The 2021 WNBA Draft is still months away, and in fact, doesn't even have a set date yet. But while we're still waiting on some specifics, we do know who's picking first. On Friday evening, the New York Liberty won the 2021 WNBA Draft Lottery to secure the No. 1 overall pick.
The Dallas Wings will pick No. 2 overall, followed by the Atlanta Dream at No. 3 and Indiana Fever at No. 4. Coincidentally, these were the four teams that were in the lottery last year, and if not for the Dream and Fever swapping spots this time around, we would have ended up with the exact same order.
At 44.2 percent, the Liberty had by far the best odds at getting the first pick, and they secured it for the second year in a row. It's also just the second time in franchise history that they'll have the No. 1 pick. In the 2020 WNBA Draft, they selected highly-touted guard Sabrina Ionescu out of Oregon with that selection. While she looked to be as advertised -- 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in her second career game -- her rookie season was unfortunately cut short after just three games due to an ankle injury.
The Liberty are an extremely young team, and played with a whopping seven rookies on the roster last season. But with a healthy Ionescu back next summer, and another No. 1 overall pick coming to town, they'll be hoping to end a franchise-long playoff drought that stretches back to 2017.
With the lottery now settled, here's a look at the full draft order for the first round of the 2021 WNBA Draft:
- New York Liberty
- Dallas Wings
- Atlanta Dream
- Indiana Fever
- Dallas Wings (via Washington Mystics)
- Phoenix Mercury (via Connecticut Sun)
- Dallas Wings (via Chicago Sky)
- Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury)
- Minnesota Lynx
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Seattle Storm
- Las Vegas Aces
Some of the top prospects this year include Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard, Arizona guard Aari McDonald, Tennessee wing Rennia Davis, Texas center Charli Collier and Finnish big Awak Kuier. Howard and Collier are both juniors, however, and may not declare.
