Many a WNBA Draft has a clear-cut number one overall selection, but going into this year’s version, that number one overall pick became more of a topic of debate.
All of our questions regarding the 2026 WNBA Draft would be answered on Monday, April 13 as the Draft was held at The Shed at Hudson Yards for the second consecutive year.
With the two expansion teams, it was also a larger draft than last season’s rendition.
The first team that was on the clock were the Dallas Wings who notably made a few moves recently in free agency to address how thin the team was in the frontcourt. This made many pundits speculate that UConn’s Azzi Fudd would reunite with Paige Bueckers in Dallas.
That would indeed be the case as a Husky would be the first overall pick for the second consecutive draft. The Wings, who now have Jose Fernandez at the helm as head coach, also recently notably re-signed Arike Ogunbowale.
The second overall pick would be that of the Minnesota Lynx, a contending team that is coming off another year of playoff disappointment. Cheryl Reeve’s Lynx had taken some hits in free agency but will be bringing back Courtney Williams. There are questions about Napheesa Collier.
The Lynx decided to address the future of its backcourt by drafting Olivia Miles out of TCU with the second overall pick.
The third pick would be that of the Seattle Storm. The Storm are entering the 2026 season with a new head coach in Sonia Raman. Both Nneka Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks) and Skylar Diggins (Chicago Sky) are gone as well as Gabby Williams (Golden State Valkyries).
Seattle is clearly in a rebuild and decided to add even more international depth to its frontcourt as Spain’s Awa Fam Thiam will join Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor.
Speaking of bigs, there has been plenty of talk recently regarding the frontcourt of the Washington Mystics. Washington, who recently parted ways with Jamila Wideman as general manager recently re-signed Shakira Austin to go alongside a frontcourt that also features Kiki Iriafen.
The first of the national champion UCLA Bruins would be selected with the fourth overall pick as Lauren Betts will now be under the tutelage of coach Sydney Johnson.
Up next would be the Chicago Sky and many had speculated that this would be where LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson would be selected. Instead, the Sky must have been watching that national championship game against South Carolina very closely and noticed Gabriela Jaquez scoring 21 to deny the Gamecocks.
Jaquez would be drafted fifth to Tyler Marsh’s Sky to round out the lottery picks.
Then it was time for the two expansion teams to make their first selections. Since the Portland Fire selected first in the expansion draft, the Toronto Tempo would go before Portland in the college draft. The third of the six UCLA seniors would be selected by Sandy Brondello’s Toronto as Kiki Rice would take her talents to the 6ix.
This would be followed by Portland and its head coach Alex Sarama. The first selection by the re-launched Fire would be Iyana Martín Carrión out of Spain.
Then, up next would be the Valkyries, which reached the playoffs in its expansion season and is fresh off a year where Natalie Nakase earned Coach of the Year honors and where Veronica Burton was the W’s Most Improved Player. Golden State’s draft pick would be Flau’jae Johnson, but draft onlookers were stunned when commissioner Cathy Engelbert traded her draft rights to the Storm.
Up next would be the Mystics and UCLA would continue to bask in the glow of its first-ever national championship euphoria. Angela Dugalić would rejoin Betts in the DMV.
Then came the Indiana Fever and we would get the first South Carolina Gamecock drafted. That Gamecock would be Raven Johnson who notably drew the assignment of guarding Caitlin Clark in the 2024 national championship game between South Carolina and Iowa. Also, the reunion theme of the draft continued as the drafting of Johnson by coach Stephanie White’s Fever means Johnson will once again play alongside fellow Gamecock Aliyah Boston.
The 11th overall selection was also that of the Mystics and that pick would be of someone who already has a similar color scheme to what Washington presents. The Mystics’ pick at 11 would be Cotie McMahon out of Ole Miss.
Following the ‘Stics would be the Connecticut Sun with the 12th overall selection. This is the Sun’s final draft as the Sun before they relocate to southeast Texas to relaunch the Houston Comets. In addition, Connecticut recently agreed to a multi-year deal with Houston’s very own Brittney Griner. The Sun selected Nell Angloma out of France.
Following the Sun’s pick at 12 would be the Atlanta Dream at 13. Dan Padover recently made seismic news throughout the WNBA with the trade of Angel Reese from Chicago. The second of the three Gamecocks on hand would be chosen as Madina Okot would be brought in by Karl Smesko’s Atlanta assembling in an effort to bolster a backcourt that already includes Brionna Jones.
Up next would be the Seattle Storm at 14 and that selection would be Duke’s Taina Mair. Rounding out the first round would be Rachid Meziane’s Sun which made the fifth UCLA selection of the first round in the form of Gianna Kneepkens.
Then came the second round which began with the Storm. That pick would be Marta Suárez from Spain. Seattle then later traded the draft rights to Suárez to the Valkyries in the Flau’jae Johnson deal.
Another interntional selection would be made by the Fire in the form of Germany’s Frieda Bühner. The Sun then made the sixth UCLA pick of the draft with Charlisse Leger-Walker as she will be reunited with Kneepkens in New England.
This would be followed by another Washington pick – which would be Cassandre Prosper from Notre Dame. The third of the South Carolina contingency would be chosen by the Los Angeles Sparks with the fifth pick of the second round as they chose Ta’Niya Latson.
Then came Chicago which chose Latasha Lattimore out of Ole Miss. The first Kentucky Wildcat would then be off the board as Toronto decided to bring Teonni Key north of the border. The second Duke Blue Devil would then be off the board as Ashlon Jackson would be selected by the Valkyries.
Ohio State’s Chance Gray would be chosen next by the Sparks. Justine Pissott out of Vanderbilt was then selected by the Fever. The Tempo then (fittingly, given who its head coach is) drafted Saffron Shiels from Australia. The first selection by the Phoenix Mercury would be late in the second round and it went with Ines Pitarch-Granel from France.
The 13th pick of the second round would see another southeastern prospect go off the board to the W’s lone southeastern team as the Dream went with Indya Nivar from North Carolina. Tennessee’s Janiah Barker, who has been a notable journeywoman throughout her college career, would be selected by the Las Vegas Aces and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs of Baylor would round out the second-round picks as she was selected by the Mystics.
The third round would begin with another Lady Vol – Zee Spearman – drafted by the Wings. Tonie Morgan of Kentucky would be selected by the Sky with the second pick of the final round. Connecticut then went with a local favorite in the form of UConn’s Serah Williams but her draft rights were later acquired by the Fire. Williams would be exchanged for Taylor Bigby and a third-round selection in next year’s draft.
Rori Harmon of Texas would be another selection by Washington followed by another Kentucky pick in Amelia Hassett to the Sparks. Brondello then fittingly continued the Australia-to-Toronto pipeline by drafting Charlise Dunn from Davidson. Bigby was later selected by Portland but her draft rights were traded to Connecticut. Kokoro Tanaka would then be selected by the Valkyries.
Grace VanSlootoen would go next to Seattle out of Michigan State followed by Alabama’s Jessica Timmons to the Fever. The first and only selection by the New York Liberty would also be someone out of Australia in the form of Manuela Puoch. International selections followed with Eszter Ratkai from Hungary to the Mercury and Kejia Ran of China to the Dream.
The final two picks would be Kentucky’s Jordan Obi to the Aces and Utah’s Lani White to the Lynx.
