 11.6 per game while adding 14.6 points (career high) and 2.5 assists. Everyone who beat her had a better score in another area to compensate. For example, Aliyah Boston’s 5th media rank and 8th player rank were helped by her No. 1 fan rank. Natasha Howard was 7th among fans, but 4th among media and 5th among players, giving her a slight edge in the final weighted values.

And that’s applicable for Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray as well. Howard ranks 11th in scoring with 18.6 points per game and first in steals with 2.5. Gray is not far behind at No. 12 with 18.4 points per game.

If the voting were positionless, as many analysts have wanted, Howard could have had an advantage. Because she doesn’t play like a guard on the Dream but more as a guard-forward and doesn’t pop into one’s mind as one of the best guards. 

Nevertheless, coach Smesko and Angel Reese believe all three are going to be All-Stars regardless. No vote is perfect. But all three being shut out of the starting lineup was a slight that neither seemed willing to let slide.