The WNBA is a hot topic of conversation in recent seasons, and for good reason! Let’s take a look at the 30 best draft picks ever in the nearly 30 year history of the league.
Rhyne Howard
Howard needed to adapt quickly to WNBA-style basketball after being picked first by Atlanta and she showed up to the challenge. Since her start in 2022, she’s earned a Rookie of the Year award and averaged 17 points with nearly 5 rebounds and over 3 assists per game.
Jackie Young
The Aces drafted Jackie Young as first pick in the 2019 draft, but she took some time to develop into the powerhouse we know today. In 2019, her ability was a bit on the shaky side. A few years later, the Aces won the Finals in 2022 and 2023 largely due to her exceptional presence on the court.
Kelsey Plum
The Stars picked Plum first in 2017, feeling she was perfect for the WNBA due to setting NCAA scoring records while playing at Washington. San Antonio wasn’t doing the best that year, though, and when the Stars moved from San Antonio to Las Vegas and became the Aces, Plum came back from a 2020 ankle injury and looked like a brand-new player.
Sabrina Ionescu
When the Liberty first picked Sabrina Ionescu in 2020, they were banking on the power she displayed with her record-setting 26 triple-doubles at Oregon. Ionescu was injured in her rookie season, but she’s put things right by making the All-Star Game and putting up some huge performances, including helping the Liberty to the 2023 Finals.
Margo Dydek
The Utah Starzz drafted Dydek first in the 1998 draft while the league was still pretty new. Dydek was an obvious choice: she’s 7 foot 2 inches, leading her to huge defensive numbers including the season records for blocked shots. Her tragic passing from a heart attack in 2011 shocked the basketball world.
Chamique Holdsclaw
Holdsclaw was drafted first in 1999 by the Washington Mystics in a bid to right the ship from their disastrous 3-27 record in 1998. Holdsclaw brought her best and tried to right the ship, but at the time the Mystics had inconsistent leadership. Despite her amazing stats, she never got to play in the Finals throughout her career.
Tina Thompson
When the Comets picked Tina Thompson in 1997, it looked like she’d be outshined by teammates like Cooper and Swoopes. However, the dominant first few years of the Comets’ existence in Houston was largely due to her presence. As the first pick of the first draft ever, she met expectations by retiring as the league’s all-time leading scorer—only later dethroned by Taurasi.
Angel McCoughtry
The Atlanta Dream snagged McCoughtry as a first draft pick in 2009. She went on to become the iconic player from that expansion team and took them to the Finals in three different seasons. Oddly enough, the Dream never quite managed to pull out the win in those games. Likewise, when McCoughtry moved to Vegas in 2020, they lost their Finals match to Seattle.
Seimone Augustus
Minnesota needed something to go right in 2006, and they used their first pick to scoop up Augustus. She brought the power they needed, earning 2006 Rookie of the Year accolades and set the groundwork for the Lynx later dominance with Moore and a reinvigorated 2011 team.
Jewell Loyd
Loyd took off from Notre Dame a year ahead of schedule in 2015 to go to the Seattle Storm. She wisely avoided becoming a later pick by being in the same draft class as Breanna Stewart the next year. Loyd secured a Rookie of the Year award and in 2023 led the league in scoring.
Nneka Ogwumike
The LA Sparks plucked Ogwumike first off the 2012 draft, knowing from her years playing at Stanford that she was the player to take. She earned the Rookie of the Year award in 2012, took the Sparks to the Finals and won in 2016, and became the player’s union president.
Tina Charles
Charles was the first pick from the draft class of 2010, getting scooped up by the Connecticut Sun, where she spent her first four seasons. She won the MVP in 2012 and went the All-Star Game eight times, while spending six seasons with the Liberty. She’s back in 2024 with Atlanta after brief stints in Phoenix and Seattle.
Brittney Griner
Phoenix added Griner to their roster with their first pick in 2013. She holds a WNBA title from 2011 and is one of the best scoring threats in the history of the league. Her absurd wrongful detainment in Russia became international news in 2022, but she made a thrilling comeback from that ordeal in 2023.
Breanna Stewart
Stewart won an unprecedented four NCAA titles while playing for UConn, leading to her obvious first-round draft pick by the Seattle Storm. She proved her mettle again and again, winning two Finals and two MVPs with the Storm before moving to New York to bring them to a championship series.
Lauren Jackson
The Storm drafted Jackson first in 2001, and she became a constant presence in the WNBA. When you heard about dominant performances, you could assume you were about to hear the names “Sue Bird” and “Lauren Jackson.” Her 2007 season might be the strongest individual season for any player in the history of the WNBA.
A’ja Wilson
The first pick from the 2018 class, Wilson is already getting a reputation as one of the league’s legends. She’s secured two MVP accolades and secured two championships with the Aces—after doing much the same thing with the University of South Carolina during her time in college.
Maya Moore
Moore was drafted by the Lynx in 2011 and everything finally came together for Minnesota. She helped push the team to four WNBA championships and earned the MVP award in 2014. She stepped away from the league in 2018 to fight for social justice and got a wrongly convicted man, Jonathan Irons, out of prison in 2020. The two got married and had a son before Moore announced her retirement.
Candace Parker
The Sparks drafted Parker first in 2008, and she became the first (and so far, only) player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. She also earned MVP accolades in 2013, and helped her team to a championship in 2016. Oh, and she helped Chicago win a championship in 2023.
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Sue Bird
Bird was drafted in 2002 by the Seattle Storm and, along with Lauren Jackson, became one of the most dominant players on the team. Bird was the face of the Storm for her nearly 20-year career, was present at all four of Seattle’s Finals wins, and has been a consistent spokesperson for the league since she arrived.
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Dawn Staley
While she’s better-known as the Gamecocks head coach these days, Staley was the ninth overall pick in the 1999 WNBA draft by the Charlotte Sting. She was voted as one of the top 15 players in the WNBA in a fan poll in 2011, owing to her great performance on the court.
Tari Phillips
Phillips was chosen by her hometown team, the Orlando Miracle, in the first round of the 1999 WNBA draft. She was picked eighth overall and was later traded to the Liberty and joined the Comets after becoming a free agent in 2004. She also won a gold medal in the Basketball World Championship in 2002.
Svetlana Abrosimova
When the Lynx picked 1996 European Basketball Championship MVP Abrosimova seventh overall in the first round of the 2001 WNBA draft, they had no idea how lucky they just got. The Russian superstar helped propel the Seattle Storm to a championship win in 2010.
Rebekkah Brunson
Brunson was drafted tenth overall in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. She played with them for six seasons and helped them win a championship in 2005. These days, she’s best known as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx.
Tamika Catchings
Ten time All-Star, 2011 MVP, 2012 Champion, and all-around powerhouse Catchings was drafted 3rd overall by the Fever in the 2001 draft. She became Rookie of the Year and during the 2003 season averaged just under 20 points per game. She’s regarded as one of the best players to ever play in the WNBA.
Lindsay Whalen
Fourth-pick Lindsay Whalen was scooped up by the Connecticut Sun due to her impressive performance in her college career. She’s also notably won Olympic Gold with the US women’s team on the world stage. To put it simply, she’s really good at basketball.
Elena Delle Donne
As a second-round draft pick from the Sky in 2013, Delle Dorne scored 22 points in her debut game. While playing for both the Sky and Mystics, she has proven herself time and again as a truly powerful player with skills on both sides of the court. She’s a two-time MVP and an icon of the WNBA.
Candice Dupree
It might be easy to lose sight of Dupree when discussing the best to ever play in the WNBA, but look at her record. The sixth overall pick of the 2006 draft, Dupree helped the Mercury win a championship in 2014 and would later win two FIBA World Cups with Team USA.
DeWanna Bonner
Mercury took Bonner fifth overall in the 2009 draft. She debuted as a serious force on the court and helped Phoenix catapult to championships in 2009 and 2014. She was on the All-Star team in 2018 and was later traded to the Sun in 2020.
Caitlin Clark
Okay, so she didn’t win a championship in her rookie season. Whatever! The Connecticut Sun is a good team, and the Fever is in a rebuild. Clark is still one of the most electrifying round one picks in the history of the WNBA and she’s helped dramatically revitalize interest in the league.
Diana Taurasi
Since the Mercury drafted her in 2004, Taurasi has been the face of Phoenix. She’s the league’s all-time leading scorer and she’s still playing. The 2024 season is her 20th in the league, and, even though she turned 42 in June, she’s still bringing the heat to court.
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