1997 WNBA draft

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports draft The 1997 WNBA draft was the 1st draft held by the WNBA through which teams could select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. Unlike later drafts, this draft was unique because there were three different stages in which teams built their rosters.

First on January 22, 1997, the Initial Player Allocation draft took place in which 16 players were assigned to each team in no particular order.

The elite draft portion comprised professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues, usually international leagues. On February 27, 1997, an elite draft added two more players to each team.

On April 28, 1997, the four rounds of the regular WNBA draft took place.

Draftees Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson would become the core pieces of the Houston Comets dynasty.

Racquel Spurlock (3rd Round, 17th overall pick) is the only player selected in this draft that ended up never playing a game in the WNBA.

Initial player allocation

Count	Player	Position	Nationality	Team	School / club team
1	Template:Sortname + ^	C		Charlotte Sting	Maryland
2	Template:Sortname *	G		Charlotte Sting	NC State
3	Template:Sortname ^	C		Cleveland Rockers	Louisiana Tech
4	Template:Sortname ^	G		Cleveland Rockers	Iowa
5	Template:Sortname * ^ !	F		Houston Comets	Texas Tech
6	Template:Sortname * ^ !	G		Houston Comets	USC
7	Template:Sortname * ^ !	C		Los Angeles Sparks	USC
8	Template:Sortname	G		Los Angeles Sparks	Long Beach State
9	Template:Sortname + ^ !	C/F		New York Liberty	Connecticut
10	Template:Sortname * ^ !	G		New York Liberty	Louisiana Tech
11	Template:Sortname + ^ !	G		Phoenix Mercury	WTV Wuppertal (Germany)
12	Template:Sortname * ^	C		Phoenix Mercury	Ole Miss
13	Template:Sortname * ^	G		Sacramento Monarchs	Auburn
14	Template:Sortname ^	F		Sacramento Monarchs	Tennessee
15	Template:Sortname +	C/F		Utah Starzz	CSKA Moscow (Russia)
16	Template:Sortname	G		Utah Starzz	Georgia

Note: 16 players assigned in no particular order.

Elite draft

The elite draft portion was composed of professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues, usually international leagues. It was the first time where the teams could draft the players out of a talent pool.

Round 1

Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team	School / club team
1	Template:Sortname	G		Utah Starzz	Tennessee
2	Template:Sortname	C/F		Cleveland Rockers	Colorado
3	Template:Sortname	C/F		Charlotte Sting	NC State
4	Template:Sortname +	C/F		New York Liberty	Arizona State
5	Template:Sortname	F		Houston Comets	South Florida
6	Template:Sortname	F		Sacramento Monarchs	Hawaii
7	Template:Sortname	F		Phoenix Mercury	Florida
8	Template:Sortname^	C		Los Angeles Sparks	Tennessee

Round 2

Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team	School / club team
9	Template:Sortname *	F		Utah Starzz	Virginia
10	Template:Sortname ^ !	G		Cleveland Rockers	Kansas
11	Template:Sortname	F		Charlotte Sting	Texas Tech
12	Template:Sortname +	F		New York Liberty	Louisiana Tech
13	Template:Sortname * ^	F		Houston Comets	Polti (Brazil)
14	Template:Sortname	G		Sacramento Monarchs	Japan Energy Griffins (Japan)
15	Template:Sortname ^ !	G		Phoenix Mercury	Old Dominion
16	Zheng Haixia	C		Los Angeles Sparks	China

College draft

Round 1

Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team	School / club team
1	Template:Sortname * ^ !	F		Houston Comets	USC
2	Template:Sortname ^	C		Sacramento Monarchs	USC
3	Template:Sortname	G		Los Angeles Sparks	Stanford
4	Template:Sortname x	G	Template:Flagicon Czechoslovakia	Cleveland Rockers	Bourges (France)
5	Template:Sortname	G		Utah Starzz	Virginia
6	Template:Sortname + ^	F		New York Liberty	Rutgers
7	Template:Sortname	G		Charlotte Sting	Virginia
8	Template:Sortname	F/C		Phoenix Mercury	Iowa

Round 2

Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team	School / club team
9	Template:Sortname	G/F		Phoenix Mercury	Iowa
10	Sharon Manning	C/F		Charlotte Sting	NC State
11	Template:Sortname	G		New York Liberty	Florida
12	Template:Sortname	F/C		Utah Starzz	Maryland
13	Template:Sortname *	G/F		Cleveland Rockers	Florida
14	Template:Sortname *	G		Los Angeles Sparks	Kansas
15	Template:Sortname	C		Sacramento Monarchs	Howard
16	Template:Sortname	F/C		Houston Comets	Florida

Round 3

Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team	School / club team
17	Template:Sortname #	C		Houston Comets	Louisiana Tech
18	Template:Sortname	G		Sacramento Monarchs	Auburn
19	Template:Sortname	G		Los Angeles Sparks	Maryland
20	Template:Sortname	G		Cleveland Rockers	Penn State
21	Template:Sortname	F/C		Utah Starzz	Colorado
22	Template:Sortname	F/C		New York Liberty	NC State
23	Template:Sortname	G		Charlotte Sting	Louisiana Tech
24	Template:Sortname	G/F		Phoenix Mercury	NC State

Round 4

Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team	School / club team
25	Template:Sortname	F		Phoenix Mercury	Arizona State
26	Template:Sortname	F/C		Charlotte Sting	Mercer
27	Template:Sortname	G/F		New York Liberty	Georgia Tech
28	Template:Sortname	G		Utah Starzz	DePaul
29	Template:Sortname	F		Cleveland Rockers	New Mexico State
30	Template:Sortname	C		Los Angeles Sparks	Lamar
31	Template:Sortname	C		Sacramento Monarchs	George Washington
32	Template:Sortname	F		Houston Comets	Texas

Notable undrafted players

These players were not selected in the 1997 WNBA draft but played at least one game for the WNBA.

Player	Position	Nationality	School / club team
Template:Sortname	G		Ohio State
Template:Sortname	G		Virginia
Template:Sortname	F		Furman
Template:Sortname	F		Alabama
Template:Sortname	G/F		LSU
Template:Sortname	F		USC
Template:Sortname	G		Texas
Template:Sortname *	G/F		Tourbillon Kinshasa (Congo)
Template:Sortname	F		Ole Miss
Template:Sortname	PG		Southwestern Louisiana
Template:Sortname	G		Tennessee

See also

• List of first overall WNBA draft picks