WNBA draft 2026: Azzi Fudd is No 1 pick; where will other top prospects land? – live updates
Flau’jae Johnson had a special guest on stage after she was selected by the Valkyries at No 8: her little brother,New Mystics draftee Lauren Betts says she can’t wait to play with Kiki Iriafen – her former teammate at Stanford and an All-Star as a rookie after being drafted No 4 last year,On UCLA’s wave of early draftees: “I want to say I’m surprised, but I’m not,… To have this night showcase all of the things we worked on all season is really amazing,”Johnson has a high upside as a player.
We saw it in her first three seasons at LSU, including the title-winning 2022-23 campaign, and on more than one occasion this season, with a strong NCAA tournament and career-highs in three-point shooting and assists while leading the nation’s top scoring offense.Inconsistency is what may have knocked her from the lottery spots to the late first round.That said, her two-way production is still something a lot of teams will like to have.I’m excited to see her game – and her music, given she’s signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation as a rapper – on the pro stage.US-based women’s basketball fans watching the Americans’ World Cup qualifying game against Spain last month may have been keeping a closer eye on Awa Fam, but Martín also made herself known to local audiences.
Her six assists were the second most of any player, trailing only Caitlin Clark’s seven.In 2023, she won MVP at the U19 World Cup.(Clark was MVP of the previous edition.)She’s undersized for a WNBA point guard at 5ft 9in, but she has room to grow and enough experience playing professionally in Europe for teams to Portland to be smart to grab her.Olivia Miles is the first of the draftees to talk to the media.
She’s excited to “be a sponge” in Minnesota and play for Lindsay Whalen, a former top WNBA point guard herself.Miles also named Lynx star Napheesa Collier as one of the players she’s most excited to play with in the league.Three in a row for UCLA!Ahead of a draft pretty heavy with point guard options, Rice had a strong tournament (12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds).
She’s willing to drive to the rim, create for her teammates – she and Lauren Betts certainly made each other better – and can defend on and off the ball.There are a few places where she could have fit – Portland, Chicago, Golden State, or Washington, where she grew up and balled with Barack Obama on occasion.In Toronto, she’ll likely back up Julie Allemand – and be rivals with Betts instead of pick-and-roll partners.It’s possible that no player boosted their draft stock during the NCAA Tournament as much as Gabriela Jaquez.Across the Timeline compiles mock drafts from across different sites.
Of the nine outlets the site surveyed, Jaquez was not projected as a top-five pick in any of them.Four outlets had her at No 8.A nice moment from Lauren Betts to ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the stage: “I feel like I just play with joy.… You could just see all the positivity that I play with” this season.Joy was the theme of March Madness this year, as Stephanie Kaloi noted for the Guardian:It didn’t take long for the next UCLA player to come off the board.
This one is a bit of a surprise!Jaquez had a championship game to remember (21 points and 10 rebounds) and reminded watchers why she deserved to be in any predictions of UCLA first-rounders.She had career bests across the board this season – 13.5 points, 53.9% from the field, 39% from three, 86% from the line – and has the Swiss-army knife versatility that teams love to have.(Fun fact: She really did it all at UCLA.
She joined the Bruins’ softball team for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.)Her hustle reminds me of Lexie Hull – also a player from a California school who did the dirty work on a team of stars en route to a national championship.Lauren Betts is the first UCLA player off the draft board.The record for most players selected from a single school is five, set by South Carolina in 2023.Lauren Betts proved she deserved to be considered as a top-four pick in this year’s NCAA Tournament, where she powered the Bruins to their first national title with blocks, shots and everything in between.
She’s arguably the top defender in the draft – her block of Madison Booker in the Final Four is the best defensive highlight since … ? – and her finishing was good during the tournament, when she shot 60% from the field.You can argue that Betts could’ve gone even higher, but the Mystics feel like a good fit.Betts’s former Stanford teammate, Kiki Iriafen, showed last season how the Mystics can develop their rookies into standout All-Star talent.A few quotes from the first few draftees:Olivia Miles:double quotation markI think I have the highest IQ as a guard..
..The way that I play and the way I flow to the game, I feel like I fit really well.Awa Fam:double quotation markBeing here in the W, it was my dream since I was 12 years old.… I know that I’m only 20 years old, but I want to take responsibility and do my best.
Nineteen years old, 6ft 4in, a pro since she was 15,It’s fair to say Awa Fam may have the highest ceiling of any prospect in this year’s draft,Now she’ll get a chance to show off that talent in Seattle,Arguably most hyped international prospect since Hall of Famer Lauren Jackson, Fam can stretch the floor, read the game well and move fluidly with her height,She starred for Spain during World Cup qualifying and has averaged 9.
2 points and 5,0 rebounds for Valencia in the Spanish league,Other players in the draft may be more polished, but Fam is both an investment for the future and someone who can/should get minutes right away,Azzi Fudd is the eighth UConn player to be drafted No 1 overall,Miles is a dynamic pass-first point guard.
She finished seventh in the nation with an average of 6.6 assists, and that aspect of her game could take another leap playing alongside a higher level of talent and creator than she had on the roster at TCU.Her shooting has improved since her breakout seasons at Notre Dame.Her defense needs improvement, but her court vision is good enough to justify teams taking her high, and Minnesota needed a young point guard.Azzi Fudd is the second daughter of a former draftee to be selected in the draft herself.
In 2001, Katie Fudd (then Katie Smrcka-Duffy) was picked No 62 overall by the Sacramento Monarchs.Pamela McGee and Imani McGee-Stafford were the first.In a nice bit of literal symmetry, Azzi Fudd is the No 1 pick in ’26 after Katie Fudd was the No 62 pick in ’01.Azzi Fudd had a quiet finish to the NCAA Tournament by her own standards.She went off for a career-high 34 points in the second round, but managed just 13, 10 and 8 in the final three games.
(To be fair, her own standards are high: she averaged 17.5 points and won Most Outstanding Player honors during UConn’s title-winning run last season.) Some speculated as to whether the Huskies’ Final Four exit and dour end to an undefeated campaign would affect Fudd’s draft stock.Now we see it didn’t!Fudd is one of the best pure shooters the sport has seen in the past few years, with the footwork and quick releases coaches dream of.She improved both from the field (47.
4% to 48.1%) and from deep (43.6% to 44.7%) and was a sparkplug for UConn defensively (2.5 steals per game).
She’ll reunite in Dallas with former Huskies teammate and girlfriend Paige Bueckers.The Dallas Wings are on the clock.Fudd, Fam, Miles, Betts? We’ll see in a few minutes!The draft is getting under way.Making a WNBA roster has never been a sure bet, even for high draftees.Historically, only about half of rookies drafted are signed with teams by the first day of the season.
Two years ago, there were only 144 roster spots available in the entire league.It’s not uncommon for college All-Americans – or even national players of the year – to be cut before the season starts.The terms of the new CBA, plus the latest rounds of expansion, should help draftees have more opportunities to stick around.The number of roster spots leaguewide is up to 210 this season.The CBA will allow teams to sign up to two developmental players who will not count against the salary cap or the 12-player roster limit.
LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, a projected top-10 pick tonight, is more than just a star on the basketball court.She’s also a rapper signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.ESPN’s predraft panel joked that Johnson is going to become the first WNBA player to win a Grammy.She replied, “Oh, absolutely.And I’m glad you know.
”Last year, No 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers got a $78,831 salary as a rookie.Tonight, the top pick will get a $500,000 salary.That bump is thanks to the salary increases in the new collective bargaining agreement.The new CBA includes specific salary tiers for each of the top eight picks – for example, the No 2 pick will earn a base salary of $466,913.Second- and third-round picks who sign contracts with teams will earn the new league minimum of $270,000.
That’s up from $69.3k for second-rounders and $66k for third-rounders last year.The draft has three rounds with 15 picks each.The order of the top five overall picks were determined by a lottery system.Picks No 6 and No 7 go to the two new expansion teams.
The rest of the picks in each round are ordered from worst to best records,More from the orange carpet:Potential No 1 pick Azzi Fudd talked to ESPN with cheers from several of her UConn teammates in the background,“It’s my moment to be excited, but I am here because of everyone who poured into me,It’s my moment, but it’s our moment,”This article includes content hosted on embed.
bsky,app,We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies,To view this content, click 'Allow and continue',Five members of UCLA’s championship-winning team are in New York for the draft: Lauren Betts (the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player), Angela Dugalić, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens and Kiki Rice.
The Bruins could very well have four players drafted in the first round.If they do, it would be the first time a school had four first-rounders since UConn’s Fab Four of Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams in 2002.The draftees have hit the orange carpet.Azzi Fudd is in a custom Coach sequined gray gown.Flau’jae Johnson told reporters she wanted to look like “the draft was at 6 and the Met Gala was at 6
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Ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote.In a major development in the prime minister’s push for closer ties with the continent after the Iran war, the Guardian understands ministers are bracing to face down opposition to “dynamic alignment” with the EU from those who “scream treason” over the powers in a new EU-UK reset bill.After weeks of Donald Trump’s war with Iran that have exposed the fragility of the UK’s damaged special relationship with the US, ministers argue the move will add billions to the UK economy, help temper the cost of the conflict and boost sluggish productivity.A new bill, which will bring into force the food and drink trade deal with the EU, will contain powers enabling the government to dynamically align with Europe on areas where it has already made agreements. But it will also allow the UK to quickly implement evolving single market rules if it determines it is in the national interest, without having to face full parliamentary scrutiny each time
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