| 1998 WNBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | April 28, 1998 |
| Overview | |
| League | WNBA |
| First selection | Małgorzata Dydek Utah Starzz |
| Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cindy Brown | F |  United States | Detroit Shock | Long Beach State (from Seattle Reign, ABL) |
| 2 | Razija Mujanović | C |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | Detroit Shock | Microcamp Campinas (Brazil) |
| 3 | Nikki McCray + | G | United States | Washington Mystics | Tennessee (from Columbus Quest, ABL) |
| 4 | Alessandra Santos de Oliveira | C |  Brazil | Washington Mystics | Comense (Italy) |
| Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Małgorzata Dydek + | C |  Poland | Utah Starzz | Pool Getafe (Spain) |
| 2 | Ticha Penicheiro * | G |  Portugal | Sacramento Monarchs | Old Dominion |
| 3 | Murriel Page | F/C | United States | Washington Mystics | Florida |
| 4 | Korie Hlede | G |  Croatia | Detroit Shock | Duquesne |
| 5 | Allison Feaster + | F | United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Harvard |
| 6 | Cindy Blodgett | G | United States | Cleveland Rockers | Maine |
| 7 | Tracy Reid | F/G | United States | Charlotte Sting | North Carolina |
| 8 | Maria Stepanova | C |  Russia | Phoenix Mercury | CSKA Moscow (Russia) |
| 9 | Alicia Thompson | C | United States | New York Liberty | Texas Tech |
| 10 | Polina Tzekova | F/C |  Bulgaria | Houston Comets | Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (France) |
| Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Olympia Scott | F/C | United States | Utah Starzz | Stanford |
| 12 | Tangela Smith + | F/C | United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Iowa |
| 13 | Rita Williams + | G | United States | Washington Mystics | Connecticut |
| 14 | Rachael Sporn | F |  Australia | Detroit Shock | Adelaide Lightning (Australia) |
| 15 | Octavia Blue | F | United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Miami |
| 16 | Suzie McConnell Serio | G | United States | Cleveland Rockers | Penn State |
| 17 | Christy Smith | G | United States | Charlotte Sting | Arkansas |
| 18 | Andrea Kuklová | G/F |  Slovakia | Phoenix Mercury | Pays d'Aix Basket 13 (France) |
| 19 | Nadine Domond | G | United States | New York Liberty | Iowa |
| 20 | Nyree Roberts | C | United States | Houston Comets | Old Dominion |
| Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | LaTonya Johnson | F | United States | Utah Starzz | Memphis |
| 22 | Quacy Barnes | C | United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Indiana |
| 23 | Angela Hamblin | G/F | United States | Washington Mystics | Iowa |
| 24 | Gergana Branzova | F | Bulgaria | Detroit Shock | Florida International |
| 25 | Rehema Stephens | G | United States | Los Angeles Sparks | UCLA |
| 26 | Tanja Kostić | F |  Sweden | Cleveland Rockers | Oregon State |
| 27 | Pollyanna Johns | C | United States | Charlotte Sting | Michigan |
| 28 | Brandy Reed + | F | United States | Phoenix Mercury | Southern Mississippi |
| 29 | Albena Branzova | F | Bulgaria | New York Liberty | Florida International |
| 30 | Amaya Valdemoro | F |  Spain | Houston Comets | Pool Getafe (Spain) |
| Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Tricia Bader | G | United States | Utah Starzz | Boise State |
| 32 | Adia Barnes | F | United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Arizona |
| 33 | Angela Jackson | C | United States | Washington Mystics | Texas |
| 34 | Sandy Brondello + | G | Australia | Detroit Shock | BTV Wuppertal (Germany) |
| 35 | Erica Kienast | F | United States | Los Angeles Sparks | UC-Santa Barbara |
| 36 | Tammye Jenkins | C | United States | Cleveland Rockers | Georgia |
| 37 | Sonia Chase | G | United States | Charlotte Sting | Maryland |
| 38 | Karen Wilkins | G/F | United States | Phoenix Mercury | Howard |
| 39 | Vanessa Nygaard | F | United States | New York Liberty | Stanford |
| 40 | Monica Lamb-Powell | C | United States | Houston Comets | USC |
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is the premier women's professional basketball league. It is composed of 12 teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA), and league play started in 1997. The regular season is played from May to September, with the All Star game being played midway through the season in July and the WNBA Finals at the end of September until the beginning of October.
The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). One of eight original franchises, it was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began.
The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began. Like some other WNBA teams, the Sparks have the distinction of not being affiliated with an NBA counterpart, even though the market is shared with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, the majority owners of the Brooklyn Nets. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center.
The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded prior to the 1998 season, and is owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Mystics' NBA counterpart, the Washington Wizards. The team plays in the Entertainment and Sports Arena in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington DC. Sheila C. Johnson, co-founder of BET and ex-wife of Charlotte Sting owner Robert L. Johnson, is the managing partner.
The Orlando Miracle were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Orlando, Florida. It began play in the 1999 WNBA season. The Miracle relocated, in 2003, to Uncasville, Connecticut, where the team became the Connecticut Sun. The Miracle was a sister team to the NBA's Orlando Magic.
The WNBA draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997.
Kara Elizabeth Wolters is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player and a current sports broadcaster. Standing at six feet seven inches (2.01 m) and nicknamed "Big Girl," she is the tallest player in University of Connecticut women's basketball history and one of the tallest women to ever play in the WNBA. During her playing career, she was an NCAA national champion (1995), FIBA world champion (1998), WNBA champion (1999), and Olympic champion (2000) becoming one of 11 women with those accolades. She also won AP College Player of the Year in 1997
DeLisha Lachell Milton-Jones is an American retired professional basketball player and head coach of Old Dominion. Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. She was a first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year her senior season.
The 1997 WNBA draft was the 1st draft held by the WNBA through which teams could select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. Unlike later drafts, this draft was unique because there were three different stages in which teams built their rosters.
1999 WNBA draft
2000 WNBA draft
On November 16, 2005, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) held an expansion draft for the Chicago Sky. It was the first expansion draft since the 2000 season, when the WNBA welcomed the Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Indiana Fever, and Seattle Storm into the league.
The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the first WNBA season with a franchise in Atlanta as the Dream were announced in late 2007.
The Atlanta Dream are an American professional basketball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded for the 2008 WNBA season. The team is owned by real estate investors Larry Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and former Dream player Renee Montgomery. Although the Dream share the Atlanta market with the National Basketball Association's Hawks, the Dream is not affiliated with its NBA counterpart. The Dream play at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.
Kisha Ford is a former WNBA player for the New York Liberty, Orlando Miracle, and the Miami Sol. She attended Bryn Mawr School and played college basketball at Georgia Tech, where she was the all-time leading scorer in team history. She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1995 Jones Cup Team that won the Bronze in Taipei. She was selected in the fourth round of the 1997 WNBA Draft at 27th overall by the New York Liberty. Over her WNBA career, she scored 442 points, grabbed 218 rebounds, and had 90 assists, and 111 steals.
The 1998 WNBA season was the first for the Detroit Shock. The team had an 0–4 start, but by season's end they missed out on a postseason berth by just one game in the standings.
The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; the team moved to Tulsa before the 2010 season. The team was owned by Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC, which is led by Bill Cameron and David Box. On July 20, 2015, Cameron announced that the franchise would move to Arlington, Texas for the 2016 WNBA season, rebranding as the Dallas Wings.
Yolanda Moore is a former American professional basketball player. She was the post game radio analyst for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007.
The Dallas Wings are an American professional basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg Bibb is president and CEO. Brad Hilsabeck joined the Dallas Wings ownership group in March 2019 with the acquisition of Mark Yancey’s interest in the Wings.