2022 WNBA draft: Top prospects, draft order, how to watch, TV info
Everything you need to know about the 2022 WNBA draft from draft order to top prospects to how to watch.
When is the 2022 WNBA draft?
The 2022 WNBA draft will be held in New York City Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The league is hosting an in-person draft for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The draft is three rounds, each consisting of 12 picks.
What is the 2022 WNBA draft order?
The Atlanta Dream traded up to acquire the No. 1 pick from the Washington Mystics just days before the draft. The Mystics earned the No. 1 selection in the draft lottery in December.
Here is the current pick order, as of April 8:
Round 1
1. Atlanta Dream
3. Washington Mystics
4. Indiana Fever (from Los Angeles)
6. Indiana Fever (from Dallas)
7. Dallas Wings (from Chicago)
8. Minnesota Lynx (from Phoenix)
9. Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle)
10. Indiana Fever (from Minnesota)
11. Las Vegas Aces
12. Connecticut Sun
Round 2
1. Minnesota Lynx (from Indiana)
2. Washington Mystics
3. Atlanta Dream (from Los Angeles)
4. Los Angeles Sparks (from Washington)
5. Seattle Storm (from New York)
6. Seattle Storm (from Dallas)
7. Los Angeles Sparks (from Chicago)
8. Indiana Fever (from Phoenix)
9. Seattle Storm
10. Minnesota Lynx
11. Las Vegas Aces
12. Connecticut Sun
Round 3
1. Indiana Fever
2. Phoenix Mercury (from Atlanta)
3. Los Angeles Sparks
4. Minnesota Lynx (from Washington)
5. New York Liberty
6. Dallas Wings
7. Dallas Wings (from Chicago)
8. Phoenix Mercury
9. Seattle Storm
10. Indiana Fever (from Minnesota)
11. Las Vegas Aces
12. Connecticut Sun
Who will be selected No. 1 overall in the 2022 WNBA draft?
Two players have been nearly interchangeable atop mock drafts all season: Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard and Baylor forward NaLyssa Smith.
Howard, 6-foot-2, averaged 20.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this season for the Wildcats, who earned an NCAA tournament berth after shocking eventual NCAA champion South Carolina in the SEC tournament title game. She shot 44% from the field and 38.2% from 3-point range in her four-year Kentucky career.
Smith, 6-foot-4, averaged 22.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the Bears, who were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Smith shot 55% from the field this season.
What players will be in attendance for the 2022 WNBA draft?
The WNBA announced that 12 players will attend the 2022 WNBA draft on Monday:
Shakira Austin (Ole Miss)
Kierstan Bell (Florida Gulf Coast)
Rae Burrell (Tennessee)
Veronica Burton (Northwestern)
Nia Clouden (Michigan State)
Elissa Cunane (NC State)
Emily Engstler (Louisville)
Destanni Henderson (South Carolina)
Naz Hillmon (Michigan)
Rhyne Howard (Kentucky)
Nyara Sabally (Oregon)
NaLyssa Smith (Baylor)
Who else could be selected in the 2022 WNBA draft?
A number of players made a big impact in the NCAA tournament and could hear their names called on Monday.
Here are a few whose stock rose considerably in March:
Destanni Henderson: Point guard, 5-foot-7, South Carolina
Emily Engstler: Forward/wing, 6-foot-1, Louisville
Lexie Hull: Guard, 6-foot-1, Stanford
Nyara Sabally: Post, 6-foot-5, Oregon
Hannah Sjerven: Center, 6-foot-2, South Dakota
What about Paige Bueckers, Aliyah Boston?
The WNBA’s draft eligibility rules only allow for undergraduates to declare in certain situations.
A player who turns 22 in the calendar year of the draft can renounce their NCAA eligibility, such as Charli Collier did last year in becoming the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Wings. A player who graduated from a four-year school prior to the draft or within three months after it can also declare. And international players who did not play collegiately in the U.S. can declare if they turn 20 in the calendar year of the draft.
UConn standout and 2021 Naismith Player of the Year Paige Bueckers cannot declare for the WNBA draft until 2023. Neither can South Carolina champion and 2022 Naismith Player of the Year Aliyah Boston. That class could also include Stanford’s Haley Jones and Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith if they decided to leave early. Women’s players rarely do so.
Name, image, likeness rules make it more unlikely players would want to leave early since they can earn money while in college when female players’ marketability is often at its peak. The top-four picks in this year’s draft can sign at $74,305 and it drops approximately $3,000 to picks 5-8, picks 9-12, second round and third round ($62,285).
