List of first overall WNBA draft picks

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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.

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.

Fourteen 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, and Aliyah Boston.

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
Bold Denotes player who won Rookie of the Year
PPG Points per game[a]
APG Assists per game[a]
RPG Rebounds per game[a]

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.
Draft Selected by Player Country Position College / high school / former club WNBA rookie statistics Ref.
PPG RPG APG
1997 (Elite)[b]
Utah Starzz Dena Head  USA Guard Tennessee 5.7 2.3 1.7 [1]
1997
Houston Comets Tina Thompson*  USA Forward USC 13.2 6.6 1.1 [2]
1998
Utah Starzz Margo Dydek+  POL Center
Fota Porta Gdynia (Poland
)
12.9 7.6 1.8 [3]
1999
Washington Mystics Chamique Holdsclaw*  USA Forward Tennessee 16.9 7.9 2.4 [4]
2000
Cleveland Rockers Ann Wauters+  BEL Center USV Olympic (France) 6.2 4.0 1.2 [5]
2001
Seattle Storm Lauren Jackson*  AUS Forward-Center
Canberra Capitals (Australia
)
15.2 6.7 1.5 [6]
2002
Seattle Storm Sue Bird*  USA Guard Connecticut 14.4 2.6 6.0 [7]
2003
Cleveland Rockers LaToya Thomas  USA Forward Mississippi State 10.8 5.1 1.2 [8]
2004
Phoenix Mercury Diana Taurasi*  USA Forward Connecticut 17.0 4.4 3.9 [9]
2005
Charlotte Sting Janel McCarville  USA Center Minnesota 1.8 2.7 0.4 [10]
2006
Minnesota Lynx Seimone Augustus*  USA Forward
LSU
21.9 3.8 1.5 [11]
2007
Phoenix Mercury Lindsey Harding  USA Guard Duke 11.7 4.4 3.9 [12]
2008
Los Angeles Sparks Candace Parker*[c]  USA Forward Tennessee 18.5 9.5 3.4 [13]
2009
Atlanta Dream Angel McCoughtry*  USA Forward Louisville 12.8 3.1 2.1 [14]
2010
Connecticut Sun Tina Charles*  USA Center Connecticut 15.5 11.7 1.5 [15]
2011
Minnesota Lynx Maya Moore*  USA Forward Connecticut 13.2 4.6 2.6 [16]
2012
Los Angeles Sparks Nneka Ogwumike*  USA Forward Stanford 14.0 7.5 1.2 [17]
2013
Phoenix Mercury Brittney Griner*  USA Center
Baylor
12.6 6.3 1.0 [18]
2014
Connecticut Sun Chiney Ogwumike+  USA Forward Stanford 15.5 8.5 0.6 [19]
2015
Seattle Storm Jewell Loyd*  USA Guard Notre Dame 10.7 3.5 1.9 [20]
2016
Seattle Storm Breanna Stewart*  USA Forward Connecticut 18.3 9.3 3.4 [21]
2017 San Antonio Stars

Kelsey Plum*

 USA Guard Washington 8.5 1.9 3.4 [22]
2018 Las Vegas Aces A'ja Wilson*  USA Forward South Carolina 20.7 8.0 2.2 [23]
2019 Las Vegas Aces Jackie Young*  USA Guard Notre Dame 6.6 3.3 4.5 [24]
2020 New York Liberty Sabrina Ionescu*  USA Guard Oregon 18.3 4.7 4.0 [25]
2021 Dallas Wings (from New York via Seattle) Charli Collier  USA Center Texas 3.4 3.6 0.2 [26]
2022 Atlanta Dream (from Washington) Rhyne Howard  USA Guard Kentucky 16.2 4.5 2.8 [27]
2023 Indiana Fever Aliyah Boston  USA Center South Carolina 14.5 8.4 2.2

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c 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. WNBA MVP
    award during her rookie year.

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.