# 2009 WNBA draft

The 2009 WNBA draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2009. The first round was shown on ESPN2 (in HD for the first time ever) at 3:00pm ET, while the second and third rounds were shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at 4:00pm.
A lottery was held on December 9, 2008. The Atlanta Dream received the first overall selection of upcoming 2009 draft. The Washington Mystics received the number two selection. The Chicago Sky came up with the third overall selection, followed by the Minnesota Lynx at four, the Phoenix Mercury at number five. For the first time in WNBA history, the lottery balls were chosen exactly according to odds. Some of the top draftees were Angel McCoughtry, Marissa Coleman, Kristi Toliver, and Renee Montgomery.

## Transactions

* The Washington Mystics receive the first-round pick from the Los Angeles Sparks.
* The Atlanta Dream receive the first-round pick from the San Antonio Silver Stars.
* The San Antonio Silver Stars receive the second-round pick from the Atlanta Dream.
* The Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx have rights to swap second-round picks.
* The Washington Mystics receive the second-round pick from the Detroit Shock.
* The Atlanta Dream receive the second-round pick from the Seattle Storm.
* The Phoenix Mercury receive the third-round pick from the New York Liberty.
* The Minnesota Lynx receive the first-round and second-round pick from the Washington Mystics
* The Detroit Shock receive the second-round pick from the Atlanta Dream.

## Key

| $^+$ | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| Bold | Denotes player who won Rookie of the Year |

## Dispersal draft

On December 1, 2008, the league announced that the Houston Comets would no longer operate. On December 8, a dispersal draft was held with teams being allowed to pick based on reverse order of 2008 records.
| Pick | Player | Nationality | New team | Former team |
| 1 | Sancho Lyttle | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Atlanta Dream | Houston Comets |
| 2 | Matee Ajavon | United States | Washington Mystics | Houston Comets |
| 3 | Mistie Williams | United States | Chicago Sky | Houston Comets |
| 4 | Roneeka Hodges | United States | Minnesota Lynx | Houston Comets |
| 5 | Sequoia Holmes | United States | Phoenix Mercury | Houston Comets |
| 6 | Erica White | United States | Indiana Fever | Houston Comets |
| 7 | Renae Camino | Australia | Sacramento Monarchs | Houston Comets |
| 8 | Passed | | New York Liberty | Houston Comets |
| 9 | Passed | | Los Angeles Sparks | Houston Comets |
| 10 | Passed | | Connecticut Sun | Houston Comets |
| 11 | Passed | | Detroit Shock | Houston Comets |
| 12 | Passed | | Seattle Storm | Houston Comets |
| 13 | Passed | | San Antonio Silver Stars | Houston Comets |
| Note: Two former Comets players, Tamecka Dixon and Shannon Johnson, were not selected in this draft and therefore became free agents. |||||
| Note: Five former Comets players, Latasha Byears, Mwadi Mabika, Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson were free agents and therefore not eligible for this draft. |||||

## College Draft

| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-WNBA Team |
| $^+$ | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| Bold | Denotes player who won Rookie of the Year |

### Round 1

| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
| 1 | Angel McCoughtry $^*$ | United States | Atlanta Dream | Louisville |
| 2 | Marissa Coleman $^+$ | United States | Washington Mystics | Maryland |
| 3 | Kristi Toliver $^*$ | United States | Chicago Sky | Maryland |
| 4 | Renee Montgomery $^+$ | United States | Minnesota Lynx | Connecticut |
| 5 | DeWanna Bonner $^*$ | United States | Phoenix Mercury | Auburn |
| 6 | Briann January $^+$ | United States | Indiana Fever | Arizona State |
| 7 | Courtney Paris | United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Oklahoma |
| 8 | Kia Vaughn | United States | New York Liberty | Rutgers |
| 9 | Quanitra Hollingsworth | United States | Minnesota Lynx (from L.A., via Wash.) | VCU |
| 10 | Chante Black | United States | Connecticut Sun | Duke |
| 11 | Shavonte Zellous $^+$ | United States | Detroit Shock | Pittsburgh |
| 12 | Ashley Walker | United States | Seattle Storm | California |
| 13 | Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton | United States | Los Angeles Sparks (from S.A., via Atl.) | Purdue |

### Round 2

| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
| 14 | Megan Frazee | United States | San Antonio Silver Stars (from Atl.) | Liberty |
| 15 | Rashanda McCants | United States | Minnesota Lynx (from Wash.) | North Carolina |
| 16 | Danielle Gant | United States | Chicago Sky | Texas A&M |
| 17 | Lyndra Littles | United States | Connecticut Sun (from Minn.) | Virginia |
| 18 | Britany Miller | United States | Detroit Shock (from Phx., via Atl.) | Florida State |
| 19 | Christina Wirth | United States | Indiana Fever | Vanderbilt |
| 20 | Whitney Boddie | United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Auburn |
| 21 | Abby Waner | United States | New York Liberty | Duke |
| 22 | Ashley Paris | United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Oklahoma |
| 23 | Camille LeNoir | United States | Washington Mystics (from Conn., via Minn.) | USC |
| 24 | Jelena Milovanović | Serbia | Washington Mystics (from Det.) | MKB Euroleasing Sopron (Hungary) |
| 25 | Shalee Lehning | United States | Atlanta Dream (from Sea.) | Kansas State |
| 26 | Sonja Petrović | Serbia | San Antonio Silver Stars | Spartak Moscow Region (Russia) |

### Round 3

| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
| 27 | Jessica Morrow | United States | Atlanta Dream | Baylor |
| 28 | Josephine Owino | Kenya | Washington Mystics | Union (TN) |
| 29 | Jenifer Risper | United States | Chicago Sky | Vanderbilt |
| 30 | Emily Fox | United States | Minnesota Lynx | Minnesota |
| 31 | Sha Brooks | United States | Phoenix Mercury | Florida |
| 32 | Danielle Campbell | United States | Indiana Fever | Purdue |
| 33 | Morgan Warburton | United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Utah |
| 34 | Jessica Adair | United States | Phoenix Mercury (from N.Y.) | George Washington |
| 35 | Britney Jordan | United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Texas A&M–Commerce |
| 36 | Alba Torrens | Spain | Connecticut Sun | Real Club Celta Indepo |
| 37 | Tanae Davis-Cain | United States | Detroit Shock | Florida State |
| 38 | Mara Freshour | United States | Seattle Storm | Florida State |
| 39 | Candyce Bingham | United States | San Antonio Silver Stars | Louisville |