2016 WNBA draft
| 2016 WNBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | April 14, 2016 |
| Location | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut |
| Network(s) | ESPN2 (first round) ESPNU (second and third rounds) |
| Overview | |
| League | WNBA |
| First selection | Breanna Stewart Seattle Storm |
The 2016 WNBA draft is the
league's draft for the 2016 WNBA season. It was held on April 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.[1]
The draft was most notable for
Connecticut producing the top three picks, with #1 pick Breanna Stewart followed by Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck.[2] This is the first time in history that the top three draft picks came from the same school.[3]
Draft lottery
The lottery selection to determine the order of the top four picks in the 2016 draft occurred on September 24, 2015. The winner of the lottery, the Seattle Storm, picked first, marking the first pick for the Storm for the second straight year.[4]
Lottery chances
- Seattle Storm (442 out of 1,000) - Won
- San Antonio Stars (276 out of 1,000)
- Connecticut Sun (178 out of 1,000)
- Atlanta Dream (104 out of 1,000)
This is the third time that the lottery was won by the team that had the highest odds. The lottery odds were based on combined records from the 2014 and 2015 WNBA season. Seattle Storm, the worst two-year record, was guaranteed with at least the third pick.
Key
Draft selections
Round 1
| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breanna Stewart + |  United States
|
Seattle Storm | Connecticut
|
| 2 | Moriah Jefferson | United States
|
San Antonio Stars | Connecticut
|
| 3 | Morgan Tuck | United States
|
Connecticut Sun | Connecticut
|
| 4 | Rachel Banham | United States
|
Connecticut Sun[a] | Minnesota |
| 5 | Aerial Powers | United States
|
Dallas Wings[b] | Michigan State |
| 6 | Jonquel Jones + |  Bahamas
|
Connecticut Sun from Los Angeles Sparks[c] | George Washington
|
| 7 | Kahleah Copper + | United States
|
Washington Mystics | Rutgers |
| 8 | Courtney Williams +
|
United States
|
Phoenix Mercury | South Florida |
| 9 | Tiffany Mitchell | United States
|
Indiana Fever | South Carolina |
| 10 | Imani Boyette
|
United States
|
Chicago Sky | Texas |
| 11 | Bria Holmes | United States
|
Atlanta Dream[d] | West Virginia |
| 12 | Adut Bulgak |  Canada
|
New York Liberty | Florida State |
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Rachel Hollivay | United States
|
Atlanta Dream[e] | Rutgers |
| 14 | Jazmon Gwathmey | United States Puerto Rico
|
Minnesota Lynx[f] (then traded to San Antonio)[7] | James Madison |
| 15 | Whitney Knight | United States
|
Los Angeles Sparks from Connecticut Sun | Florida Gulf Coast |
| 16 | Courtney Walker | United States
|
Atlanta Dream | Texas A&M |
| 17 | Jamie Weisner | Canada[g]
|
Connecticut Sun from Los Angeles Sparks | Oregon State |
| 18 | Ruth Hamblin
|
Canada
|
Dallas Wings | Oregon State |
| 19 | Lia Galdeira | United States
|
Washington Mystics | Washington State |
| 20 | Jillian Alleyne | United States
|
Phoenix Mercury | Oregon |
| 21 | Brene Moseley | United States
|
Indiana Fever | Maryland |
| 22 | Bashaara Graves | United States
|
Minnesota Lynx[h] | Tennessee |
| 23 | Brianna Butler | United States
|
Los Angeles Sparks from Connecticut Sun[i] | Syracuse |
| 24 | Ameryst Alston | United States
|
New York Liberty | Ohio State |
Third round
Notable prospects
On September 24, 2015, WNBA.com posted notable prospects for the draft. The list included:[9]
- Moriah Jefferson - UConn
- Tiffany Mitchell - South Carolina
- Breanna Stewart - UConn
- Jillian Alleyne - Oregon
- Jonquel Jones - George Washington
- Morgan Tuck - UConn
- Courtney Williams- South Florida
The WNBA also selected twelve players to be in attendance at the draft. Those twelve were:[10]
- Rachel Banham, Minnesota
- Imani Boyette, Texas
- Kahleah Copper, Rutgers
- Moriah Jefferson, Connecticut
- Jonquel Jones, George Washington
- Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
- Aerial Powers, Michigan State
- Breanna Stewart, Connecticut
- Morgan Tuck, Connecticut
- Courtney Walker, Texas A&M
- Talia Walton, Washington
- Courtney Williams, South Florida
Of those 12 players, 10 were picked in the 1st round. Only Courtney Walker and Talia Walton were picked later.
Footnotes
- ^ The Dream traded this pick to Connecticut in exchange for Elizabeth Williams.[5]
- ^ Dallas and Los Angeles traded first-round picks in this draft; Dallas also received Erin Phillips.[6]
- ^ Los Angeles and Dallas traded first-round picks in this draft; Los Angeles also received Riquna Williams and a 2017 first-round pick.[6]
- ^ The Dream received this pick from the Minnesota Lynx as part of a three-way trade involving the Sky; Chicago received Érika de Souza from Atlanta, Atlanta received Damiris Dantas, Reshanda Gray and this pick from Minnesota, Minnesota received Sylvia Fowles and Chicago's second-round pick in this draft
- ^ The Dream received this pick from San Antonio in exchange for Samantha Logic
- ^ The Lynx received this pick and Renee Montgomery from Seattle in exchange for Monica Wright
- ^ Weisner was born and raised in the USA to an American mother and Canadian father. At the time of the draft, she had represented Canada internationally at both youth and senior level.[8]
- ^ The Lynx received this pick from Chicago, see note d
- ^ The Sun received this pick from Minnesota in exchange for the rights to Asjha Jones
See also
References
- ^ "WNBA Draft 2016 Presented by State Farm to Be Held on April 14" (Press release). WNBA. February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ "Breanna Stewart top pick in WNBA, leading 1-2-3 UConn sweep". ESPN.com. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "Stewart leads 1-2-3 UConn sweep at WNBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ Seattle Storm Wins Top Pick For 2016 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm - WNBA
- ^ "Seattle Connecticut Sun trade F/C Elizabeth Williams to Dream for No. 4 draft pick". espn.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ a b "Sparks acquire Riquna Williams in swap of high picks with Wings". espn.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ "Lynx Acquire WNBA All-Star Jia Perkins From San Antonio - Minnesota Lynx". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ "Bio: #15 Jamie Weisner". Oregon State Beavers. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Notable Prospects in the 2016 WNBA Draft
- ^ "Meet the 12 Players Attending WNBA Draft 2016 - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved April 15, 2016.