For the second year in a row, the New York Liberty earned the top pick in the upcoming 2021 WNBA Draft in April. It’s also just the second time in franchise history that they’ll have the No. 1 pick.
After winning the Lottery for the 2020 WNBA Draft, the team used the No. 1 overall pick to select women’s basketball sensation Sabrina Ionescu out of Oregon. While she lived up to the hype with 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in just her second career game, her rookie season was cut short after just three games due to an ankle injury. She is set to return next season.
The Dallas Wings, who had the third-most chances to win the top pick (178 out of 1,000) will have the second selection. The Atlanta Dream will select third after having the second-most chances to land the top pick (276). The Indiana Fever, which had 104 chances to receive the first pick, will choose fourth.
By missing the 2020 WNBA Playoffs, New York, Dallas, Atlanta and Indiana qualified for the Lottery drawing. Lottery odds were based on the cumulative records of the Liberty, Wings, Dream and Fever over the two most recent regular seasons (2019 and 2020).
The following is the full first-round order of the 2021 WNBA Draft:
- New York Liberty
- Dallas Wings
- Atlanta Dream
- Indiana Fever
- Dallas Wings from Washington Mystics
- Phoenix Mercury from Connecticut Sun
- Dallas Wings from Chicago
- Chicago Sky from Phoenix
- Minnesota Lynx
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Seattle Storm
- Las Vegas Aces
The date of the 2021 WNBA Draft has yet to be announced.