The subsequent class of WNBA stars have arrived.
The 2026 WNBA Draft was Monday, and it featured somewhat little bit of all the pieces. From an historic displaying by the reigning NCAA champion UCLA Bruins to a shocking commerce, listed below are our winners and losers.
Winner: Azzi Fudd
Fudd turned the primary participant to reap the rewards of the WNBA’s transformative collective bargaining settlement after being chosen No. 1 total by the Dallas Wings. Per Spotrac, the 2025-26 Related Press first-team All-American is about to earn $500,000 within the first 12 months of her deal. Final 12 months’s No. 1 decide, teammate Paige Bueckers, made $78,831 on the primary 12 months of her contract, which runs by means of 2028 and is price $348,198 in complete.
Loser: Going towards the Washington Mystics within the entrance court docket
The Mystics have overwhelming measurement within the entrance court docket after nabbing middle Lauren Betts (6-foot-7) at No. 4 total and her Bruins teammate Angela Dugalic (6-foot-4) 5 picks later at No. 9. In 2025-26, Betts averaged 17.1 factors, 8.8 rebounds and a couple of.1 blocks per recreation, was chosen an AP first-team All-American for the second consecutive season and led the Bruins to their first girls’s basketball nationwide championship. Largely coming off the bench, Dugalic averaged 9 factors and 5.6 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per recreation.
The duo be part of a entrance court docket that already has spectacular measurement even after shedding 12-year veteran middle Stefanie Dolson to the Seattle Storm in free company. Washington just lately matched 6-foot-5 ahead Shakira Austin’s supply sheet with the Toronto Tempo, conserving her within the nation’s capital. The Mystics even have second-year ahead Kiki Iriafen (6-foot-3).
According to Her Hoop Stats data, opponents shot a league-high 67.3 p.c from the restricted space towards Washington final season. By emphasizing including measurement and depth to the inside, the Mystics could possibly be harder to assault within the center in 2026.
For a short second in time, the Valkyries have been one of many night time’s largest winners after deciding on former LSU Tigers star guard Flau’jae Johnson at No. 8 total. As ESPN WNBA reporter Alexa Philippou famous on-line, she gave the 2025 growth membership “its franchise face” as one in every of 2026’s extra recognizable incoming rookies.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘1324276914788316’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
