Understanding the Draft & Rookies to Watch
Now that the 2026 WNBA Draft has passed, we are going to recap and analyze not only how Draft Day works, but discuss the outcome of the draft.
Read below to see:
- Who was initially eligible for the draft
- The general process that the Draft Day follows
- Projected First Round Picks before the draft
- The final results of the draft
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Who is eligible to enter the Draft?
Any collegiate or international athletes who turned 22 years old last year are eligible to enter the draft and renounce any NCAA eligibility they have left to opt into the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Draft Format
The WNBA Draft has three rounds. The first five picks are decided by the Draft Lottery, which took place in November 2025 and awarded the first overall round pick to the Dallas Wings. This year’s full draft order is listed below. Teams often trade picks up until the night before the Draft, so the order is subject to change.
You may notice two new teams, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, that were created as a result of the WNBA expansion and will play in their first season later this year. Just last year the WNBA announced a historic expansion to 18 teams with the new addition of teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. This is a testament to the WNBA’s growing popularity and increases opportunities for the next generation in women’s basketball to play at the highest level.
The top 15 prospects in the 2026 WNBA draft are listed below.
| PROSPECTED | BACKGROUND | DRAFTED? |
| AZZI FUDD | UCONN/ GUARD | YES |
| LAUREN BETTS | UCLA /CENTER | YES |
| AWA FAM THIAM | SPAIN NATIONAL | YES |
| OLIVIA MILES | TCU/ GUARD | YES |
| NELL ANGLOMA | FRANCE NATIONAL | YES |
| ANGELA DUGALIC | UCLA/ FORWARD | YES |
| GABRIELA JAQUEZ | UCLA/ GUARD | YES |
| FLAU’JAE JOHNSON | LSU/ GUARD | YES |
| RAVEN JOHNSON | SOUTH CAROLINA / GUARD | YES |
| GIANNA KNEEPKENS | UCLA / GUARD | YES |
| TA’NIYA LATSON | SOUTH CAROLINA/ GUARD | YES |
| COTIE MCMAHON | UCLA/ GUARD | YES |
| MADINA OKOT | SOUTH CAROLINA/ CENTER | YES |
| KIKI RICE | UCLA/ GUARD | YES |
| MARTA SUAREZ | TCU/ FORWARD | YES |
Tomorrow, April 13th at 7 p.m. ET, the 2026 WNBA draft will be held at the Shed in Manhattan, New York. Coverage begins on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. Tune in to see where your favorite college players will be playing this season!
This year’s draft order is as follows:
First Round:
1) Dallas Wings
2) Minnesota Lynx (from Chicago Sky)
3) Seattle Storm (from Los Angeles Sparks)
4) Washington Mystics
5) Chicago Sky (from Connecticut Sun)
6) Toronto Tempo*
7) Portland Fire*
8) Golden State Valkyries
9) Washington Mystics (from Seattle Storm)
10) Indiana Fever
11) Washington Mystics (from New York Liberty)
12) Connecticut Sun (from Phoenix Mercury)
13) Atlanta Dream
14) Seattle Storm (from Las Vegas Aces)
15) Connecticut Sun (from Minnesota Lynx)
Second Round:
1) Seattle Storm (from Dallas Wings)
2) Chicago Sky
3) Connecticut Sun
4) Washington Mystics
5) Los Angeles Sparks
6) Portland Fire
7) Toronto Tempo
8) Golden State Valkyries
9) Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle Storm)
10) Indiana Fever
11) Chicago Sky (from New York Liberty)
12) Phoenix Mercury
13) Atlanta Dream
14) Las Vegas Aces
15) Washington Mystics (from Minnesota Lynx)
Third Round:
1) Dallas Wings
2) Chicago Sky
3) Connecticut Sun
4) Washington Mystics
5) Los Angeles Sparks
6) Toronto Tempo
7) Portland Fire
8) Golden State Valkyries
9) Seattle Storm
10) Indiana Fever
11) New York Liberty
12) Phoenix Mercury
13) Atlanta Dream
14) Las Vegas Aces
15) Minnesota Lynx
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