#1 Draft Picks From The Beginning. Who Will Be Next?

The 2024 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm takes place Monday April 15th at 7:30pm/ET on ESPN. Tune in to see who will be drafted #1 overall as the Indiana Fever will have the #1 pick for the second year in a row.

[DncngQueen]

Some 1st pick trivia (who knows, maybe it could help y'all in your pub quizzes!)

1997 - Tina Thompson will always be remembered as the "1st pick, " but she was actually the 33rd player signed to a WNBA team! Because the league was starting from scratch, the rosters were built in 3 stages. The first stage involved an April 1996 press conference in which Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoops, and Rebecca Lobo announced the creation of the league and their promised participation. They along with 13 other players were randomly assigned to the 8 WNBA teams. The second stage occurred in Feb 1997 and involved 2 draft rounds, selecting from a wider pool of professional players. And the third stage in April 1997 was the college draft round, which is what you see in this video.
1998 - Margo Dydek was the tallest ever female professional basketball player in the world (no surprise if you look at how she towers over Val Ackerman) at 7 ft 2 inches. She tragically passed away at the age of 37 from a heart attack. She is the only #1 pick who is no longer with us.
2000 - Ann Wauters is the only #1 pick currently coaching a WNBA team - She is the assistant coach of the Chicago Sky
2002 - Sue Bird retired in 2022 with the most career wins in W history, having won 333 games (all with the Seattle Storm). She currently is tied for longest W career at 20 seasons. However, next year she will be overtaken by...
2004 - Diana Taurasi is currently 41 years old and the oldest active player in either the NBA or WNBA. She ties Sue Bird's career this year with her 20th season, but has a contract through at least her 21st season in 2025. She is also the first W player to have more than 10, 000 regular-season points.
2008 - Candace Parker is the only W player to have won championships for three different teams, having brought the trophy home to the Sparks (2016), the Sky (2021), and the Aces (2023). She also is one of 8 W players to have a brother playing in the NBA.
2011 - Maya Moore still holds the record for most NCAA basketball wins, male or female, having a 150-4 record while at UConn In 2020, she also was the first W player to be listed in the Time 100 (now joined by Candace Parker in 2022 and Brittney Griner in 2023)
2012 - Nneka Ogwumike is currently serving her third term as WNBA Players Association President. She is one of 7 sister pairs who have played in the W, but the Ogwumikes are the only sisters to have both gone #1 in the draft. And they're only the second sibling set to accomplish that feat in *any* professional American league (after the Manning brothers).
2013 - Brittney Griner is the only player in NCAA history, male or female, to both score 2, 000 points and block 500 shots. She was the first ever WNBA player to dunk twice in one game.
2014 - Chiney Ogwumike shares the distinction with Nneka above, but she also is the first WNBA player to host a nationally broadcast ESPN show.
2016 - Breanna Stewart currently holds the W record for most points scored in a single season, with 885 points.
2020 - Sabrina Ionescu currently holds the W record for most 3-pointers in a single season (124). She is also the first W player to compete at an NBA All-Star game, going up against Steph Curry in a 3-point showdown.

And of course, we all know the fun facts about this year's #1 pick!

[VanshayMurdock]

The evolution of the draft backdrops 😂😂

[pinaypaparazzi]

Wow! I didn't know Lindsay Harding was a no. 1 pick. She translated that basketball knowledge to being the No.1 coach in the G League right now and might be the first woman to coach in the NBA if the Charlotte Hornets decide to hire her.

[OriginalJohnDoeFakersBeware]

😂 I wasn't planning to tune in to see who will be picked first, but to see who will be picked after that.

[Lovejazz]

The brick by brick building of a champion, Kelsey Plum, Aja Wilson and Jackie Young, go Aces! 🏆🏆🖤🤎♠️♠️♠️♠️

[sylvainlafreniere]

Plenty of them still play, or left their mark. Sign of an healthy development, now the money to pay these players at the real value they are worth. More stars recognized, more money

[PrettygirlMisha]

They went through commissioners like shoes 😂

[everythingcollectibles]

So many Basketball Hall of Famers and Future Basketball Hall of Famers in this video!

[edwardrosemond]

2024 1st Pick of WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark! 💗🔥

[antoniowashington]

From Tina Thompson all the way to the next top pick in 2024 that will likely be Caitlin Clark heading to the Fever in Indiana.

[Emmathelady]

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absolute legends

[KBoy]

It's time to open it up too the fans and let them experience like the NFL AND NBA bring in the Fans!!! not enough engery in the room

[LK_]

Wow, Lauren Jackson was drafted #1 in 2001 and only this year has (allegedly) played her last season of pro basketball😲

[timwilliams]

Wow the WNBA drafts started off at the equivalent of what looks like somebody’s random backyard and now today an elegant sold out venue. These ladies have really fought hard for recognition. And as a man I must say I look up to a lot of them for inspiration. True heroes of the game!

[BarryAnime]

who, so many of the number one picks are not the names we remember

[yaelalexis]

In my opinion it is no matter what number you pick. the real question is who will stay until the end of their career in the league

[leroywright]

I wonder what happened to the 1st lady commissioner 😢

[keiththompson]

Why do the people who make these videos always have loud obnoxious music playing.

[laideevalynteena]

Aawww...I hate that Charli didn't make it

[dognight]

Haven't watched the WNBA in a few years now. Remember when it was pure basketball, then ( gender) politics came in 🤮 and ruined it . Politics will always divide.