Who to Watch in This Year’s WNBA Playoffs
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The WNBA season has come down to this.
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The final four playoff teams will meet this week in the WNBA Semifinals, and some of the league’s top stars are taking the court, from the New York Liberty’s dynamic duo of Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, to the Las Vegas Aces’ four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson.
But the 2026 postseason has also had a noteworthy number of players who, while their names may be less known, have been essential in steering their teams through the gauntlet that is the WNBA’s postseason. Some teams, like the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream, are looking to win their first WNBA titles, while the Aces and Liberty hope to add more hardware to their trophy cases after championships in recent seasons.
PEOPLE is taking a look at some of the best up-and-coming players on each of the teams left in the WNBA Playoffs, which kicks off Sunday afternoon with best-of-five matchups between the Liberty and the Dream in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Aces and the Valkyries will play to represent the Western Conference.
Here are some of this season’s standout WNBA stars taking the floor this weekend.
Gabby Williams
Gabby WilliamsCredit: Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty
Gabby Williams has been going viral for her postgame shoutouts to celebs joining Golden State’s crowds in recent weeks, but it’s the two-time WNBA All-Star whose name the team’s “Ballhalla” fanbase has been shouting as she’s led the Valkyries into the playoffs. Averaging 25 points per night in the Valkyries’ first-round win over the Dallas Wings, Williams has become the exciting leader of a fresh franchise looking to make its first deep WNBA playoff run. “This is the most ‘myself’ that I’ve ever felt on and off the court,” Williams told PEOPLE recently.
Off the court, the French-American basketball star has begun acting, getting into fashion, and has been vocal about how impactful support from her girlfriend Marine Johannes (of the New York Liberty) has been to her play. And it’s showed for the two-time NCAA Champion from UConn. “I’m feeling really confident,” the Valkyries star forward told PEOPLE, adding: “I came to Golden State to win.”
Jackie Young
Jackie YoungCredit: David Becker/NBAE via Getty
In the WNBA’s Western Conference, there’s undoubtedly a dynasty to be dealt with in Las Vegas. And that’s who Williams and the Valkyries are up against. Winners of three of the last four WNBA Championships, it’s hard not to view the Aces as the league’s “Final Boss” no matter what the playoff seeding says. And it’s not just Wilson, arguably the league’s most dominant player: it’s the cast of star players around her, starting with Jackie Young.
The 6-foot Princeton, Ind., native was the Aces’ No. 1 overall draft pick in 2019 and has delivered on those high expectations, helping back up Wilson’s unbelievable 2026 with 18.9 points of her own per game this season. Helping form a formidable “Big Three” alongside Wilson and Chelsea Gray, Young is hoping to help the Aces extend their historic run with a fourth title in five years.
Chelsea Gray
Chelsea GrayCredit: Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty
Gray already came to the Aces with a WNBA Championship under her belt with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016 and won three more during her decorated tenure in Vegas. Nicknamed the “Point Gawd,” Gray has been named to five-straight WNBA All-Star teams since 2022 and has been a perfect pairing with Wilson, the reigning league MVP. Gray, herself, was named the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP when the Aces won their first title and has already provided a similar spark for the team this postseason, dropping 23 points in the team’s series-clinching victory over the Fever.
The Western Conference Finals will be a measuring stick for Gray and the rest of the Aces’ offense, however, as they come up against one of the league’s best defenses in Williams and the Valkyries. But if any team is equipped to overwhelm a defense, it’s the WNBA powerhouse with Wilson, Young and Gray at its core.
Kiah Stokes (Golden State Valkyries)
Kiah StokesCredit: Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE via Getty
Opposite of Las Vegas in its upcoming series will be a familiar face: Kiah Stokes. The former Aces center joined the Valkyries during the WNBA expansion last season after playing a role in bringing those three championships to Vegas in the last four years.
While Stokes’ name might not appear atop the scoresheet night-in and night-out, she’s becomes one of the Valkyries’ most dependable players, leading the team in rebounds (5.8 per game) and blocks (1.7) this season. The 6-foot-3 Cedar Rapids native has been key to her team’s success in what’s just the team’s second year in existence. The UConn alum has already won championships all across the world: three with Vegas, two EuroLeague titles in 2023 and 2024, and three NCAA Championships with UConn before turning pro, bringing a proven veteran presence to a WNBA franchise looking to start building a legacy with its first-ever title run.
Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty)
Jonquel JonesCredit: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Besides A’ja Wilson, the New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones might just be the best center in the league.
The 2024 WNBA Finals MVP spent most of her career with the Connecticut Sun before joining the Liberty in 2022 and leading the team to its first WNBA Championship two seasons later. And after being named this year’s WNBA All-Star Game MVP in July, the Bahama-born rebounder (9.1 per game) is hoping to repeat her role in helping lead the Liberty back to the top.
“It’s the playoffs now, and we’ve said it before: It’s zero-zero,” Jones told the New York Daily News ahead of the team’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Atlanta Dream. “All that other stuff doesn’t matter. The seeding doesn’t matter. It’s just about going out there playing with a level of hunger.
Pauline Astier (New York Liberty)
Pauline AstierCredit: Eakin Howard/Getty
Beyond Jones, the Liberty got a major boost to its backcourt from guard Pauline Astier. The France native —and Team France teammate with the Valkyries’ Williams — is new to New York this season after spending her first seven seasons as a professional playing in the EuroLeague.
Astier has provided the Liberty with 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per game this season, joining her Team France teammate Marine Johannes in providing Ionescu (the Liberty’s superstar guard) with support on the offensive side of the ball.
Alisha Gray (Atlanta Dream)
Allisha GrayCredit: Joe Boatman/NBAE via Getty
The Atlanta Dream come to their semifinals matchup with the Liberty looking to move past them on their way to the team’s first WNBA Championship. And four-time WNBA All-Star Alisha Gray is leading the charge: Atop the team’s stat sheet with 22.2 points per game, the former WNBA Rookie of the Year (2017) has partnered up with superstar power forward Angel Reese to make one of the league’s most impactful duos and helped lead Atlanta to just three wins from the WNBA Championship round.
The University of South Carolina alum comes into the playoffs already knowing what it takes to win: She’s already captured an Olympic gold medal with Team USA and an NCAA Championship with the Gamecocks, and there’s no doubt she’s looking to add the WNBA’s top prize to her resume.
“We know the job’s not done,” Gray told Field Level Media after the Dream defeated the Washington Mystics in the first round. And to finish the job, the Dream will need to get through New York first.
Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream)
Rhyne HowardCredit: Todd Kirkland/Getty
For Atlanta to bring home its first-ever WNBA Championship, the team will likely need shooting guard Rhyne Howard to continue her outstanding 2026 season. Perhaps the Dream’s second-most reliable offensive player, the 6-foot-two guard combined with Grey for 36.7 points per game this season while Reese, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, locked teams down on the other end of the court.
Howard has also rounded out her offensive prowess with 3.8 rebounds and a team-leading 2.3 steals per game, as her two-way play has helped lead the Dream into the WNBA semifinals with a hopeful championship on the horizon.
The WNBA Semifinals begin Sunday, Oct. 4 on ABC and ESPN. The WNBA Finals are scheduled to begin Oct. 17.
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