A new NCAA champion was crowned in women’s college basketball this week, but women’s hoops is already looking ahead to the college stars making it to the pros. Just eight days after the UCLA Bruins lifted the championship trophy, the 2026 WNBA Draft will take place Monday in New York City.
With the addition of two expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, who will pick sixth and seventh, respectively, there will be a total of 45 picks, with 15 in each of the three rounds. The Dallas Wings hold the first overall pick for the second year in a row, and these are the names that could be called early.
Awa Fam, Spain
The projected No. 1 overall draft pick by most pundits, the 6-foot-4 Awa Fam has been playing professionally since she was 15 years old. She recorded a double-double in just her third pro game—again, as a 15-year-old playing against adults—and then won a pair of silver medals with Spain’s National Youth Teams at the FIBA World Cup.Last month during FIBA World Cup qualifying, Spain’s Senior National Team faced Team USA, which boasted the likes of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Plum, and Angel Reese. In less than 20 minutes, Fam had 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals, showing she can already hold her own against the WNBA’s elite. She could be playing with Bueckers soon if Dallas drafts her first overall, and they would form a deadly pick-and-roll combination.
Azzi Fudd, UConn
A year ago, Bueckers led UConn to the national championship, but it was Azzi Fudd who was named the Most Outstanding Player. Fudd has overcome adversity, including numerous injuries, and was a First-Team All-American selection in 2025-26. She’s an elite shooter who led the Big East in three-point percentage each of the last two years, and she also finished her college career knocking down over 90 percent at the line.Lauren Betts, UCLA
When we last saw Lauren Betts, she was dominating South Carolina in the NCAA Championship Game en route to being named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. The 6-foot-7 center is coming off back-to-back All-American seasons, as well as back-to-back Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year awards.There are questions about her defensive mobility at the next level, as the women’s game, much like the men’s game, moves more to a pace-and-space style of play. But you can’t teach size, and only the 6-foot-9 Brittney Griner is a taller active WNBA player. Betts also has genetics on her side, as her dad played professionally in Europe for 15 years, winning titles in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Ukraine.
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
It seems like eons ago that Flau’jae Johnson was Angel Reese’s sidekick in LSU’s run to the NCAA championship, but it was actually three years ago. Johnson was a freshman then, and the last few years have shown that she can carry a team on her back. She could have entered last year’s draft, and her stock was likely a bit higher back then, but she will bring star power—both on and off the court—to whoever drafts her. Johnson is also an accomplished rapper, has the highest NIL valuation of any women’s college basketball player, and boasts as many Instagram followers as A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart combined.Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Latson is the first NCAA scoring champ since Caitlin Clark to enter the WNBA Draft, courtesy of the former topping the nation in the 2024-25 season. That came at Florida State, and while her numbers took a step back in 2025-26 when she transferred to South Carolina, she got to be part of a winning program that advanced to the NCAA Title Game. Latson showed she can be the focal point of a team when she put up 25.2 points in her last year at FSU, and she then displayed her clutch gene at USC. In the Sweet 16, Latson dropped 28 points in a win over Oklahoma, then in the Final Four, she put up a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in a victory over UConn.Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA
Shooting is at a premium at any level of basketball, and Gianna Kneepkens provides that in spades. Over her final two college seasons—divided between Utah and UCLA—her shooting splits are 49.9/43.8/90.1, putting her, literally, one missed shot from having a 50/40/90 split.Last year the expansion Golden State Valkyries attempted the most three pointers in a season in WNBA history, with the Atlanta Dream attempting the second-most ever, and the Phoenix Mercury shooting the third-most all-time. This trend is only expected to continue, giving extreme value to someone with the efficiency of Kneepkens.
Nell Angloma, France
To be eligible for the WNBA Draft, a collegiate player must be at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the draft. However, rules differ for international players such as Frenchwoman Nell Angloma, as they only have to be 20 during the year of the draft. Angloma won’t turn 20 until a month into the 2026 WNBA season, and her youth is just part of her appeal to teams. She was named MVP of the 2024 U18 FIBA EuroBasket in helping lead France to the championship, and she then led France in scoring the following year at the U19 FIBA World Cup. Angloma could very well become the fifth Frenchwoman taken in the first round of the WNBA Draft over the last four years.From The Epoch Times