The Women's National Basketball Association's first overall pick is the player who is selected first among all eligible draftees by a team during the annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft. The first pick is awarded to the team that wins the WNBA draft lottery; in most cases, that team had a losing record in the previous season.
Eight first picks have won the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award: Lauren Jackson (three-time winner), Candace Parker (two-time winner), Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart (two-time winner), and A'ja Wilson (four-time winner). Parker is the only player to win the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award during her rookie year.
Sixteen first picks have won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award: Chamique Holdsclaw, Diana Taurasi, Seimone Augustus, Candace Parker, Angel McCoughtry, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson, Rhyne Howard, Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Paige Bueckers. Three of these made the All-WNBA first team as a rookie: Taurasi, Parker, and Clark. Six others were All-WNBA second team selections as rookies: Augustus, Charles, Moore, Stewart, Wilson, and Bueckers.
Four collegiate programs have multiple players that were selected first overall: UConn with seven, Tennessee with three, and Notre Dame, South Carolina and Stanford with two each.
Key
PPGPoints per gameAPGAssists per gameRPGRebounds per game
List of first overall picks DraftSelected byPlayerCountryPositionCollege / former clubWNBA rookie statisticsAll statistics are from player's rookie season, unless otherwise notedPPGRPGAPG 1997(Elite) Utah Starzz Guard Tennessee 1997 Houston Comets * ^ ! Forward USC 1998 Utah Starzz + Center Pool Getafe (Spain) 1999 Washington Mystics * ^ ! Forward Tennessee 2000 Cleveland Rockers + Center USV Olympic (France) 2001 Seattle Storm * ^ ! Forward-Center Canberra Capitals (Australia) 2002 Seattle Storm * ^ ! Guard Connecticut 2003 Cleveland Rockers Forward Mississippi State 2004 Phoenix Mercury * Connecticut 2005 Charlotte Sting Center Minnesota 2006 Minnesota Lynx * ^ ! Forward LSU 2007 Phoenix Mercury Guard Duke 2008 Los Angeles Sparks * ^ ! Forward Tennessee 2009 Atlanta Dream * Louisville 2010 Connecticut Sun * Center Connecticut 2011 Minnesota Lynx * ^ ! Forward 2012 Los Angeles Sparks * Stanford 2013 Phoenix Mercury * Center Baylor 2014 Connecticut Sun + Forward Stanford 2015 Seattle Storm * Guard Notre Dame 2016 Seattle Storm * Forward Connecticut 2017 San Antonio Stars * Guard Washington 2018 Las Vegas Aces * Forward South Carolina 2019 Las Vegas Aces * Guard Notre Dame 2020 New York Liberty * Oregon 2021 Dallas Wings Center Texas 2022 Atlanta Dream + Guard Kentucky 2023 Indiana Fever * Center South Carolina 2024 Indiana Fever * Guard Iowa 2025 Dallas Wings * Connecticut 2026 Dallas Wings TBD
First overall picks by WNBA team The Las Vegas Aces have held the first overall pick a total of five times, the most of any WNBA team. This includes the Aces time as the Utah Starzz and the San Antonio Stars. The Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, and Houston Comets are the only defunct franchises to have held a first overall pick. The Chicago Sky, Toronto Tempo, Portland Fire, and Golden State Valkyries are the only active teams that have never had the first overall pick. The Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Sacramento Monarchs are the only defunct franchises that have never had the first overall pick.
Team Picks Year(s) Notes Las Vegas Aces 5 1997(Elite), 1998, 2017, 2018, 2019 2 as the Las Vegas Aces 2 as the Utah Starzz 1 as the San Antonio Stars Seattle Storm 4 2001, 2002, 2015, 2016 Phoenix Mercury 3 2004, 2007, 2013 Dallas Wings 3 2021, 2025, 2026 Atlanta Dream 2 2009, 2022 Cleveland Rockers 2 2000, 2003 Connecticut Sun 2 2010, 2014 Indiana Fever 2 2023, 2024 Los Angeles Sparks 2 2008, 2012 Minnesota Lynx 2 2006, 2011 Charlotte Sting 1 2005 Houston Comets 1 1997 New York Liberty 1 2020 Washington Mystics 1 1999
First overall picks by school Connecticut has the most first overall picks with 7. Tennessee has the second-most first overall picks with 3. South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Stanford each have the third-most first overall picks with 2. Only one school have had first overall picks in consecutive years, having done it twice: Connecticut with (2010), and (2011), and with (2025), and (2026).
School Total Year(s)Connecticut 7 2002, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2025, 2026 Tennessee 3 1997, (Elite), 1999, 2008 Notre Dame 2 2015, 2019 South Carolina 2 2018, 2023 Stanford 2 2012, 2014 Baylor 1 2013Canberra Capitals (Australia) 1 2001Duke 1 2007Iowa 1 2024Kentucky 1 2022Louisville 1 2009LSU 1 2006Minnesota 1 2005Mississippi State 1 2003Oregon 1 2020Pool Getafe (Spain) 1 1998Texas 1 2021USC 1 1997USV Olympic (France) 1 2000Washington 1 2017
First overall picks by position Position Number of selections Last year selected Center Forward Guard
See also List of first overall NWSL draft picks List of first overall PWHL draft picks List of first overall NBA draft picks List of first overall NBA G League draft picks
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