WNBA Draft - Notable Draft Picks

Notable Draft Picks

  • 1997 – Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson would become the core pieces of the Houston Comets dynasty.
  • 1999 – Taj McWilliams-Franklin is the lowest draft pick to become a WNBA All-Star in 3rd round, 32nd pick overall.
  • 2002 – Four of the top six draft picks, Sue Bird (#1), Swin Cash (#2), Asjha Jones (#4) and Tamika (Williams) Raymond (#6) were from the same team, the 2002 NCAA Champion University of Connecticut.
  • 2003 – Cheryl Ford (daughter of NBA great Karl Malone) helped the Detroit Shock win a WNBA Championship in her first season.
  • 2004 – Lindsay Whalen picked #4 overall by Connecticut Sun – led the Sun to the WNBA finals two years in a row in her rookie and second year.
  • 2005 – Kristin Haynie – Became the first person to play in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship game (with Michigan State) and the WNBA Finals (with the Sacramento Monarchs) in the same calendar year. She was on the losing side in the NCAA (to Baylor), but on the winning side in the WNBA.
  • 2006 – Four of the top six draft picks would be named to the All-Star Game in their rookie season: Seimone Augustus, Cappie Pondexter, Sophia Young, and Candice Dupree.
  • 2008 – Top pick Candace Parker went on to become the first WNBA player ever to be the league's Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. 4th pick Alexis Hornbuckle became the first person to win a National Championship in college and a WNBA title in the same calendar year. She won a NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship with the University of Tennessee and then won a WNBA title with the Detroit Shock in the WNBA.

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