There is a litany of exciting talent that is about to enter the ranks of The W this year. Whether it is Kelsey Plum, who recently set the all-time single-season scoring record, to Tennessee’s Diamond DeShields, to South Carolina’s Alaina Coates, this year’s Draft is shaping up to be a great one to cover and to watch.
One question though—where (and when) will the Draft be held?
The WNBA recently announced its full Draft order for the three rounds of said Draft. The San Antonio Stars are set to pick first, followed by the Chicago Sky, then the Dallas Wings, then the Wings again, then the Stars again.
After that—the Dream, Sun, Sky, Wings, Sparks, and Lynx round out the top 12 for the first round.
The Draft’s second round is set to go like this: Sun, Liberty, Storm, Sun, Fever, Mystics, Dream, Fever, Sky, Fever, Wings, Lynx.
The third round—Stars, Wings, Mystics, Sun, Mercury, Storm, Fever, Sky, Liberty, Sparks, Lynx.
The full list is also at the WNBA website.
Other than the actual Draft order, not much else has been revealed about the Draft—including when it will take place or where.
And it has the WNBA press corps/blogosphere in arms wondering exactly what in the name of Mohegan Sun is going on…
WNBA Training camp opens in a month from now BUT we still don’t have all the official WNBA Draft details. Sigh. #wnba
— Aneela (@WHoopsBlogger) March 23, 2017
If someone could explain what’s going on with the @WNBA Draft, we’d appreciate it. https://t.co/8mDabyxof0
— Shattered Backboard (@ShatteredBBoard) March 17, 2017
Initially, the Draft was reported by CBS Sports as taking place on April 10. That date has seemingly been shifted over to April 13 at 7 pm. ESPN, which, of course, is the WNBA’s primary broadcasting partner, has also set April 13 as the date.
It appears, though, we know at least one key factoid about this year’s Draft…
Confirmed, @WNBA draft will NOT be at Mohegan Sun this year; the league will be releasing details on the event in the coming days.
— David Siegel (@DishNSwish) March 13, 2017
Interestingly enough, there are AHL hockey games scheduled to take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena the day before and the day after the April 14 date—a possible reason for the scheduling conflict.
So, what has to be worked out is the venue. Mohegan Sun is out, but this blog post indicates the Draft could either be held either at the ESPN studios (also in Connecticut) or somewhere in New York City.
Finding out where the Draft is held is crucial given the fact that it is held only a few days after the conclusion of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Unlike on the men’s side where the Lonzo Ball’s of the world have a few months to prepare, the Kelsey Plum’s and Alaina Coates’ of NCAA women’s hoops only have a few days to get ready for their moment in the spotlight as they enter the professional ranks.
The ire among WNBA aficionados seems to be at a fevered pitch, not only with the confusion of the time and date of the Draft, but also at WNBA president Lisa Borders, who appeared to refer to the WNBA as more of an “entertainment” enterprise.
Lisa Borders Thinks The WNBA Is An “Entertainment” Business https://t.co/h5Yn0AfbWk@WNBAPrez WOW, just WOW! SMH Lisa Borders, wrong answer!
— L. Rosie Grier (@RosieSeven) March 23, 2017
I wna hear @MsPeters14 take on this. Rubs me ALL wrong. Lisa Borders Thinks WNBA Is An “Entertainment” Business https://t.co/0n7ECt79ut
— Jasmine A. Crenshaw (@Violet_Woolf) March 22, 2017
One wonders what Adam Silver thinks of all of this….
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
