2026 WNBA draft
| 2026 WNBA Draft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | April 13, 2026 |
| Network | U.S.: ESPN |
| Overview | |
| 45 total selections in 3 rounds | |
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Teams | 15 |
| Expansion team | Portland Fire Toronto Tempo |
| First selection | Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings) |
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s draft for the 2026 season was held following the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. This was the first draft for the league's two newest expansion teams, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo.
Draft lottery
In November 2025, the WNBA announced that the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery would be held on November 23, 2025. The lottery decided the order of the first 5 picks in the 2026 WNBA draft and was televised on ESPN in the United States. The five teams that did not qualify for 2025 WNBA playoffs participated in this draft lottery.
Lottery chances
The lottery chances were based on the combined record from the 2024 and 2025 WNBA seasons. In the drawing, 14 balls numbered 1 to 14 were placed in a lottery machine and mixed. Four balls were drawn to determine a four-digit combination. The team assigned that four-ball combination received the No. 1 pick. The four balls were then be placed back into the machine and the process was repeated to determine the second pick. Of the three teams not selected in the drawings, the team with the worst cumulative two-year record was selected third; the team with the next worst record selected fourth; and the remaining team, fifth.
A representative from the league's independent accounting firm, Ernst & Young, was in attendance to oversee the draft lottery process.
Note: The team selected for the No. 1 pick in the lottery is noted below in bold text.
| Team | Combined 2024–25 record | Lottery chances | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Wings | 19–65 | 42.0% | 1st pick |
| Minnesota Lynx (from Chicago Sky) | 23–61 | 26.1% | 2nd pick |
| Seattle Storm (from Los Angeles Sparks) | 29–55 | 16.7% | 3rd pick |
| Washington Mystics | 30–54 | 9.7% | 4th pick |
| Chicago Sky (from Connecticut Sun) | 39–45 | 5.5% | 5th pick |
- Notes
- ↑ April 13, 2025: Chicago to Minnesota
- Minnesota acquired the 2026 first-round pick outright, and extinguished the previous right to exchange 2026 first-round draft picks with Chicago
- Chicago acquired the 2025 No. 11 draft pick (Hailey Van Lith)
- ↑ January 31, 2024: Seattle to Los Angeles
- Los Angeles acquired Kia Nurse and a 2024 first-round pick (Rickea Jackson)
- Seattle acquired a 2026 first-round pick
- ↑ July 17, 2024: Connecticut to Chicago
- Chicago acquired Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, a 2025 first-round pick (Ajša Sivka), and the right to swap 2026 first-round picks
- Connecticut acquired Marina Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick (Rayah Marshall)
Eligibility and entrants
Under the 2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the WNBA and its players' union, ratified before this draft and mostly unchanged from the previous CBA, draft eligibility for players (not defined as "international") requires the following to be true:
- The player's 22nd birthday falls during the calendar year of the draft. For the 2026 draft, the cutoff birth date is December 31, 2004.
- She has either:
- completed her college eligibility;
- received a bachelor's degree, or is scheduled to receive such in the three months following the draft; or
- is at least four years removed from high school graduation.
Early eligibility
Players who are younger than the draft's cutoff age and are scheduled to receive their bachelor's degree within three months of the draft date will only be eligible if the calendar year of the draft is no earlier than the fourth year after their high school graduation.
Players with remaining college eligibility but who do meet the cutoff age criteria must notify WNBA headquarters of their intent to enter the draft no later than 10 days before the draft date, and must renounce any remaining college eligibility to do so. For the 2026 draft, the date fell on April 3. A separate notification timetable is provided for players involved in postseason tournaments (i.e. the NCAA Division I tournament); those players (normally) must declare for the draft within 24 hours of their final collegiate game.
International players
"International players" are defined as those for whom all of the following is true:
- Born and currently residing outside the U.S.
- Never "exercised intercollegiate basketball eligibility" in the U.S.
- The player's 20th birthday falls during the calendar year of the draft. For this draft, the international cutoff birth date is December 31, 2006.
Draft
_23_(cropped).jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-WNBA Team |
| # | Denotes player who never played in the WNBA regular season or playoffs |
| Bold | Denotes player who won Rookie of the Year |
First round
| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azzi Fudd |  United States |
Dallas Wings | UConn |
| 2 | Olivia Miles* | Minnesota Lynx (from Chicago) | TCU | |
| 3 | Awa Fam |  Spain/ Senegal |
Seattle Storm (from Los Angeles) | Valencia (Spain) |
| 4 | Lauren Betts |  United States |
Washington Mystics | UCLA |
| 5 | Gabriela Jaquez | United States/ Mexico |
Chicago Sky (from Connecticut) | |
| 6 | Kiki Rice | United States |
Toronto Tempo | |
| 7 | Iyana Martín | Spain |
Portland Fire | Perfumerias Avenida (Spain) |
| 8 | Flau'jae Johnson | United States |
Golden State Valkyries (Traded to Seattle) | LSU |
| 9 | Angela Dugalić | United States/ Serbia |
Washington Mystics (from Seattle) | UCLA |
| 10 | Raven Johnson | United States |
Indiana Fever | South Carolina |
| 11 | Cotie McMahon | United States |
Washington Mystics (from New York via Minnesota and Connecticut) | Ole Miss |
| 12 | Nell Angloma |  France |
Connecticut Sun (from Phoenix via Chicago) | Basket Lattes Montpellier (France) |
| 13 | Madina Okot |  Kenya |
Atlanta Dream | South Carolina |
| 14 | Taina Mair | United States |
Seattle Storm (from Las Vegas) | Duke |
| 15 | Gianna Kneepkens | United States |
Connecticut Sun (from Minnesota via Washington) | UCLA |
Second round
Third round
| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Zee Spearman | United States |
Dallas Wings | Tennessee |
| 32 | Tonie Morgan | United States |
Chicago Sky | Kentucky |
| 33 | Serah Williams | United States |
Connecticut Sun | UConn |
| 34 | Rori Harmon | United States |
Washington Mystics | Texas |
| 35 | Amelia Hassett |  Australia |
Los Angeles Sparks | Kentucky |
| 36 | Charlise Dunn | Australia |
Toronto Tempo | Davidson |
| 37 | Taylor Bigby | United States |
Portland Fire | TCU |
| 38 | Kokoro Tanaka |  Japan |
Golden State Valkyries | Eneos Sunflowers (Japan) |
| 39 | Grace VanSlooten | United States |
Seattle Storm | Michigan State |
| 40 | Jessica Timmons | United States |
Indiana Fever | Alabama |
| 41 | Manuela Puoch | Australia |
New York Liberty | Southside Melbourne Flyers (Australia) |
| 42 | Eszter Rátkai |  Hungary |
Phoenix Mercury | PEAC (Hungary) |
| 43 | Ran Kejia |  China |
Atlanta Dream | Sichuan Yuanda (China) |
| 44 | Jordan Obi | United States |
Las Vegas Aces | Kentucky |
| 45 | Lani White | United States |
Minnesota Lynx | Utah |
Sponsorship
State Street Investment Management, promoting the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (known by its ticker symbol "SPY"), was the presenting sponsor of the event, replacing previous presenting sponsor State Farm. State Street began a multi-year sponsorship of the league in September 2025.
Footnotes
- ↑ April 13, 2025: Chicago to Minnesota
- Minnesota acquired the outright 2026 first-round draft pick and extinguished the previous right to exchange 2026 first-round draft picks with Chicago
- Chicago acquired the 2025 No. 11 draft pick (Hailey Van Lith)
- ↑ January 31, 2024: Seattle to Los Angeles
- Los Angeles acquired Kia Nurse and a 2024 first-round pick (Rickea Jackson)
- Seattle acquired a 2026 first-round pick
- 1 2 July 17, 2024: Connecticut to Chicago
- Chicago acquired Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, a 2025 first-round pick (Ajša Sivka), and the right to swap 2026 first-round picks
- Connecticut acquired Marina Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick (Rayah Marshall)
- ↑ August 5, 2025: Seattle to Washington
- Seattle acquired Brittney Sykes
- Washington acquired Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke, and a 2026 first-round pick
- ↑ March 16, 2025: New York to Connecticut
- Connecticut acquired the 2025 No. 7 draft pick (Aneesah Morrow) and a 2026 first-round pick
- New York acquired Natasha Cloud
- 1 2 April 14, 2025: Minnesota to Washington
- Washington acquired 2026 first-round pick
- Minnesota acquired Karlie Samuelson
- 1 2 August 7, 2025: Connecticut to Washington
- Washington acquired Jacy Sheldon and the right to swap 2026 first-round picks (Washington with Minnesota's own and Connecticut with New York's own acquired from prior trades)
- Connecticut acquired Aaliyah Edwards
- ↑ February 6, 2024: Phoenix to Chicago
- Phoenix acquired Kahleah Copper and Morgan Bertsch
- Chicago acquired Brianna Turner, Michaela Onyenwere, a 2024 first-round pick (Kamilla Cardoso), the Sky's own 2025 second-round pick, a 2026 first-round pick, and the right to swap 2026 second-round picks with Phoenix
- 1 2 February 1, 2025: Three-team trade among Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Seattle
- Las Vegas acquired Jewell Loyd (from Seattle) and a 2025 second-round pick (Aaliyah Nye, from Los Angeles)
- Los Angeles acquired Kelsey Plum (from Las Vegas), a 2025 first-round (Sarah Ashlee Barker) and a 2026 second-round pick (from Seattle)
- Seattle acquired the rights to Li Yueru and a 2025 first-round pick (Dominique Malonga, from Los Angeles), and a 2026 first-round pick (from Las Vegas)
- ↑ June 14, 2025: Dallas to Seattle
- Dallas acquired Li Yueru
- Seattle acquired a 2026 second-round pick (with right to swap with the Connecticut Sun) and a 2027 third-round pick (with right to swap with the Indiana Fever)
- 1 2 April 1, 2026: Chicago to Portland
- Chicago acquired the 2026 21st pick and complete protection from the Fire in the 2026 WNBA expansion draft
- Portland acquired the 2026 17th pick
- ↑ April 1, 2026: Chicago to Portland
- Chicago acquired complete protection from the Tempo in the 2026 WNBA expansion draft
- Tempo acquired the 2026 26th pick
- ↑ March 14, 2024: New York to Chicago
- New York acquired Rebekah Gardner
- Chicago acquired 2025 and 2026 second-round picks
- ↑ August 20, 2024: Minnesota to Washington
- Minnesota acquired Myisha Hines-Allen
- Washington acquired Olivia Époupa, Sika Koné, and a 2026 second-round pick
References
- 1 2 3 4 "WNBA Draft Lottery 2026 To Take Place Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPN". WNBA.com. November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ Andrews, Kendra (November 7, 2025). "WNBA draft lottery to take place Nov. 23". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- 1 2 "Chicago Sky Acquire 2025 No. 11 Overall Draft Pick From Minnesota". Chicago Sky. WNBA. April 13, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- 1 2 "Sky swap 2024 WNBA draft picks, prospects with Lynx in trade". ESPN. Field Level Media. April 14, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- 1 2 "Sparks Acquire WNBA All-Star Guard Kia Nurse". WNBA.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- 1 2 "Sun acquire guard Marina Mabrey in trade with Sky". ESPN. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Washington Mystics Acquire Seattle Storm's 2026 First Round Pick And Three-Time WNBA Champion Alysha Clark". Washington Mystics. August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
- ↑ "New York Liberty Acquire Natasha Cloud From Connecticut Sun". New York Liberty. WNBA. March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Mystics Acquire 2026 First-Round Pick". Washington Mystics. WNBA. April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Connecticut Sun Acquire Aaliyah Edwards". Connecticut Sun. August 7, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Washington Acquires Jacy Sheldon". Washington Mystics. August 7, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Phoenix Mercury Acquires All-Star and WNBA Champion Kahleah Copper and Forward Morgan Bertsch in Trade With Chicago Sky". WNBA.com. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Las Vegas Aces Welcome Two-Time WNBA Champion Jewell Loyd in Three-Team Trade". Las Vegas Aces. WNBA. February 1, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Sparks Acquire Three-Time All-Star Kelsey Plum". WNBA. February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Storm Acquire No. 2 Pick in the 2025 Draft, Rights to Li Yueru and 2026 First Round Pick". Seattle Storm. WNBA. February 1, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Dallas Wings Trade For Li Yueru". Dallas Wings. June 14, 2025. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Storm Acquire Second and Third-Round Draft Picks in Exchange for Yueru". Seattle Storm. June 14, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- 1 2 "Chicago Sky Make Pair of Deals with Expansion Teams". Chicago Sky. April 1, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ↑ Costabile, Annie (March 14, 2024). "Sky acquire two future second-round draft picks from Liberty for rights to Rebekah Gardner". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ↑ "Lynx acquire forward Myisha Hines-Allen from Mystics". ESPN. Field Level Media. August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ↑ Burns, Heather (September 16, 2025). "WNBA announces partnership with State Street Investment Management". USA Today. Retrieved April 21, 2026.