2018 WNBA draft

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The 2018 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2018 WNBA season. On March 12, the league announced the draft would be held on April 12 at Nike New York Headquarters, a recently opened secondary headquarters for the athletic apparel giant located in Midtown Manhattan.[1][2]

Quick Facts General information, Sport ...
2018 WNBA draft
General information
SportBasketball
Date(s)April 12, 2018
LocationNike New York Headquarters, New York City
Network(s)ESPN2 (first round)
ESPNU (Second and Third Rounds)
Overview
LeagueWNBA
First selectionA'ja Wilson
Las Vegas Aces
 2017
2019 
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Draft lottery

The lottery selection to determine the order of the top four picks in the 2018 Draft was set to take place on September 14, 2017, but was delayed by the league to November 13.

Lottery chances

The lottery selection to determine the order of the top four picks in the 2018 draft occurred on November 13, 2017. The lottery odds were based on combined records from the 2016 and 2017 WNBA seasons.[3] The San Antonio Stars, with the worst two-year record, were guaranteed no worse than the third pick. With the Stars relocating to Las Vegas, Las Vegas retained these best odds. All odds out of 1,000 based on percentages (the 11–12–13–14 combination was ignored).

Note: Team selected for the No. 1 pick noted in bold text.

More information Team, Combined 2016–17 record ...
Team Combined 2016–17 record Lottery chances Result
Las Vegas Aces 15–53 44.2% 1st pick
Indiana Fever 26–42 22.7% 2nd pick
Chicago Sky (via Atlanta)[4] 29–39[a] 17.8% 3rd pick
Chicago Sky 30–38 10.4% 4th pick
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  1. Atlanta's record

This is the fifth time that the lottery was won by the team that had the highest odds and second consecutive number 1 pick for Las Vegas.

Notable prospects

On November 7, 2017, the WNBA announced the following notable prospects for the 2018 draft:[5]

Draft invitees

On April 6, 2018, the WNBA released the names of the players invited to be in attendance at the draft.[6]

Key

* Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-WNBA Team
+ Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
x Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-WNBA Team
# Denotes player who never played in the WNBA regular season or playoffs
Bold Denotes player who won Rookie of the Year

Draft

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A'ja Wilson was selected 1st overall by the Las Vegas Aces.
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Kelsey Mitchell was selected 2nd overall by the Indiana Fever.
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Diamond DeShields was selected 3rd overall by the Chicago Sky.
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Gabby Williams was selected 4th overall by the Chicago Sky.
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Jordin Canada was selected 5th overall by the Seattle Storm.
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Ariel Atkins was selected 7th overall by the Washington Mystics.

Round 1

Round 2

More information Pick, Player ...
Pick Player Nationality Team School / club team
13 Jaime Nared  United States Las Vegas Aces Tennessee
14 Stephanie Mavunga Indiana Fever Ohio State
15 Monique Billings Atlanta Dream (from Atlanta via Connecticut)[d][e] UCLA
16 Kristy Wallace  Australia Atlanta Dream (from Chicago)[a] Baylor
17 Park Ji-su (traded to Las Vegas)[f]  South Korea Minnesota Lynx (from Seattle)[g] Cheongju KB Stars (South Korea)
18 Loryn Goodwin #  United States Dallas Wings Oklahoma State
19 Myisha Hines-Allen x Washington Mystics Louisville
20 Tyler Scaife # Phoenix Mercury Rutgers
21 Raisa Musina #  Russia Phoenix Mercury (from Connecticut)[h] UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia)
22 Mercedes Russell  United States New York Liberty Tennessee
23 Shakayla Thomas # Los Angeles Sparks Florida State
24 Kahlia Lawrence # (traded to Las Vegas)[f] Minnesota Lynx Mercer
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Round 3

More information Pick, Player ...
Pick Player Nationality Team School / club team
25 Raigyne Louis  United States Las Vegas Aces LSU
26 Imani Wright Phoenix Mercury (from Indiana via Las Vegas)[i][j] Florida State
27 Mackenzie Engram # Atlanta Dream Georgia
28 Amarah Coleman # Chicago Sky DePaul
29 Teana Muldrow Seattle Storm West Virginia
30 Natalie Butler# Dallas Wings George Mason
31 Rebecca Greenwell # Washington Mystics Duke
32 Jill Barta # (traded to Minnesota)[f] Las Vegas Aces (from Phoenix)[k] Gonzaga
33 Mikayla Cowling [fr] # Connecticut Sun California
34 Leslie Robinson # New York Liberty Princeton
35 Julia Reisingerova [ca] #  Czech Republic Los Angeles Sparks Femeni Sant Adrià (Spain)
36 Carlie Wagner #  United States Minnesota Lynx Minnesota
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Viewership

The draft was telecast on ESPN2 (1st round) and ESPNU (2nd and 3rd rounds). The draft had an average audience of 212,000, which was an increase of 25% compared to the 2017 WNBA draft. The first round experienced an increase of 13% compared to 2017, with an average audience of 308,000. The 2nd and 3rd rounds saw a 49% increase in average viewers compared to 2017 (110,000 vs. 74,000). The 2018 draft was the most watched draft since 2014.[17]

Footnotes

  1. July 31, 2017: Atlanta to Chicago[4]
  2. March 6, 2018: Phoenix to Indiana[7]
  3. March 6, 2018: Minnesota to Phoenix[8]
    • Phoenix received 2018 No. 12 pick
    • Minnesota received Danielle Robinson and a 2019 second round pick
  4. April 12, 2018: Connecticut to Atlanta[9]
    • Atlanta re-acquired the 2018 No. 15 pick and received a 2019 second-round pick
    • Connecticut received Bria Holmes
  5. June 8, 2017: Atlanta to Connecticut[10]
    • Connecticut received a 2018 second-round pick
    • Atlanta received Jordan Hooper
  6. April 13, 2018: Las Vegas to Minnesota[11]
    • Las Vegas acquired rights to Park Ji-su and Kahlia Lawrence
    • Minnesota acquired rights to Jill Barta and a 2019 second round pick
  7. February 7, 2018: Seattle to Minnesota[12]
    • Minnesota received the 2018 No. 17 pick and the ability to swap 2019 first round picks
    • Seattle received Natasha Howard
  8. February 2, 2018: Connecticut to Phoenix[13]
    • Phoenix received the 2018 No. 21 pick
    • Connecticut received Cayla George
  9. February 2, 2018: Las Vegas to Phoenix[14]
    • Phoenix received the 2018 No. 26 pick and a 2019 second-round pick
    • Las Vegas received Kelsey Bone
  10. May 9, 2017: Indiana to Las Vegas (San Antonio)[15]
    • San Antonio received a 2018 third round pick
    • Indiana received Jazmon Gwathmey
  11. June 28, 2017: Phoenix to Las Vegas (San Antonio)[16]

See also

References

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