The Future Is Now: The 2026 WNBA Draft

   After the last bit of confetti falls during the Women’s Basketball NCAA Championship, many graduating collegiate athletes have to quickly make their way to The Shed in Hudson, New York to find out where their future home is. Whether it’s across the country, or in their hometown, teams are waiting, fans are eager, and all eyes are looking in the direction of who’s going number one. In the majority of years, there’s always the one player that everyone can agree is going number one, this year, there was a lot of debate and speculation on who it would be. From the lottery to the trade of the night, and the history that was made, here’s a complete overview of the 2026 WNBA draft. 

The Lottery

   The WNBA draft lottery typically falls around mid to late November, the year preceding the draft. November 13, 2025 was when the draft lottery for the 2026 season was held. The lottery chances were based on the combined records that each team held for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In the drawing, 14 balls were labeled 1 through 14 and mixed. The balls were drawn to determine a four-number combination; the team that was assigned that combination would get the number one pick, and the process continued until each pick was respectively chosen. 

  In addition to the drawing and records, teams also have the ability to trade for draft picks. The receiving team inherits their lottery odds, and the final draft position of the team they traded with. For the 2026 lottery, the Dallas Wings received the number one overall pick, followed by Minnesota Lynx (via trade from Chicago Sky), Seattle Storm (via trade from Los Angeles Sparks), Washington Mystics, and Chicago Sky (via trade from Connecticut Sun).

Top Three Prospects

   While not everyone agreed on the number one, many people agreed on there being a solidified top three. Starting off with Azzi Fudd. Fudd is a guard who played for UConn for 5 years, but only got to play around two full seasons due to having extensive injuries that had to do with her ACL and foot. She played her first full season in 2024-2025 and won the National Championship with UConn. She finished off her UConn career this season, ending in the Final Four. Fudd averaged 14.7 points per game, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and had a 46.9% field goal percentage. One special trait that Fudd has is that she’s only missed 10 free throws her entire collegiate career, maintaining a 92-93% field goal percentage, which is the highest in UConn’s history. 

  The second player that was widely considered to be a top prospect was Lauren Betts. Betts played as a center for UCLA for three years, transferring there after playing her freshman year at Stanford. She was an All-American, was named Defensive Player of The Year for 2026, and most notably, won the NCAA Championship in 2026. Betts averaged 14.6 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and had a 61.9 field goal percentage. The third top prospect was Olivia Miles from Texas Christian University. Miles played at Notre Dame for her first 4 years, and transferred to TCU for her last year of eligibility. She was a standout in the 2025 FIBA Americup, where she won gold with team USA. Miles averaged 15.6 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 47.2 field goal percentage.

   Looking at all these talented prospects’ stats and achievements, it was difficult to tell who would be going first. A lot of people believed it would be Betts, since she brought home UCLA’s first NCAA championship title. However, many also weighed into consideration how the Wings didn’t need more centers, and thought that Bueckers and Fudd would be able to reunite as teammates and bring their backcourt energy back. Plenty of people also made a strong case for Miles, pointing out that she is an insanely diverse player, and brought a lot of eyes to TCU’s women’s basketball program.

The One

    April 13, 2026 is when the WNBA 2026 draft was held. From red carpets, dozens of interviews, and beautiful custom outfits, the draft had finally arrived. At 4:42pm PST, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the Wings’ decision. “And with the first pick in the 2026 WNBA draft, the Dallas Wings select Azzi Fudd.” Engelbert barely finished Fudd’s name when the entire room burst into applause. This settled every debate and speculation. In her bold and glittery sequin dress, Fudd walked up to the stage and smiled with the Wings’ jersey. Second to be drafted to the Minnesota Lynx was Olivia Miles, third to the Seattle Storm was Awa Fam who played in Spain, fourth to the Washington Mystics was Lauren Betts, and fifth to the Chicago Sky was Gabriela Jaquez. 

The Trade

   While it doesn’t happen often, teams can trade picks on draft night. In order to happen, these trades must be finalized before the draft happens. The one that happened this draft night, was pick number eight, guard and 2023 NCAA Champion, Flau’jae Johnson from LSU getting traded from the Golden State Valkyries to the Seattle Storm. In return, the Storm gave them the number two 2028 draft pick, and the sixteenth player drafted that night, Marta Suarez. Many fans from both teams were shocked by this trade, Storm fans were eager to be able to watch the rebuild happen, while fans of the Valkyries felt like the management didn’t make the smartest choice by agreeing to this trade. 

The History Made

    The 2026 WNBA Draft had a few special achievements that had never been done before. The UCLA Bruins (2026 Women’s Basketball NCAA Champions) had six players get picked all in the same draft, more than any school before. The previous record was held by Tennessee, Notre Dame and South Carolina, who each had five of their players picked in a single draft. UCLA breaking this record solidified that they’ve become a reputable name in the women’s basketball world. Additionally, Azzi Fudd is now the highest-paid rookie to ever enter the WNBA. With new CBA negotiations, the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) and WNBA agreed that first-year rookies are getting higher pay. Fudd, the number one overall pick, is receiving $500,000 for her 4-year rookie contract. Paige Bueckers, who was the number one pick for the 2025 draft class, only got around $76,000 for her rookie contract. It’s an important achievement that the WNBA was able to recognize these women’s accomplishments and pay them what they are worth. 

Overview

   This 2026 draft consisted of a variety of talented players, who each had very different backgrounds that made them appeal to the respective teams that they were drafted to. As the season starts, keep an eye out for all of these rookies who have a bright future in the WNBA ahead of them!