2016 WNBA draft
The 2016 WNBA draft is the league's draft for the 2016 WNBA season. It was held on April 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The draft was most notable for Connecticut producing the top three picks, with #1 pick Breanna Stewart followed by Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck. This is the first time in history that the top three draft picks came from the same school.
| 2016 WNBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | April 14, 2016 |
| Location | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut |
| Networks | ESPN2 (first round) ESPNU (second and third rounds) |
| Overview | |
| League | WNBA |
| First selection | Breanna Stewart Seattle Storm |
The 2016 WNBA draft is the league's draft for the 2016 WNBA season. It was held on April 14 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.[1]
The draft was most notable for Connecticut producing the top three picks, with #1 pick Breanna Stewart followed by Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck.[2] This is the first time in history that the top three draft picks came from the same school.[3]
Draft lottery
[edit]The lottery selection to determine the order of the top four picks in the 2016 draft occurred on September 24, 2015.[4] For the first year, team's lottery chances were based on combined records from the 2014 and 2015 WNBA seasons.[5]
Lottery chances
[edit]The 2016 lottery was held on September 24, 2015.[6]
The Seattle Storm won the lottery for the second straight year. This was the third time that the lottery was won by the team that had the highest odds. Seattle Storm held the worst two-year record and was guaranteed at least the third pick for the 2015 draft.
Note: Team selected for the No. 1 pick noted in bold text.
| Team | Combined 2014–15 record | Lottery chances | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Storm | 22–46 | 44.2% | 1st pick |
| San Antonio Stars | 24–44 | 27.6% | 2nd pick |
| Connecticut Sun | 28–40 | 17.8% | 3rd pick |
| Atlanta Dream | 34–34 | 10.4% | 4th pick |
Notable prospects
[edit]On September 24, 2015, WNBA.com posted notable prospects for the draft. The list included:[7]
- Moriah Jefferson - UConn
- Tiffany Mitchell - South Carolina
- Breanna Stewart - UConn
- Jillian Alleyne - Oregon
- Jonquel Jones - George Washington
- Morgan Tuck - UConn
- Courtney Williams - South Florida
Draft invitees
[edit]The WNBA also selected twelve players to be in attendance at the draft. Those twelve were:[8]
Rachel Banham, Minnesota- Imani Boyette, Texas
- Kahleah Copper, Rutgers
- Moriah Jefferson, Connecticut
Jonquel Jones, George Washington- Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
- Aerial Powers, Michigan State
- Breanna Stewart, Connecticut
- Morgan Tuck, Connecticut
- Courtney Walker, Texas A&M
- Talia Walton, Washington
- Courtney Williams, South Florida
Key
[edit]Draft
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Round 1
[edit]| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breanna Stewart * |  United States
|
Seattle Storm | Connecticut |
| 2 | Moriah Jefferson | San Antonio Stars | ||
| 3 | Morgan Tuck | Connecticut Sun | ||
| 4 | Rachel Banham | Connecticut Sun (from Atlanta)[a] | Minnesota | |
| 5 | Aerial Powers | Dallas Wings (from Los Angeles)[b] | Michigan State | |
| 6 | Jonquel Jones * (traded to Connecticut)[11] | Bahamas
|
Los Angeles Sparks (from Dallas)[c] | George Washington |
| 7 | Kahleah Copper * | United States
|
Washington Mystics | Rutgers |
| 8 | Courtney Williams + | Phoenix Mercury | South Florida | |
| 9 | Tiffany Mitchell | Indiana Fever | South Carolina | |
| 10 | Imani Boyette | Chicago Sky | Texas | |
| 11 | Bria Holmes | Atlanta Dream (from Minnesota)[d] | West Virginia | |
| 12 | Adut Bulgak |  Canada
|
New York Liberty | Florida State |
Round 2
[edit]| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Rachel Hollivay | United States
|
Atlanta Dream (from San Antonio)[e] | Rutgers |
| 14 | Jazmon Gwathmey (traded to San Antonio)[12] | United States /  Puerto Rico
|
Minnesota Lynx (from Seattle)[f] | James Madison |
| 15 | Whitney Knight | United States
|
Los Angeles Sparks (from Connecticut) | Florida Gulf Coast |
| 16 | Courtney Walker # | Atlanta Dream | Texas A&M | |
| 17 | Jamie Weisner[g] | Canada
|
Connecticut Sun (from Los Angeles) | Oregon State |
| 18 | Ruth Hamblin | Dallas Wings | ||
| 19 | Lia Galdeira # | United States
|
Washington Mystics | Washington State |
| 20 | Jillian Alleyne | Phoenix Mercury | Oregon | |
| 21 | Brene Moseley | Indiana Fever | Maryland | |
| 22 | Bashaara Graves | Minnesota Lynx (from Chicago)[h] | Tennessee | |
| 23 | Brianna Butler # | Los Angeles Sparks (from Minnesota via Connecticut)[i] | Syracuse | |
| 24 | Ameryst Alston | New York Liberty | Ohio State |
Round 3
[edit]| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Brittney Martin # | United States
|
San Antonio Stars | Oklahoma State |
| 26 | Lexi Eaton Rydalch # | Seattle Storm | BYU | |
| 27 | Aliyyah Handford # | Connecticut Sun | St. John's | |
| 28 | Niya Johnson # | Atlanta Dream | Baylor | |
| 29 | Talia Walton # | Los Angeles Sparks | Washington | |
| 30 | Shakena Richardson # | Dallas Wings | Seton Hall | |
| 31 | Danaejah Grant # | Washington Mystics | St. John's | |
| 32 | Nirra Fields | Canada
|
Phoenix Mercury | UCLA |
| 33 | Julie Allemand |  Belgium
|
Indiana Fever | Castors Braine (Belgium) |
| 34 | Jordan Jones # | United States
|
Chicago Sky | Texas A&M |
| 35 | Temi Fagbenle |  United Kingdom
|
Minnesota Lynx | USC |
| 36 | Shacobia Barbee # | United States
|
New York Liberty | Georgia |
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ The Dream traded this pick to Connecticut in exchange for Elizabeth Williams.[9]
- ^ Dallas and Los Angeles traded first-round picks in this draft; Dallas also received Erin Phillips.[10]
- ^ Los Angeles and Dallas traded first-round picks in this draft; Los Angeles also received Riquna Williams and a 2017 first-round pick.[10]
- ^ The Dream received this pick from the Minnesota Lynx as part of a three-way trade involving the Sky:
- Chicago received Érika de Souza from Atlanta
- Atlanta received Damiris Dantas, Reshanda Gray and this pick from Minnesota
- Minnesota received Sylvia Fowles and Chicago's second-round pick in this draft
- ^ The Dream received this pick from San Antonio in exchange for Samantha Logic.
- ^ The Lynx received this pick and Renee Montgomery from Seattle in exchange for Monica Wright.
- ^ Weisner was born and raised in the USA to an American mother and Canadian father. At the time of the draft, she had represented Canada internationally at both youth and senior level.[13]
- ^ The Lynx received this pick from Chicago, see note d
- ^ The Sun received this pick from Minnesota in exchange for the rights to Asjha Jones
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "WNBA Draft 2016 Presented by State Farm to Be Held on April 14" (Press release). WNBA. February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ "Breanna Stewart top pick in WNBA, leading 1-2-3 UConn sweep". ESPN.com. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ "Stewart leads 1-2-3 UConn sweep at WNBA draft". ESPN.com. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ "Seattle Storm Wins Top Pick For 2016 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm". WNBA. September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ "WNBA Announces Rules Changes To Draft Lottery Format". WNBA. August 5, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ "Storm wins top pick for 2016 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm". NBA Communications. September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ^ Notable Prospects in the 2016 WNBA Draft
- ^ "Meet the 12 Players Attending WNBA Draft 2016 - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ "Seattle Connecticut Sun trade F/C Elizabeth Williams to Dream for No. 4 draft pick". ESPN. ESPN. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ a b "Sparks acquire Riquna Williams in swap of high picks with Wings". ESPN. ESPN. March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ "Sparks Acquire Chelsea Gray from Connecticut Sun in Exchange for the Draft Rights to Guard Jonquel Jones and 2017 First Round Pick – Los Angeles Sparks". Los Angeles Sparks. April 14, 2016. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017.
- ^ "Lynx Acquire WNBA All-Star Jia Perkins From San Antonio - Minnesota Lynx". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ "Bio: #15 Jamie Weisner". Oregon State Beavers. Retrieved April 14, 2016.