Women's basketball fans are in for treat with the 2023 WNBA Draft, an encore to the jaw-dropping March Madness run we saw with outrageous broadcast viewership.
South Carolina's Aliyah Boston headlined the incoming class after her decorated four years with the Gamecocks, and she's joined by three of the other four women from South Carolina's standout 2019 recruiting class — "The Freshies" — Brea Beal, Zia Cooke and Laeticia Amihere.
All of "The Freshies" and one additional South Carolina player went in the WNBA Draft. Boston, Amihere and Cooke were first rounders, while Beal rounded out the second round.
The four combined for 5,430 points, 3,035 rebounds, 827 assists and 586 blocks in their four-year careers. They led the Gamecocks to a 129-9 record, three Final Four appearances, three SEC Tournament titles and a national championship.
There are some stars headed into the league to fill the void left by Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles. After a combined two decades on the court, the three women decided to retire, leaving the floor open for some young and hungry talent.
The Lynx acquired Maryland's Diamond Miller as the No. 2 overall pick, while the Storm snagged Tennessee's Jordan Horston as the No. 9 overall pick.
MORE: Watch the 2023 WNBA Draft live with Sling
Villanova's Maddy Siegrist and Stanford's Haley Jones also went in the first round, Siegrist to the Wings at No. 3 overall and Jones to the Dream at No. 6 overall.
While Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley decided to forgo the Draft and take a fifth year with the Hokies, there were two picks from the Final Four team – Kayana Taylor went No. 23 to the Chicago Sky and Taylor Soule went No. 28 to the Lynx.
Not all of the players drafted will get a chance to suit up in the WNBA. Thirty-six get selected and still fight the odds through training camp to stay part of the rosters. There are 168 players and only 144 available spots. Training camp begins on April 30, and the preseason tips on May 5.
The Sporting News tracked all 36 picks from the 2023 WNBA Draft in real-time. Check out where your favorite names end up as selections are made.
WNBA Draft picks 2023: Live results from Rounds 1-3
Round 1 results
Soares was confirmed to be traded to the Dallas Wings after going No. 4 overall so the Washington Mystics could have a future first-round (2025) and second-round (2024) pick.
Dallas had the chance to pick three in a row because of this trade and four in the first-round.
| Number | Team | Player | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Indiana Fever | Aliyah Boston | South Carolina |
| 2. | Minnesota Lynx | Diamond Miller | Maryland |
| 3. | Dallas Wings | Maddy Siegrist | Villanova |
| 4. | Washington Mystics (traded to Dallas Wings) | Stephanie Soares | Iowa State |
| 5. | Dallas Wings | Lou Lopez-Sénéchal | UConn |
| 6. | Atlanta Dream | Haley Jones | Stanford |
| 7. | Indiana Fever | Grace Berger | Indiana Fever |
| 8. | Atlanta Dream | Laeticia Amihere | South Carolina |
| 9. | Seattle Storm | Jordan Horston | Tennessee |
| 10. | Los Angeles Sparks | Zia Cooke | South Carolina |
| 11. | Dallas Wings | Abby Meyers | Maryland |
| 12. | Minnesota Lynx | Maïa Hirsch | France |
Round 2 results
| Number | Team | Player | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | Indiana Fever | Taylor Mikesell | Ohio State University |
| 14. | Los Angeles Sparks | Shaneice Swain | Australia |
| 15. | Atlanta Dream | Leigha Brown | Michigan |
| 16. | Minnesota Lynx | Dorka Juhász | UConn |
| 17. | Indiana Fever | LaDazhia Williams | LSU |
| 18. | Seattle Storm | Madi Williams | Oklahoma |
| 19. | Dallas Wings | Ashley Joens | Iowa State |
| 20. | Washington Mystics | Elena Tsineke | South Florida |
| 21. | Seattle Storm | Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu | South Florida |
| 22. | Connecticut Sun | Alexis Morris | LSU |
| 23. | Chicago Sky | Kayana Traylor | Virginia Tech |
| 24. | Minnesota Lynx | Brea Beal | South Carolina |
Round 3 results
| Number | Team | Player | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25. | Indiana Fever | Victaria Saxton | South Carolina |
| 26. | Los Angeles Sparks | Monika Czinano | Iowa |
| 27. | Phoenix Mercury | Destiny Harden | Miami |
| 28. | Minnesota Lynx | Taylor Soule | Virginia Tech |
| 29. | Phoenix Mercury | Kadi Sissoko | USC |
| 30. | New York Liberty | Okako Adika | USC |
| 31. | Dallas Wings | Paige Robinson | Illinois State |
| 32. | Washington Mystics | Txell Alarcón | Spain |
| 33. | Seattle Storm | Jade Loville | Arizona |
| 34. | Connecticut Sun | Ashten Prechtel | Stanford |
| 35. | Chicago Sky | Kseniya Malashka | Middle Tennessee |
| 36. | Las Vegas Aces | Brittany Davis | Alabama |
