Swish Happens Here: All-Star Snubs, an MVP sitting at home, and Angel Reese’s sheer dominance

It was a May evening here in North Texas. The sunset was something out of a Pixar movie. The hues of pink, red, and orange meshed in a way that you only have the pleasure of viewing in the land of George Strait. Taking in the moment, I decided that it was the perfect time to water the grass and plants I tended to earlier in the day. As I unwinded the hose, my neighbors next door were within view.

On their second walk of the day around the neighborhood, they told me how happy they were about the tickets they purchased to see Chicago Sky superstar Angel Reese face the Dallas Wings. They couldn’t contain their excitement about seeing Reese take the WNBA stage and shared that they had tickets to both games as the teams opened the season with a two-game set. 

Hailing from Louisiana, the elderly couple instantly clung to Reese when she transferred to LSU to join head coach Kim Mulkey’s program. As lifetime fans, they longed for the days of rivaling legends Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles. Following their favorite collegiate stars to the WNBA was a foregone conclusion, but it just means more (pun intended) when the home team is on the big stage. 

When the women’s basketball team claimed its first national title in school history, the couple bought gear to commemorate the special occasion. The now two-time All-Star reinvigorated their love for women’s basketball, no matter the level. Because of Reese, they were exposed to other elite players in the league, like Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Lynx centerpiece Napheesa Collier.

The seismic wave in popularity that women’s basketball is currently surfing was formed due the talents of many across the board, not because of one. From college to the pros, the 2024 and 2025 draft classes have met every expectation and then some. For the 2025 class in particular, a conversation will be had eventually about it surpassing the depth of the previous year. The next several classes, from 2026 to 2028, appear to be among the best on record.

Regardless of your favorite team, player, or how your fandom originated, the consensus is clear: women’s basketball is going nowhere and everywhere simultaneously. 

With that said, let’s get to the first edition of Swish Happens Here, a weekly walkthrough of the events in and around the WNBA. From All-Star snubs/announcements to an MVP sitting at home to Angel Reese dominating in Year 2, let the fun begin.

This is fun from Angel Reese.

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— Steve Jones Jr (@stevejones20.bsky.social) Jul 7, 2025 at 2:12 AM

All-Star Snubs or No?

As far as WNBA All-Star selections, I don’t see much of an issue with most of the picks. This is an extremely competitive league with players who fit the bill even more. Every spot was earned and none were received for the fun of it. In the same breath, no system is perfect, and that includes the voting process. Here are two players who were not recognized, but should have been:

Brittney Sykes, G – Washington Mystics 

When it comes to Mystics guard Brittney Sykes, the former Syracuse talent is enjoying one of her best seasons, averaging career-highs in scoring (17.4 points) and assists (4.6). As the head honcho for Washington, she is the engine that keeps the team chugging along.

 For most of her career, Sykes was known as a five-tool player who could do a bit of everything on the basketball court. She’s one of the best wing defenders the WNBA has ever seen; her ability to make a play speaks for itself, and there isn’t a rim drive that she dislikes. Still, an appreciation for the way she approaches the game wasn’t widespread. In 2025, her picture has come into focus through hard work, perseverance, and a system that caters to her strengths as a pro. Sykes deserved to be recognized for it. 

The only statistic that may have played a role (it shouldn’t have) in Sykes not making the cut is her field-goal percentage, which sits at 37 percent. That argument fails to render any sense due to the fact that she’s shooting a career-best 35.7 percent from deep while Sparks guard Kelsey Plum is at 37.7 percent from the field (worst mark since 2019) and a career-low 33.6 percent from three and Dream guard Rhyne Howard is shooting career-lows from the field (34.4) and from beyond the arc (29.4). The math does not add up. 

What is not lost on me is that an underlying factor in all of this is the sheer size of fan bases. Mystics rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen come from some of the largest programs (Notre Dame and Standford/USC) in the country in terms of popularity and success. But from where I sit, the Mystics have a big three that account for most of the team’s production. Leaving Sykes off the list is a stain on the voting process and gives life to the debate that it needs to be revamped.

Brionna Jones, F – Atlanta Dream

Brionna Jones’ omission from this year’s field was among the most questionable ones. The three-time All-Star averages 14 points, 8.1 rebounds, and has tied her career-best in helpers with 2.4 per game. The former Maryland Terrapin has the second-most offensive rebounds behind Sky forward Angel Reese. 

Outside of Most Valuable Player candidate and teammate Allisha Gray, Jones has been the most consistent player for Atlanta. On offense, she is a mainstay and has shown up whenever called upon. As a defender, her responsibilities have increased, which has led to the 6’3’’ forward playing out of her comfort zone in the paint, and she thrives at it. Her value on that end of the floor is multifaceted. 

Whether she’s funneling ball handlers to the rim or having them sent to her, the job gets handled. Needless to say, missing such a talent caught the attention of everyone, including Dream general manager Dan Padover.

“Very happy for [Gray] and [Howard]. Well deserved, but [Jones] not being an All-Star is one of the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in quite some time,” said Padover via The Athletic. 

An MVP Who’s at Home

On several occasions this season, I have said that New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones is crafting one of the best Most Valuable Player of the Year campaigns without touching a WNBA court since June 19. With the Finals MVP on the floor, New York is 8-1 this season. Since then, the team is at .500 (5-5).

Jones is a crucial piece in what makes the Liberty one of the best teams in the league. What she does so well may not show up on the box score on a regular basis. As one of the fiercest rim protectors in the WNBA, the 6’6” center does all the dirty work in the paint that goes unacknowledged by the masses. It may not be as shiny as a crossover or as demoralizing as a 30-foot jumper, but the team’s wing defenders would not have such a walk in Prospect Park if it were not for Jones’ ability to collect a rejection that is not a block. Walk with me. 

With Jones’ size and wingspan, New York’s defense only requires a second of hesitation from a ball handler debating taking her straight on before a miscue occurs. Whether that points off turnovers (which the Liberty lead the league in by a slim margin at 18 per game) or fastbreak points, Jones is vital to the team’s operation, and her absence should have been front-page news from the start of it. 

The WNBA is full of talent, but only a few superstars can affect games as significantly as they do. For example, throughout most of the A’ja Wilson era with the Las Vegas Aces, the team looks like a shell of itself when the three-time MVP is on the sidelines. In Thursday night’s game against the upstart Washington Mystics, the Aces led by eight at 66-58 with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter. For most teams, they stay on course and finish the game more times than not. Not Las Vegas.

In a shocking victory, the Mystics closed the game on a 12-2 run where the Aces just seemed to run out of gas. Missing one of the best players in the world may seem like a valid excuse, but that just is not the case when the team performs poorly around Wilson when she is on the court. Luckily for the Liberty, depth is in abundance, and they have maintained course, but the issues that the Aces face are eerily similar.

Jonquel Jones doing some individual work on the side today

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— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney.bsky.social) Jul 2, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Angel Reese’s Development

When two-time All-Star Angel Reese’s game is clicking on all cylinders, the clown show drowning in misogynoir that is the discourse surrounding her and her talents retreats without making a sound. Certainly, this is not an indication of biased media coverage she receives that is funneled down to the court of public opinion, which is always right, right?

And we’re back with your regularly scheduled programming.

In Reese’s first five games of the season, the sophomore slump reared its head with averages of 9.2 points and 31.3 percent from the field. One thing that didn’t change was the 6’3’’ forward’s activity on the glass, averaging 13 rebounds per game in that span. Since then, her production and efficiency have skyrocketed.

From May 31 on, she averages 14.7 points on 46 percent shooting while grabbing 12.8 rebounds, 2.1 stocks, and dishing 4.1 assists per game. Her fluidity, paired with absurd court vision at her height on the ball, presents a matchup nightmare for guards, and post players do not have the foot speed to keep up with her once she gets downhill.

Reese has played 19 games in 2025 and finished with a double-double in 15 appearances, which leads the WNBA by a substantial margin. She has recorded seven consecutive double-doubles in her last seven games, averaging 17.4 points, 16.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.1 stocks. The methods Reese uses to reach such numbers are unlike any streak of performances put on since joining the league last season. Under Sky head coach Tyler Marsh’s tutelage, Reese’s development as a true point-forward has taken a consistent leap, with proof in every game that the Baltimore native is upon the precipice of putting it all together. And that should scare everyone.

Born and raised in Chicago, Christan Braswell is a women’s sports journalist with a focus on the WNBA and women’s college basketball. He’s an avid fan of elevator screens and stuffed crust pizza. Outside of sports, he’s an avid cook and lover the great outdoors.

Tagged as: Angel Reese,  Brionna Jones,  Brittney Sykes,  Jonquel Jones,  Kelsey Plum,  Kiki Iriafen,  Kim Mulkey,  Rhyne Howard,  Sonia Citron,  WNBA.