WNBA Draft Guide: Everything you need to know about the 2021 Draft

NBA.com Staff

WNBA Draft Guide: Everything you need to know about the 2021 Draft image

The 2021 WNBA draft will be held virtually on Thursday, April 15, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The draft will be televised on TSN2 in Canada and ESPN in the US.

A draft lottery was held on December 4 2020 to determine the order of the top four selections in the 2021 draft. The four non-playoff teams in 2020 were eligible for the lottery drawing.

The New York Liberty won the lottery for the second year in a row and were awarded the first overall pick. The Atlanta Dream will pick second, followed by the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever.

The Wings later acquired the No. 1 pick in the draft after trading forward Katie Lou Samuelson and a second-round pick in 2022 to the Seattle Storm. The Storm first acquired the No. 1 pick, alongside a 2022 first-round pick and a 2022 second-pick from the Liberty for former Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard.

Dallas is now the first team in WNBA history to own the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the same draft.

2021 WNBA Draft Order

First Round
Pick Team
1 DALLAS WINGS (VIA NEW YORK)
2 DALLAS WINGS
3 ATLANTA DREAM
4 INDIANA FEVER
5 DALLAS WINGS (VIA WASHINGTON)
6 NEW YORK LIBERTY (VIA CONNECTICUT)
7 DALLAS WINGS (VIA CHICAGO)
8 CHICAGO SKY (VIA PHOENIX)
9 MINNESOTA LYNX
10 LOS ANGELES SPARKS
11 SEATTLE STORM
12 LAS VEGAS ACES

WNBA Draft Eligibility

Here are just some of the eligibility rules for the WNBA Draft under the current collective bargaining agreement. 

  • Player's 22nd birthday must fall during the calendar year of the draft.
  • Player has either:
  • completed her college eligibility;
  • received a bachelor's degree, or is scheduled to receive such in the 3 months following the draft; or
  • is at least 4 years removed from high school graduation.

International players are defined as such if all of the following is true:

  • Born and currently residing outside the U.S.
  • Never "exercised intercollegiate basketball eligibility" in the U.S.

International players' eligibility age is 20, also measured on the year in which the draft is held.

2021 WNBA Draft prospects

See below for a list of notable prospects eligible for WNBA Draft 2021.

PLAYER COLLEGE/COUNTRY BIRTHPLACE POSITION
Janelle Bailey North Carolina Brooklyn, NY Center
Kate Cain Nebraska Tarrytown, N.Y. Center
DiJonai Carrington Baylor San Diego, Calif. Guard
Charli Collier Texas Mont Belvieu, Tex. Forward-Center
Rennia Davis Tennessee Jacksonville, Fla. Guard-Forward
Chelsea Dungee Arkansas Okmulgee, Okla. Guard
Dana Evans Louisville Gary, Ind. Guard
Kysre Gondrezick West Virginia Benton Harbor, Mich. Guard
Aleah Goodman Oregon State Milwaukie, Ore. Guard
Arella Guirantes Rutgers Long Island, N.Y. Guard
Shyla Heal Australia N/A Guard
Ciera Johnson Texas A&M Duncanville, Tex. Center
N’dea Jones Texas A&M Atlanta, Ga. Forward
Micaela Kelly Central Michigan Detroit, Mich. Guard
Awak Kuier Finland Cairo, Egypt Center
Selena Lott Marquette Troy, N.Y. Guard
Natasha Mack Oklahoma State Lufkin, Tex. Forward
Tiana Mangakahia Syracuse Brisbane, Australia. Guard
Aari McDonald Arizona Fresno, Calif. Guard
Michaela Onyenwere UCLA Aurora, Colo. Forward
Chasity Patterson Kentucky Houston, Tex. Guard
Chelsey Perry University of Tennessee at Martin Middleton, Tenn. Guard
Lindsey Pulliam Northwestern Washington, D.C. Guard
Ivana Raca Wake Forest Larnaka, Cyprus Forward
DiDi Richards Baylor Houston, TX Guard
Iliana Rupert France Sevres, France Forward
Destiny Slocum Arkansas Boise, Idaho Guard
Unique Thompson Auburn Mobile, Ala. Forward
Jill Townsend Gonzaga Omak, Washington Guard
Destinee Walker Notre Dame Cleveland, Miss. Guard
Jasmine Walker Alabama Montgomery, Ala. Forward
Stephanie Watts North Carolina Bronx, N.Y. Guard
Kiana Williams Stanford San Antonio, Tex. Guard
Aaliyah Wilson Texas A&M Muskogee, Oklahoma Guard
Jenn Wirth Gonzaga Mesa, Ariz. Forward

 

NBA.com Staff

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