WNBA Draft set for Monday

The 2026 Women’s National Basketball Association draft starts Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. Eastern at The Shed in Manhattan, with Dallas holding the No. 1 pick. (wnba.com) The league’s official draft board lists the first eight picks as Dallas, Minnesota from Chicago, Seattle from Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago from Connecticut, Toronto, Portland and Golden State. Washington also owns picks No. 9 and No. 11 in the first round. (wnba.com) Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, and Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is set to announce the picks live. The league said 15 prospects will attend in person at Hudson Yards. (wnba.com, wnba.com) That first round matters beyond Dallas because the draft is feeding a larger league than it did a year ago. Toronto Tempo, Portland Fire and Golden State Valkyries all appear in the first round, with Toronto at No. 6, Portland at No. 7 and Golden State at No. 8. (wnba.com) The expansion picture changed roster-building this month. The league’s expansion draft page says Portland and Toronto already selected a combined 22 players for their inaugural rosters, making Monday the next major talent pipeline for new teams. (wnba.com) The top of the class has no clear consensus across outlets. Bleacher Report’s latest big board put Spain national team center Awa Fam at No. 1, while an Entertainment and Sports Programming Network mock draft published in February projected Connecticut guard Azzi Fudd first overall. (bleacherreport.com, espn.com) The in-person invite list shows how broad that top tier is. It includes Fudd, Fam, Texas Christian University guard Olivia Miles and University of California, Los Angeles center Lauren Betts, along with players from the United States, France, Lithuania and Slovenia. (wnba.com) Dallas earned the top selection by winning the draft lottery on November 23, 2025. The league said then that the Wings secured the first overall pick for a draft scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2026. (wnba.com) By Monday night, the board that now starts with Dallas and stretches through three rounds will turn from projections into roster decisions. The first name called will set the tone for a draft shaped as much by expansion as by star power. (wnba.com, wnba.com)