WNBA draft - wikipedia WNBA draft The WNBA draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women 's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997. The WNBA `` requires players to be at least 22, to have completed their college eligibility, to have graduated from a four - year college or to be four years removed from high school. '' Contents 1 Structure 2 Players selected 2.1 First picks 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Structure The 1997 WNBA draft was divided into three parts. The first part was the initial allocation of 16 players into individual teams. Players such as Cynthia Cooper and Michelle Timms were assigned to different teams. The second part was the WNBA Elite draft, which was composed of professional women 's basketball players who had competed in other leagues. The last part would be the 4 rounds of the regular draft. The next three seasons to follow 1998, 1999 and 2000 would all have expansion drafts. There would not be another expansion draft until the 2006 season. All seasons before 2002 would carry 4 rounds. Starting with 2003, all drafts would carry 3 rounds. In 2003 and 2004, there would be dispersal drafts due to the folding of the Cleveland Rockers, Miami Sol and Portland Fire. The players were reallocated to existing teams. There were also dispersal drafts in 2007 with the folding of the Charlotte Sting, 2009 with the shuttering of the Houston Comets, and in 2010 when the Maloofs cast off the Sacramento Monarchs to focus their resources on the Kings franchise in the NBA. Players selected There are no restrictions on what part of the world the players come from ( though under varying rules, international players have been subject to tighter age restrictions within the draft than college players ). However, college sports governing bodies, most notably the NCAA, prohibit players from competing in professional leagues simultaneously with their college eligibility. Once the player has joined the WNBA, she is eligible to participate in overseas leagues during the WNBA offseason ( many WNBA players play in Europe, Australia, or more recently China ). First picks See also : List of first overall WNBA draft picks Dena Head is the oldest # 1 draft pick ( she was 27 years old ), having graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1992 and the first player ever drafted to the WNBA. Lauren Jackson is the youngest # 1 draft pick, being drafted at the age of 19. As of 2012, six first picks have gone on to win WNBA Championships, with 12 rings amongst them. In the seventeen seasons that the WNBA has been in existence, eight # 1 draft picks have helped lead their teams to a playoff berth in their rookie year. Year Player Country College / Club Drafted by 1997 Elite Dena Head United States Tennessee Utah Starzz 1997 Tina Thompson United States USC Houston Comets 1998 Margo Dydek Poland Wychowania Fizycznego ( Poland ) Utah Starzz 1999 Chamique Holdsclaw United States Tennessee Washington Mystics 2000 Ann Wauters Belgium Belgium Cleveland Rockers 2001 Lauren Jackson Australia Canberra Capitals ( Australia ) Seattle Storm 2002 Sue Bird United States Connecticut Seattle Storm 2003 LaToya Thomas United States Mississippi State Cleveland Rockers Diana Taurasi United States Connecticut Phoenix Mercury 2005 Janel McCarville United States Minnesota Charlotte Sting 2006 Seimone Augustus United States LSU Minnesota Lynx 2007 Lindsey Harding United States Duke Phoenix Mercury ( traded to Minn. ) 2008 Candace Parker United States Tennessee Los Angeles Sparks 2009 Angel McCoughtry United States Louisville Atlanta Dream Tina Charles United States Connecticut Connecticut Sun 2011 Maya Moore United States Connecticut Minnesota Lynx 2012 Nneka Ogwumike United States Stanford Los Angeles Sparks 2013 Brittney Griner United States Baylor Phoenix Mercury 2014 Chiney Ogwumike United States Stanford Connecticut Sun 2015 Jewell Loyd United States Notre Dame Seattle Storm 2016 Breanna Stewart United States Connecticut Seattle Storm 2017 Kelsey Plum United States Washington San Antonio Stars 2018 Las Vegas Aces Notes : 1 : Won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. 2 : Started the WNBA All - Star Game in her first season. 3 : Made the WNBA All - Star Game as a reserve in her first season. 4 : Won the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award in her first season. Sue Bird, on offense See also WNBA Rookie of the Year Award References `` WNBA Past Draft Results Raw Data '' `` Dena Head oldest # 1 '' Jump up ^ Bishop, Greg ( June 16, 2009 ). `` Rutgers Basketball Star to Turn Pro in Europe ''. The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2009. Jump up ^ Analyzing the WNBA 's Mandatory Age / Education Policy from a Legal, Cultural, and Ethical Perspective : Women, Men, and the Professional Sports Landscape See Note # 100 Jump up ^ Article XIII, Section 1 of the CBA ; WNBA CBA Jump up ^ `` WNBA.com : McCarville, White, Irvin Go First in the 2005 WNBA Draft ''. www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 16. External links Inside Hoop WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement WNBA drafts Draft lottery Expansion drafts First overall picks 1990s 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 List of Connecticut Huskies in the WNBA Draft Women 's National Basketball Association ( 2017 ) Eastern Conference Atlanta Dream Chicago Sky Connecticut Sun Indiana Fever New York Liberty Washington Mystics Western Conference Dallas Wings Las Vegas Aces Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx Phoenix Mercury Seattle Storm Annual events Draft All - Star Game Playoffs Finals Statistics Career scoring Career rebounding Career assists Career steals Career blocks Career turnovers Season : Scoring leaders Rebounding leaders Assists leaders Steals leaders Blocks leaders Turnovers leaders Other Arenas Attendance Awards Coaches Defunct teams Expansion draft history LiveAccess MVP NBA Media ( NBA TV, WNBA on ESPN, Current broadcasters, Finals broadcasters ) Players ( Current rosters, Foreign players ) Rookie of the Year Seasons Teams ( All - Decade Team, Top 15 Team, Top 20 Team ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WNBA_draft&oldid=827768997 '' Categories : Women 's National Basketball Association Draft Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from March 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano Latviešu 日本 語 Polski Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 26 February 2018, at 16 : 51. 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Question: how many rounds are in the wnba draft
Answer: 3