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Since the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997, 29 NCAA players have heard their names called as the No. 1 pick. 

UConn’s Paige Bueckers is the most recent player to be selected first overall. The Dallas Wings drafted the 2025 DI women’s basketball champion with the No. 1 pick in 2025.

The Huskies have produced the most first-overall picks with six total. Before Bueckers, the most recent Huskies’ selection was Breanna Stewart (2016) followed by Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010), Diana Taurasi (2004) and Sue Bird (2002). 

Notre Dame, Stanford, Tennessee and South Carolina tie for second with two from each school. 

📊 DRAFT DATA: College basketball schools with the most WNBA 1st-round draft picks

The Seattle Storm have been first on the clock four times, the most in league history, locking up Stewart most recently in the 2016 draft. With the 2023 pick the Indiana Fever made its first-ever top selection; the Chicago Sky is now the only current team that’s never picked first. 

Here’s every WNBA No. 1 overall pick since 1997: 

DRAFT YEAR
WNBA TEAM
PLAYER
SCHOOL

2025
Dallas Wings
Paige Bueckers
UConn

2024
Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark
Iowa

2023
Indiana Fever
Aliyah Boston
South Carolina

2022
Atlanta Dream
Rhyne Howard
Kentucky

2021
Dallas Wings
Charli Collier
Texas

2020
New York Liberty
Sabrina Ionescu
Oregon

2019
Las Vegas Aces
Jackie Young
Notre Dame

2018
Las Vegas Aces
A’ja Wilson
South Carolina

2017
Atlanta Dream
Kelsey Plum
Washington

2016
Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart
UConn

2015
Seattle Storm
Jewell Loyd
Notre Dame

2014
Connecticut Sun
Chiney Ogwumike
Stanford

2013
Phoenix Mercury
Brittney Griner
Baylor

2012
Los Angeles Sparks
Nneka Ogwumike
Stanford

2011
Minnesota Lynx
Maya Moore
UConn

2010
Connecticut Sun
Tina Charles
UConn

2009
Atlanta Dream
Angel McCoughtry
Louisville

2008
Los Angeles Sparks
Candace Parker
Tennessee

2007
Phoenix Mercury
Lindsey Harding
Duke

2006
Minnesota Lynx
Seimone Augustus
LSU

2005
Charlotte Sting
Janel McCarville
Minnesota

2004
Phoenix Mercury
Diana Taurasi
UConn

2003
Cleveland Rockers
LaToya Thomas
Mississippi State

2002
Seattle Storm
Sue Bird
UConn

2001
Seattle Storm
Lauren Jackson
N/A Australia

2000
Cleveland Rockers
Ann Wauters
N/A France

1999
Washington Mystics
Chamique Holdsclaw
Tennessee

1998
Utah Starzz
Margo Dydek
N/A Poland

1997
Houston Comets
Tina Thompson
Southern California

 

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