List of first overall WNBA draft picks

Last updated

The Women's National Basketball Association's first overall pick is the player who is selected first among all eligible draftees by a team during the annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft. The first pick is awarded to the team that wins the WNBA draft lottery; in most cases, that team had a losing record in the previous season.

Contents

Eight first picks have won the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award: Lauren Jackson (three-time winner), Candace Parker (two-time winner), Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, and A'ja Wilson. Candace Parker is the only player to win the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award during her rookie year.

Fifteen first picks have won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award: Chamique Holdsclaw, Diana Taurasi, Seimone Augustus, Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, Rhyne Howard, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark.

Four collegiate programs have multiple players that were selected first overall: UConn with five, Tennessee with three, and Notre Dame, South Carolina and Stanford with two each.

Key

*Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-WNBA Team
+Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
BoldDenotes player who won Rookie of the Year
PPGPoints per game [lower-alpha 1]
APGAssists per game [lower-alpha 1]
RPGRebounds per game [lower-alpha 1]

List of first overall picks

The 2002 first overall draft pick, Sue Bird. She was also the first pick from Connecticut as the first overall. Sue Bird 2012.jpg
The 2002 first overall draft pick, Sue Bird. She was also the first pick from Connecticut as the first overall.
DraftSelected byPlayerCountryPositionCollege / high school / former clubWNBA rookie statisticsRef.
PPGRPGAPG
1997 (Elite) [lower-alpha 2] Utah Starzz Dena Head Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Tennessee 5.72.31.7 [1]
1997 Houston Comets Tina Thompson *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward USC 13.26.61.1 [2]
1998 Utah Starzz Margo Dydek +Flag of Poland.svg  POL Center Pool Getafe (Spain)12.97.61.8 [3]
1999 Washington Mystics Chamique Holdsclaw *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Tennessee 16.97.92.4 [4]
2000 Cleveland Rockers Ann Wauters +Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Center USV Olympic (France)6.24.01.2 [5]
2001 Seattle Storm Lauren Jackson *Flag of Australia (converted).svg  AUS Forward-Center Canberra Capitals (Australia)15.26.71.5 [6]
2002 Seattle Storm Sue Bird *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Connecticut 14.42.66.0 [7]
2003 Cleveland Rockers LaToya Thomas Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Mississippi State 10.85.11.2 [8]
2004 Phoenix Mercury Diana Taurasi *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Connecticut 17.04.43.9 [9]
2005 Charlotte Sting Janel McCarville Flag of the United States.svg  USA Center Minnesota 1.82.70.4 [10]
2006 Minnesota Lynx Seimone Augustus *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward LSU 21.93.81.5 [11]
2007 Phoenix Mercury Lindsey Harding Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Duke 11.74.43.9 [12]
2008 Los Angeles Sparks Candace Parker * [lower-alpha 3] Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Tennessee 18.59.53.4 [13]
2009 Atlanta Dream Angel McCoughtry *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Louisville 12.83.12.1 [14]
2010 Connecticut Sun Tina Charles *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Center Connecticut 15.511.71.5 [15]
2011 Minnesota Lynx Maya Moore *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Connecticut 13.24.62.6 [16]
2012 Los Angeles Sparks Nneka Ogwumike *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Stanford 14.07.51.2 [17]
2013 Phoenix Mercury Brittney Griner *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Center Baylor 12.66.31.0 [18]
2014 Connecticut Sun Chiney Ogwumike +Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Stanford 15.58.50.6 [19]
2015 Seattle Storm Jewell Loyd *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Notre Dame 10.73.51.9 [20]
2016 Seattle Storm Breanna Stewart *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward Connecticut 18.39.33.4 [21]
2017 San Antonio Stars Kelsey Plum *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Washington 8.51.93.4 [22]
2018 Las Vegas Aces A'ja Wilson *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Forward South Carolina 20.78.02.2 [23]
2019 Las Vegas Aces Jackie Young *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Notre Dame 6.63.34.5 [24]
2020 New York Liberty Sabrina Ionescu *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Oregon 18.34.74.0 [25]
2021 Dallas Wings (from New York via Seattle) Charli Collier Flag of the United States.svg  USA Center Texas 3.43.60.2 [26]
2022 Atlanta Dream (from Washington) Rhyne Howard +Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Kentucky 16.24.52.8 [27]
2023 Indiana Fever Aliyah Boston +Flag of the United States.svg  USA Center South Carolina 14.58.42.2 [28]
2024 Indiana Fever Caitlin Clark *Flag of the United States.svg  USA Guard Iowa 19.25.78.4

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 All statistics are taken from the players' respective rookie season unless otherwise noted.
  2. The elite draft portion comprised professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues.
  3. Candace Parker also won the WNBA MVP award during her rookie year.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Sparks</span> Womens basketball team

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 Women's National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the league's inaugural season in 1997. MVP voting takes place immediately following the regular season. The award recipient is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States. Panel members were asked to select their top five choices for the award, with 10 points being awarded for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

The Women's National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 1998 WNBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player(s) with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamique Holdsclaw</span> American basketball player (born 1977)

Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is an American former professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She announced her retirement from the Los Angeles Sparks on June 11, 2007, though she eventually came out of retirement to play with the Atlanta Dream for the 2009 WNBA Season. Holdsclaw was inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candace Parker</span> American basketball player (born 1986)

Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Chinese Basketball Association</span> First-tier professional womens basketball league in China

The Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) is the first-tier professional women's basketball league in China. It was established in 2002 as the women's counterpart to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nneka Ogwumike</span> American basketball player (born 1990)

Nnemkadi Chinwe Victoria "Nneka" Ogwumike is an American professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks first overall in the 2012 WNBA draft and signed an endorsement deal with Nike soon after. Ogwumike spent 12 seasons with the Sparks and was named WNBA MVP for the 2016 WNBA season and won the WNBA Finals the same year. She was named to The W25, the league's list of the top 25 players of its first 25 years, in 2021.

The 2009 Los Angeles Sparks season is the 13th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. Lisa Leslie announced that the 2009 season would be her last. On June 5, the Sparks and Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announced a multi-year marketing partnership that includes a branded jersey sponsorship. The Farmers Insurance branded jersey will be worn by the players for the first time on June 6. As part of this alliance, the Farmers Insurance name and logo will appear on the front of the Sparks jerseys and will have considerable visibility in the Staples Center during home games. Los Angeles became only the second WNBA team to finalize such an agreement. The Sparks attempted to reach the playoffs and were successful.

The 2013 WNBA season was the 17th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on May 24 and conclued on September 15, and playoffs started on September 19 and concluded on October 10. The Minnesota Lynx won their second league championship, defeating the Atlanta Dream three games to none in the 2013 WNBA Finals. The year represented a positive turning point for the long-struggling league. Both attendance and television viewership were up, driven by an influx of talented rookies, multiple teams reported that they were near a break-even point, and at least one franchise announced that it was profitable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiney Ogwumike</span> Nigerian-American basketball player (born 1992)

ChinenyeJoy "Chiney" Ogwumike is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2020, she became the first Black woman and the first WNBA player to host a national radio show for ESPN. She was one of the first and youngest commentators ever to be named an NBA analyst for the network covering the NBA, WNBA, and variety of sports, while simultaneously playing in the WNBA. Chiney is a graduate of Stanford University, where she majored in International relations. She played in three Final Fours and finished as the conference leader in scoring and rebounding as of January 3, 2014. As of 2016, Ogwumike was elected vice-president of the WNBA Players Association, and signed an endorsement deal with Adidas. In May 2018, Ogwumike signed a multi-year contract with ESPN to become a full-time basketball analyst.

The 2013 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on July 27, 2013, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, the current home of the Connecticut Sun. This was the 11th edition of the WNBA All-Star Game, and was played during the 2013 WNBA season. This was the third time the event had been held in Connecticut, the others being the 2005 and 2009 games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 WNBA All-Star Game</span>

The 2014 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 19, 2014 at the venue then known as US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, the current home of the Phoenix Mercury. This was the 12th edition of the WNBA All-Star Game, and was played during the 2014 WNBA season. This was the second time the event had been held in Phoenix, the other being the 2000 game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Cloud</span> American basketball player (born 1992)

NatashaTashaCloud is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A'ja Wilson</span> American basketball player (born 1996)

A'ja Riyadh Wilson is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The 2016 WNBA season is the 9th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began May 14 and concluded September 18. The Dream qualified for the playoffs as the sixth seed after missing the playoffs the previous year, finishing 17–17. The Dream defeated the Seattle Storm in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Chicago Sky in the second round to end their season.

The 2018 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx was their 20th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx finished the 2017 season with a record of 27–7, finishing first in the Western Conference and qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately beating Los Angeles in the WNBA Finals to win their league-tying best fourth championship.

The 2020 WNBA season was the 24th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on July 25, 2020, versus the Phoenix Mercury.

The 2021 WNBA season was the 25th season for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season tipped off on May 14, 2021, versus the Dallas Wings.

The Wubble was the WNBA's 2020 coronavirus pandemic isolation zone at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The league, teams, and players used the season as a way to leverage advocacy for social justice.

References

  1. "Dena Head WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  2. "Tina Thompson WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  3. "Margo Dydek WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  4. "Chamique Holdsclaw WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  5. "Ann Wauters WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  6. "Lauren Jackson WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  7. "Sue Bird WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  8. "LaToya Thomas WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  9. "LaToya Thomas WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  10. "Janel McCarville WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  11. "Seimone Augustus WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  12. "Lindsey Harding WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  13. "Candace Parker WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  14. "Angel McCoughtry WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  15. "Tina Charles WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  16. "Maya Moore WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  17. "Nneka Ogwumike WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  18. "Brittney Griner WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  19. "Chiney Ogwumike WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  20. "Jewell Loyd WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  21. "Breanna Stewart WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  22. "Record-setting guard Kelsey Plum goes to San Antonio Stars with top pick". ESPN.com . Associated Press. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  23. "A'ja Wilson WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  24. "Jackie Young WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  25. "Sabrina Ionescu WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  26. "Charli Collier WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  27. "Rhyne Howard WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  28. "Aliyah Boston WNBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.