- M.A. Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Projected No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston is one of four South Carolina Gamecocks players who will attend the WNBA draft on Monday at Spring Studios in New York City. In total, 15 players — all projected to be first- or second-round picks in ESPN’s latest mock draft — will be at the three-round draft, which will be televised from 7 to 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Boston will be joined by teammates Laeticia Amihere, Brea Beal and Zia Cooke. They were part of the South Carolina teams that went to the Final Four the past three seasons, winning the 2022 national championship.
Other schools that will have multiple prospective picks at Monday’s draft are the UConn Huskies with Lou Lopez Sénéchal and Dorka Juhász, and the Iowa State Cyclones with Ashley Joens and Stephanie Soares.
Also attending the draft will be Alexis Morris of the national champion LSU Tigers, Grace Berger (Indiana Hoosiers), Jordan Horston (Tennessee Lady Volunteers), Haley Jones (Stanford Cardinal), Diamond Miller (Maryland Terrapins), Taylor Mikesell (Ohio State Buckeyes) and Maddy Siegrist (Villanova Wildcats).
Thirty-six players will be selected in the draft by the 12 WNBA teams. For the first time, the Indiana Fever will pick No. 1, and 6-foot-5 forward/center Boston has been atop the draft board all through the college season. She is expected to follow two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces as a No. 1 pick from South Carolina; Wilson was taken first in 2018.
The other 2023 lottery picks belong to the Minnesota Lynx (No. 2), Dallas Wings (No. 3) and Washington Mystics (No. 4).
The Fever — who have not made the playoffs since 2016 — have four picks among the top 20: Nos. 1, 7, 13 and 17. The Wings have three first-round picks with Nos. 3, 5 and 11. The Atlanta Dream have three picks among the top 15: Nos. 6, 8 and 15. And the Lynx have three picks in the top 20 at Nos. 2, 12 and 16.
The defending WNBA champion Aces, barring a trade, will have a quiet draft: Their only pick is the last one, No. 36.
In preparation for the draft, there will be a preview show Saturday (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2) with ESPN draft experts LaChina Robinson and Rebecca Lobo. The WNBA’s 27th season begins May 19.
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