If all the NCAA March Madness excitement has you invested in women’s basketball recently, you’re not alone. Literally millions of other Americans participated as well, thanks to the fervor surrounding the tournament – and the spotlight shining on amazing athletes like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and more.
The 2024 women’s national championship game — a showdown between the Iowa Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks — drew a record 18.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched women’s basketball game on record and the most-watched basketball game overall (yes, including men’s or women’s, college or pro) from 2019, according to ESPN.
There’s no doubt that we’re entering a pretty exciting time for women’s basketball. And the best part is, even though March Madness is over, there’s still plenty of excitement to come: The WNBA Draft, which features some of college’s hottest stars and sets the stage for epic professional games, takes place on April 15 .
Fair warning: The blueprint process is a bit, um, subtle, and if you’re confused by how it all works, that’s totally understandable. To demystify things, we’ve put together the following Q&A that addresses all of your burning b-ball questions in an easy-to-digest format. Just this way for people who need to know!
First of all, when and where will this all go down?
Mark your calendar for Monday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET. That’s when the festivities—held this year at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn—will begin. For the first time since 2016, fans will be able to watch the draft in person, creating an extremely exciting atmosphere that we bet TV viewers will feel as well.
What is the point of the plan?
I’m glad you asked! Basically, the WNBA holds its draft so teams can select new players from the last pool of eligible athletes, including many soon-to-be college graduates. Through a lottery and ranking process that favors teams with less-than-stellar records (more on that in a minute), the draft aims to bring parity to the league so that struggling teams have a chance to bolster their rosters with the best young players. The benefit to us viewers? More exciting games!
How many teams are included?
All 12 teams that make up the WNBA participate in the draft. This includes: Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, Connecticut Sun, New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky.
So how are the options chosen?
There are three rounds in the draft, with 12 picks per round. The order in which teams make their selections is based on last season’s performance, with the worst teams going first and the best last.
One vital exception: The first four picks in the first round are determined by the draft lottery (a weighted draw among the four teams that did not make the 2023 WNBA playoffs: Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm )—plus any traded picks (basically, teams can decide to trade pick numbers with each other).
What makes athletes eligible for the draft?
There are three main groups that can enter the draft: all college seniors who are no longer eligible to play in the NCAA; any NCAA player who turns 22 this year and waives (or “waives”) his remaining NCAA eligibility; or any international player who turns 20 this year.
How many rounds are there?
Three! And each round includes 12 choices.
How many athletes are in the pool and how many will be selected?
The WNBA has not announced how large this year’s pool of athletes is, but an April 4 news release from the organization did reported 89 players who waived their eligibility to become enlisted candidates. A week later, the WNBA issued another Press release spotlighting some of the draft’s headliners who were not named in the original list, including Caitlin Clark, Aaliyah Edwards and Kamilla Cardoso. So it’s not clear exactly how big the final pool will be, but we I am doing know that in the end only 36 athletes will be selected.
Which teams have the top picks this year?
The Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky—in that order—will take the first flights this year. Specifically, Fever took first last year as well. Lucky them!
Which athletes are draft favorites?
Not surprisingly, Caitlin Clark is widely predicted to be the top pick. As the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and the highest-paid female NCAA basketball player in history (thanks to NIL bonuses), the 22-year-old guard just finished a collegiate career with some very impressive stats, scoring 3,951 total points, 1,144 assists. , and 990 rebounds during her four years with the Iowa Hawkeyes, per ESPN.
