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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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List Of UConn Huskies In The WNBA Draft

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team, representing the University of Connecticut in NCAA Division I college basketball, has had 45 players selected in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft. Of these selections, 27 were in the first round of the draft; five players—Sue Bird in 2002, Diana Taurasi in 2004, Tina Charles in 2010, Maya Moore in 2011, and Breanna Stewart in 2016—were picked first overall. At least one UConn women's basketball alumna was selected or allocated in every WNBA Draft from 2009 to 2020, with the 2021 draft being only the third in which no Huskies player was chosen.

Each WNBA franchise seeks to add new players through their respective annual draft. The WNBA uses a draft lottery to determine the order of selection for the first picks of the draft; the teams that did not make the playoffs the previous year are eligible to participate. After the first picks are decided, the remaining teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record. The WNBA requires that players be at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the applicable seasons, have either graduated from a four-year university or have completed their intercollegiate basketball eligibility, or have played at least two seasons for another professional basketball league.

In addition to the 45 draftees, two UConn women's basketball players—Rebecca Lobo in 1997 and Nykesha Sales in 1999—were allocated to specific teams during the initial formation of the WNBA. Lobo was assigned to the New York Liberty and is considered one of the WNBA's first players. Sales was the first player for the expansion Orlando Miracle; the team would later relocate and become the Connecticut Sun.

UConn women's basketball alumni have had a significant impact on the WNBA. Six players—Taurasi, Charles, Moore, Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Crystal Dangerfield—were named WNBA Rookie of the Year, and the first four named players were later named WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). Several other UConn alumni have been named to All-WNBA teams or selected as WNBA All-Stars on multiple occasions. Ten UConn players have been named to the All-Rookie Team, including five of the school's six Rookies of the Year (Taurasi's rookie season predated the 2005 establishment of the All-Rookie Team). Fourteen Huskies alumni have been part of WNBA championship teams, and three have been named WNBA Finals MVP: Maya Moore in 2013, Diana Taurasi in 2009 and 2014 and Breanna Stewart in 2018 and 2020. The current all-time leader of assists in the WNBA is Sue Bird (drafted 1st in 2002) and the current all-time scoring leader is Diana Taurasi (drafted first in 2004).

Player selection

Diana Taurasi
First-overall selection and UConn women's basketball alumna Diana Taurasi was named WNBA Most Valuable Player in 2009.
Tina Charles
Tina Charles was the third UConn player to be selected first overall, in 2010. She was named WNBA Most Valuable Player in 2012.
Maya Moore
The fourth UConn alumna to be selected first overall, Maya Moore was the 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player.
Breanna Stewart
Breanna Stewart is the fifth and most recent UConn women's basketball player (as of 2018) to be drafted first overall, and the fourth to be named both WNBA Rookie of the Year (2016) and Most Valuable Player (2018).

Allocations

Year Player name Position WNBA team Notes Refs
1997 Rebecca Lobo F/C New York Liberty All-WNBA Second Team (1997)
All-Star (1999)
Hall of Fame (2017)
1999 Nykesha Sales G/F Orlando Miracle All-WNBA Second Team (2004)
All-Star (1999–2006)

Regular draft

Year Rnd Pick Overall Player name Position WNBA team Notes Refs
1998 2 3 13 Rita Williams G Washington Mystics All-Star (2001)
1999 3 12 36 Kara Wolters C Houston Comets WNBA champion (1999)
1999 4 12 48 Jennifer Rizzotti G Houston Comets WNBA champion (1999, 2000)
2000 2 15 31 Paige Sauer C Los Angeles Sparks
2001 1 7 7 Svetlana Abrosimova F Minnesota Lynx WNBA champion (2010)
2001 1 14 14 Kelly Schumacher F/C Indiana Fever WNBA champion (2007, 2008)
2001 3 8 40 Shea Ralph G Utah Starzz
2002 1 1 1 Sue Bird G Seattle Storm WNBA champion (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020)
WNBA All-Decade Team (2006)
WNBA Top 20@20 (2016)
The W25 (2021)
All-WNBA First Team (2002–05, 2016, 2018)
All-WNBA Second Team (2008, 2010, 2011)
All-Star (2002–03, 2005–07, 2009, 2011, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2021–22)
2002 1 2 2 Swin Cash F Detroit Shock WNBA champion (2003, 2006, 2010)
WNBA Top 20@20 (2016)
The W25 (2021)
All-WNBA Second Team (2003, 2004)
All-Star (2003, 2005, 2009, 2011)
2002 1 4 4 Asjha Jones F Washington Mystics WNBA champion (2015)
All-WNBA Second Team (2008)
All-Star (2007, 2009)
2002 1 6 6 Tamika Williams F Minnesota Lynx
2004 1 1 1 Diana Taurasi G Phoenix Mercury WNBA champion (2007, 2009, 2014)
MVP (2009)
WNBA Top 20@20 (2016)
The W25 (2021)
Rookie of the Year (2004)
All-WNBA First Team (2004, 2006–11, 2013–14, 2018)
All-WNBA Second Team (2005, 2016–17, 2020)
All-Star (2005–07, 2009, 2011, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2021)
2005 2 11 24 Jessica Moore C Charlotte Sting
2005 2 12 25 Ashley Battle F Seattle Storm
2006 1 11 11 Barbara Turner G Seattle Storm
2006 2 1 15 Ann Strother G Houston Comets
2006 2 8 22 Willnett Crockett F Los Angeles Sparks
2008 1 12 12 Ketia Swanier G Connecticut Sun WNBA champion (2009)
2008 3 2 30 Charde Houston F Minnesota Lynx WNBA champion (2011)
All-Star (2009)
2009 1 4 4 Renee Montgomery G Minnesota Lynx WNBA champion (2015, 2017)
All-Star (2011)
All-Rookie Team (2009)
2010 1 1 1 Tina Charles C Connecticut Sun MVP (2012)
The W25 (2021)
Rookie of the Year (2010)
All-WNBA First Team (2011, 2012, 2015–17)
All-WNBA Second Team (2010, 2013–14, 2021)
All-Star (2011, 2013–15, 2017–19, 2021)
2010 3 1 27 Kalana Greene G New York Liberty WNBA champion (2015)
All-Rookie Team (2010)
2011 1 1 1 Maya Moore F Minnesota Lynx WNBA champion (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
MVP (2014)
WNBA Top 20@20 (2016)
The W25 (2021)
Rookie of the Year (2011)
All-WNBA First Team (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
All-WNBA Second Team (2012, 2018)
All-Star (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018)
WNBA Finals MVP (2013)
All-Star Game MVP (2015, 2017, 2018)
2012 2 2 14 Tiffany Hayes G Atlanta Dream All-WNBA First Team (2018)
All-Rookie Team (2012)
All-Star (2017)
2013 1 11 11 Kelly Faris G Connecticut Sun
2014 1 6 6 Stefanie Dolson F Washington Mystics All-Star (2015, 2017)
2014 1 7 7 Bria Hartley G Seattle Storm All-Rookie Team (2014)
2015 1 3 3 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis F Seattle Storm WNBA Champion (2018)
2015 1 11 11 Kiah Stokes C New York Liberty WNBA Champion (2022, 2023)

All-Rookie Team (2015)

2016 1 1 1 Breanna Stewart F / C Seattle Storm WNBA Champion (2018, 2020)
MVP (2018, 2023)
The W25 (2021)
Rookie of the Year (2016)
All-WNBA First Team (2018, 2020–23)
All-WNBA Second Team (2016)
All-Rookie Team (2016)
All-Star (2017–18, 2021–23)
WNBA Finals MVP (2018, 2020)
2016 1 2 2 Moriah Jefferson G San Antonio Stars All-Rookie Team (2016)
2016 1 3 3 Morgan Tuck F Connecticut Sun WNBA Champion (2020)
2017 3 2 26 Saniya Chong G Dallas Wings
2018 1 4 4 Gabby Williams F Chicago Sky
2018 1 6 6 Azurá Stevens F Dallas Wings All-Rookie Team (2018)
2018 1 10 10 Kia Nurse G New York Liberty All-Star (2019)
2019 1 4 4 Katie Lou Samuelson G-F Chicago Sky
2019 1 6 6 Napheesa Collier F Minnesota Lynx Rookie of the Year (2019)
All-Star (2019, 2021, 2023)
All-WNBA First Team (2023)
All-WNBA Second Team (2020)
2020 1 9 9 Megan Walker G New York Liberty
2020 2 4 16 Crystal Dangerfield PG Minnesota Lynx Rookie of the Year (2020)
2022 2 2 14 Christyn Williams SG Washington Mystics
2022 2 7 19 Olivia Nelson-Ododa C Los Angeles Sparks
2022 2 9 21 Evina Westbrook PG Seattle Storm
2023 1 5 5 Lou Lopez Sénéchal SG/SF Dallas Wings
2023 2 4 16 Dorka Juhász F Minnesota Lynx All-Rookie Team (2023)
2024 1 6 6 Aaliyah Edwards F Washington Mystics
2024 2 2 14 Nika Mühl PG Seattle Storm

Notes

  1. ^ This is the team that drafted the player, not the player's most recent team.
  2. ^ Despite being drafted, Shea Ralph never played in the WNBA. After suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee in February 2002—the third ACL tear in her left knee and her fifth ACL tear overall—she opted to retire from playing and start a coaching career.

References

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  • "WNBA - WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  • "WNBA - WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  • "WNBA - WNBA Most Improved Player Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  • "WNBA - WNBA All-WNBA Teams". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
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  • "WNBA - WNBA All-Defensive Teams". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  • "WNBA Top 20@20 Presented By Verizon Unveiled" (Press release). WNBA Enterprises, LLC. June 21, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
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