A big congratulations to all of the Women’s College basketball coaches who watched their players get drafted to the WNBA from their programs. The University of Connecticut Huskies had their 7th Women’s basketball player drafted first in the WNBA draft, who is Azzi Fudd. Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers are the first two Huskies to be drafted first in back-to-back drafts. Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers playing alongside one another again, now with the Dallas Wings, should be a joy for the Wings fans watching these two feed off one another on the court with their all-around shooting abilities.
Tonight’s WNBA draft showed that the college programs from which each of these women was drafted provided them with extra skill sets that prepared them for this moment. Out of the 15 women drafted, 8 of them came from other college basketball programs that helped them prepare for this opportunity. UCLA Coach Cori Close had 5 players selected in the first round, which was a record only to see that record extend to 6 when another UCLA Bruin was selected in the second round.
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There was one trade tonight with Flau’jae Johnson being traded from the Golden State Valkyrie to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Marta Sua’rez and a 2028 second-round pick. The Storm adding Johnson to their roster after four of their key players moved on from the program at the end of last season should position the former LSU guard to get major minutes on the court this season. South Carolina’s Raven Johnson, drafted by the Indiana Fever, was a great addition to their team to help with the defensive assignments when Caitlin Clark is not on the floor, or take some of Clark’s ball-handling responsibilities away when the two are paired to play on the court together.
Here is the list of the first-round players drafted in the 2026 WNBA
The Chicago Sky revamped roster from last season after trading Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream, and adding Skylar Diggins from the Seattle Storm, who averaged 15.5 points per game, along with the addition of UCLA Gabriela Jaquez, who impacts the game running the floor and attacking the glass, giving her team additional opportunities to score points. Jaquez’s energy that she plays with on the court will be impactful to the Chicago Sky’s success this season. Angel Reese will have Madina Okot, the South Carolina Center, is another rim protector, playing next to her this season who pays attention to the details of how to improve her game. Okot will help the Atlanta Dream spread the floor, keeping teams from packing the paint, trying to prevent Angel Reese from grabbing offensive rebounds.
There were three players chosen from overseas who will provide additional exposure for the WNBA, for their fanbases to grow globally. The Seattle Storm picked Awa Fam Tham, a center from Spain who played on the Spanish National team, who plays with a lot of energy. Iyana Martin Carrion was picked 7th by the Portland Fire as their first player chosen for the new WNBA expansion team, who will play in a backup role with hopes to become a starter, and the Phoenix Mercury selected Neil Angloma from France. Reports state that Angloma’s physicality on the court has her ready to make an impact in the WNBA. This was a pretty deep 2026 WNBA draft class, and there will be even more to talk about with the season starting on May 8th, 2026.