WNBA expansion draft
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) expansion draft is an event hosted by the WNBA as needed that allows expansion teams to select from a pool of existing WNBA players to build their debut rosters. Pre-existing WNBA teams are allowed to protect six players on their current rosters from being drafted.
Prior to the 2000 expansion draft, the WNBA allocated players from outside of the league to new expansion teams both prior to and following the WNBA draft and expansion drafts.
The WNBA has hosted six expansion drafts since the league's creation in 1996 with the introduction of the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics in 1998; the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Miracle in 1999; the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm in 2000; the Chicago Sky in 2006; the Atlanta Dream in 2008; and the Golden State Valkyries in 2024.
1998: Detroit Shock, Washington Mystics
Initial player allocation
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA team | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cindy Brown (F) | Template:Flagu | Detroit Shock | Long Beach State (from Seattle Reign, ABL) |
| 2 | Razija Mujanović (C) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Detroit Shock | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 3 | Nikki McCray (G) | Template:Flagu | Washington Mystics | Tennessee (from Columbus Quest, ABL) |
| 4 | Alessandra Santos de Oliveira (C) | Template:Flagu | Washington Mystics | Pool Comense (Italy) |
Expansion draft
| Pick | Player | Nationality | New team | Former team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhonda Blades (G) | Template:Flagu | Detroit Shock | New York Liberty |
| 2 | Heidi Burge (F) | Template:Flagu | Washington Mystics | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 3 | Tajama Abraham (C) | Template:Flagu | Detroit Shock | Sacramento Monarchs |
| 4 | Penny Moore (F) | Template:Flagu | Washington Mystics | Charlotte Sting |
| 5 | Tara Williams (G) | Template:Flagu | Detroit Shock | Phoenix Mercury |
| 6 | Deborah Carter (F) | Template:Flagu | Washington Mystics | Utah Starzz |
| 7 | Lynette Woodard (G) | Template:Flagu | Detroit Shock | Cleveland Rockers |
| 8 | Tammy Jackson (F/C) | Template:Flagu | Washington Mystics | Houston Comets |
1999: Minnesota Lynx, Orlando Miracle
Initial expansion player allocation
| Pick | Player | Nationality | New WNBA team | Former WNBA team | College/country/team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristin Folkl (F) | Template:Flagu | Minnesota Lynx | None | Stanford |
| 2 | Nykesha Sales (G/F) | Template:Flagu | Orlando Miracle | None | Connecticut |
Expansion draft selections
| Pick | Player | Nationality | New WNBA team | Former WNBA team | College/country/team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandy Reed (F) | Template:Flagu | Minnesota Lynx | Phoenix Mercury | Southern Mississippi |
| 2 | Andrea Congreaves (F) | Template:Flagu | Orlando Miracle | Charlotte Sting | Mercer |
| 3 | Kim Williams (G) | Template:Flagu | Minnesota Lynx | Utah Starzz | DePaul |
| 4 | Kisha Ford (G) | Template:Flagu | Orlando Miracle | New York Liberty | Georgia Tech |
| 5 | Octavia Blue (G) | Template:Flagu | Minnesota Lynx | Los Angeles Sparks | Miami (FL) |
| 6 | Yolanda Moore (F) | Template:Flagu | Orlando Miracle | Houston Comets | Mississippi |
| 7 | Adia Barnes (F) | Template:Flagu | Minnesota Lynx | Sacramento Monarchs | Arizona |
| 8 | Adrienne Johnson (G) | Template:Flagu | Orlando Miracle | Cleveland Rockers | Ohio State |
Post-expansion draft player allocation
| Pick | Player | Nationality | New WNBA team | Former WNBA team | College/country/team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katie Smith (F) | Template:Flagu | Minnesota Lynx | None | Ohio State from Columbus Quest, ABL |
| 2 | Shannon Johnson (G/F) | Template:Flagu | Orlando Miracle | None | South Carolina from Columbus Quest, ABL |
2000: Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Seattle Storm
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2006: Chicago Sky
2008: Atlanta Dream
On February 6, 2008, an expansion draft occurred to help fill the roster for the Atlanta Dream. The team also participated in the 2008 WNBA draft prior to the team's first season.[1]
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Source:[2]
2024: Golden State Valkyries
On December 6, 2024, an expansion draft occurred to help fill the roster for the expansion Golden State Valkyries. The team also participated in the 2025 WNBA draft prior to the team's first season in 2025.[3]
The WNBA announced on September 30, 2024 that the expansion draft would be held on December 6 and televised by ESPN, and also announced the draft rules. Each existing WNBA team had to provide the league office with a list of all players to which it held contract rights as of the final day of the 2024 regular season; the submission deadline was not determined, but was expected to be about 10 days before the draft. Each team also had to designate no more than six players who would not be eligible for selection. The Valkyries were allowed to select one available player from each of the 12 previously existing teams. Only one player eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season could be chosen, and that player could not have played under a "core player" contract for two or more seasons. The Valkyries were allowed to make trades prior to the expansion draft, including agreements to (1) select a given player and trade that player to another team, or (2) select or not select an available player from a given team.[4]
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Source:[5]
2025 or 2026: Toronto Tempo, Portland WNBA team
Sometime following the 2025 season, an expansion draft will occur that will help fill the roster for the Toronto Tempo and the currently unnamed expansion Portland WNBA team, both of which are scheduled to begin play in the 2026 season. The details and rules for this draft are currently unknown.
Future expansion
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". During a press conference in October 2024, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated that the league seeks to have a 16th team installed by the 2028 WNBA season.[6] According to Sports Business Journal, bids from Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Austin, Kansas City, Orlando, Nashville, Charlotte, Denver, and Houston, St.Louis, Cleveland, Detroit as well as multiple bids for Miami, are expected for the next expansion team.[7]
References
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- ↑ WNBA.com: Atlanta Dream
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