WNBA draft: Azzi Fudd goes No 1, UCLA smash record and Flau’jae Johnson traded – as it happened
And with that, the draft is complete.Thanks for joining me.A big night for No 1 pick Azzi Fudd, the record-setting UCLA Bruins, the Washington Mystics and their six (!) picks, fashion and the future of women’s basketball.With that, all eyes turn to 8 May, the first day of the season.We’ll have an opening-night triple-header: Connecticut Sun v New York Liberty, Washington Mystics v Toronto Tempo, Golden State Valkyries v Seattle Storm.
Complete draft orderFirst round1 Dallas Wings – Azzi Fudd, G (UConn)2 Minnesota Lynx (via Chicago) – Olivia Miles, G (TCU)3 Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles) – Awa Fam Thiam, C (Spain)4 Washington Mystics – Lauren Betts, C (UCLA)5 Chicago Sky (via UConn) – Gabriela Jaquez, G (UCLA)6 Toronto Tempo – Kiki Rice, G (UCLA)7 Portland Fire – Iyana Martin Carrion, G (Spain)8 Golden State Valkyries – Flau’jae Johnson, G (LSU) – traded to Seattle for the rights to Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick9 Washington Mystics (via Seattle) – Angela Dugalic, F (UCLA)10 Indiana Fever – Raven Johnson, G (South Carolina)11 Washington Mystics (via New York) – Cotie McMahon, F (Mississippi)12 Connecticut Sun (via Phoenix) – Nell Angloma, F (France)13 Atlanta Dream – Madina Okot, F (South Carolina)14 Seattle Storm (via Las Vegas) – Taina Mair, G (Duke)15 Connecticut Sun (via Minnesota) – Gianna Kneepkens, G (UCLA)Second round16 Seattle Storm (via Dallas) – Marta Suarez, F (TCU) – traded to Golden State for the rights to Flau’jae Johnson17 Portland Fire (via Chicago) – Frieda Buhner, F (Spain)18 Connecticut Sun – Charlisse Leger-Walker, G (UCLA)19 Washington Mystics – Cassandre Prosper, G (Notre Dame)20 Los Angeles Sparks – Ta’Niya Latson, G (South Carolina)21 Chicago Sky (via Portland) – Latasha Lattimore, F (Mississippi)22 Toronto Tempo – Teonni Key, F (Kentucky)23 Golden State Valkyries – Ashlon Jackson, G (Duke)24 Los Angeles Sparks (via Seattle) – Chance Gray, G (Ohio State)25 Indiana Fever – Justine Pissott, G/F (Vanderbilt)26 Toronto Tempo (via New York) – Saffron Shiels, G (Australia)27 Phoenix Mercury – Ines Pitarch-Granel, G (France)28 Atlanta Dream – Indya Nivar, G (North Carolina)29 Las Vegas Aces – Janiah Barker, F (Tennessee)30 Washington Mystics (via Minnesota) – Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, G/F (Baylor)Third round31 Dallas Wings – Zee Spearman, F (Tennessee)32 Chicago Sky – Tonie Morgan, G (UConn)33 Connecticut Sun – Serah Williams, F (UConn)34 Washington Mystics – Rori Harmon, G (Texas)35 Los Angeles Sparks – Amelia Hassett, F (Kentucky)36 Toronto Tempo – Charlise Dunn, G (Davidson)37 Portland Fire – Taylor Bigby, G (TCU)38 Golden State Valkyries – Kokoro Tanaka, G (Japan)39 Seattle Storm – Grace VanSlooten, F (Michigan State)40 Indiana Fever – Jessica Timmons, G (Alabama)41 New York Liberty – Manuela Puoch, F (Australia)42 Phoenix Mercury – Eszter Ratkai, G (Hungary)43 Atlanta Dream – Kejia Ran, G (China)44 Las Vegas Aces – Jordan Obi, G (Kentucky)45 Minnesota Lynx – Lani White, G (Utah)Until then: subscribe to our newsletter! Every week, you’ll hear about what’s going on in the league, both on and off the court.We’ll be keeping an eye on the heavy-hitters, the expansion teams, the established stars, the new rookies we saw tonight.Icons past and present – think A’ja Wilson, Sue Bird, Ellie the Elephant – will make appearances.We’re going to do our best to deliver all the joy of a W game to your inbox each week.The complete WNBA draft order:First round1.
Dallas Wings: Azzi Fudd2.Minnesota Lynx: Olivia Miles3.Seattle Storm: Awa Fam4.Washington Mystics: Lauren Betts5.Chicago Sky: Gabriela Jaquez6.
Toronto Tempo: Kiki Rice7.Portland Fire: Iyana Martin8.Golden State Valkyries: Flau’jae Johnson (traded to Seattle Storm)9.Washington Mystics: Angela Dugalic10.Indiana Fever: Raven Johnson11.
Washington Mystics: Cotie McMahon12.Connecticut Sun: Nell Angloma13.Atlanta Dream: Madina Okot14.Seattle Storm: Taina Mair15.Golden State Valkyries: Gianna KneepkensSecond round16.
Seattle Storm: Marta Suarez, Spain (traded to the Golden State Valkyries)17.Portland Fire: Frieda Bühner, Germany18.Connecticut Sun: Charlisse Leger-Walker, UCLA19.Washington Mystics: Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame20: Los Angeles Sparks: Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina21.Chicago Sky: Latasha Lattimore, Mississippi22.
Toronto Tempo: Teonni Key, Kentucky23.Golden State Valkyries: Ashlon Jackson, Duke24.Los Angeles Sparks: Chance Gray25.Indiana Fever: Justine Pissott, Vanderbilt26.Toronto Tempo: Saffron Shiels, Australia27.
Phoenix Mercury: Ines Pitarch-Granel, France28.Atlanta Dream: Indya Nivar, North Carolina29.Las Vegas Aces: Janiah Barker, Tennessee30.Washington Mystics: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, BaylorThird round31.Dallas Wings: Zee Spearman, Tennessee32.
Chicago Sky: Tonie Morgan, Kentucky33.Connecticut Sun: Serah Williams, UConn34.Washington Mystics: Rori Harmon, Texas35.Los Angeles Sparks: Amelia Hassett, Kentucky36.Toronto Tempo: Charlise Dunn, Davidson37.
Portland Fire: Taylor Bigby, TCU38.Golden State Valkyries: Kokoro Tanaka, Japan39.Seattle Storm: Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State40.Indiana Fever: Jessica Timmons, Alabama41.New York Liberty: Manuela Puoch, Australia42.
Phoenix Mercury: Ester Ratkai, Hungary43.Atlanta Dream: Kejia Ran, China44.Las Vegas Aces: Jordan Obi, Kentucky45.Minnesota Lynx: Lani White, UtahSome more photos from New York as the draft wraps up:The third round:31.Dallas Wings: Zee Spearman, Tennessee32.
Chicago Sky: Tonie Morgan, Kentucky33.Connecticut Sun: Serah Williams, UConn34.Washington Mystics: Rori Harmon, Texas35.Los Angeles Sparks: Amelia Hassett, Kentucky36.Toronto Tempo: Charlise Dunn, Davidson37.
Portland Fire: Taylor Bigby, TCU38.Golden State Valkyries: Kokoro Tanaka, Japan39.Seattle Storm: Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State40.Indiana Fever: Jessica Timmons, Alabama41.New York Liberty: Manuela Puoch, Australia42.
Phoenix Mercury: Ester Ratkai, Hungary43.Atlanta Dream: Kejia Ran, China44.Las Vegas Aces: Jordan Obi, Kentucky45.Minnesota Lynx: Lani White, UtahOne mid-draft development: the Seattle Storm acquired the draft rights of No 8 pick Flau’jae Johnson in a trade with the Golden State Valkyries.The Valkyries sent the draft rights to Marta Suarez of TCU and a 2028 second-round pick.
Johnson will join Awa Fam, the 19-year-old star center from Spain, and Duke guard Taina Mair among the Storm’s first-rounders.Here’s what Johnson had to say about entering the league as a rookie (before the trade was announced):double quotation markI don’t think there’s any pressure for me.I’m a rookie.I’ve got to learn.I don’t know what I’m going into right now.
No, I don’t think it’s any pressure.But I don’t look at life like that.I look at life, you compete and you try to be the best, and you go out and put your best foot forward.If you do that, there’s no pressure with that.You know what I’m saying? It’s just preparation, I believe.
Serah Williams, the No 33 overall pick by the Connecticut Sun, gets a massive round of applause from her UConn teammates here at the draft.She’s the second Husky off the board after Fudd.More big cheers for the Washington Mystics’ No 34 pick: Texas guard Rori Harmon, who helped lead the Longhorns to the Final Four this season.The rest of the second round:21.Chicago Sky: Latasha Lattimore, Mississippi22.
Toronto Tempo: Teonni Key, Kentucky23.Golden State Valkyries: Ashlon Jackson, Duke24.Los Angeles Sparks: Chance Gray25.Indiana Fever: Justine Pissott, Vanderbilt26.Toronto Tempo: Saffron Shiels, Australia27.
Phoenix Mercury: Ines Pitarch-Granel, France28.Atlanta Dream: Indya Nivar, North Carolina29.Las Vegas Aces: Janiah Barker, Tennessee30.Washington Mystics: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, BaylorAzzi Fudd was a bit speechless earlier tonight speaking to reporters after she was selected No 1 overall.double quotation markI don’t think it’s fully sunk in.
I don’t really have words.It’s nothing I could have imagined, the feeling sitting there with my family, with [UConn assistant] Morgan [Valley], hearing your name called, being able to walk up there, it’s such a surreal feeling.I’m so grateful.Paige Bueckers was among the former UConn teammates in attendance for the draft.For all the time Bueckers and Fudd have spent as teammates – four seasons together at UConn, plus plenty of experience at the youth national team level – they actually haven’t spent all that much time on the court at the same time.
Bueckers tore her ACL and missed the 2022-23 season.Fudd tore her ACL and missed most of the 2023-24 season.When they did play together in 2024-25, they helped UConn to a long-awaited national championship.double quotation markOur time at UConn felt like, I mean, it was just full of injury.Full of, like, either I was playing, she wasn’t.
She was playing, I wasn’t.It wasn’t until last year that we really got a chance to actually play together.And even then it wasn’t a full season.So I feel like there’s still so much left on the table.And so much unknown, just so much potential, not with just her, but the entire Dallas Wings roster.
The Wings went 10-34 in Bueckers’s rookie season, missing the playoffs and putting them in position for the No 1 pick this year.Their pick tonight puts them in position to deploy a three-guard lineup of Fudd, Bueckers and four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale.double quotation markI know how to play with great players.So I know how to space the floor.I know how to move without the ball.
So I’m just excited to go in to learn, just the newness of the organization, the newness of the players, how to play off Arike and Maddy [Siegrist] and everyone else on the team.And I can’t wait, especially you know getting to watch Arike and other players on the team I think it’s going to be incredible to finally get there just to finally play with them.The nation’s leading scorer in 2024-25 at Florida State, Ta’Niya Latson was one of the best downhill-driving guards in the college game.She paced South Carolina in their Final Four win over UConn with 16 points – the most of all scorers in a matchup of talented scorers.She’ll have lots of veterans to learn from in Los Angeles
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