Has any WNBA player refused to lace up for the franchise she was drafted to?

No, in the history of the WNBA, there have been no recorded incidents of a WNBA player refusing to play for the team that drafted them. A player may choose to sit out for several reasons. From what we've seen in the NBA, the most common ones are usually being drafted to a small-market team or not being drafted to a team of their choice.

Heading into the 2025 WNBA Draft, many have questioned the status of Dominique Malonga, who was a part of the French national team during the Paris Olympics. She's also the first Frenchwoman to dunk in a game. Her commitments to teams in France may turn some GMs away from drafting her.

However, Malonga has a ton of upside, which makes her a promising prospect. Furthermore, her decision to be a part of the draft is enough to tell us where she wants to play. So, it's unlikely that we will get to see a player refuse to play for the team that picks them this year.

Let’s take a look at some NBA players who have refused to play for the team that drafted them:

• Steve Francis: The Vancouver Grizzlies drafted Francis with the second pick of the 1999 NBA Draft. Unfortunately for them, Francis refused to play for the Grizzlies and eventually forced his way to the Houston Rockets.
• Kobe Bryant: The Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe with the 13th pick in the 1996 draft. Bryant, however, refused to play for the Hornets and reportedly had his agent orchestrate a trade to the LA Lakers. Kobe went on to win five championships with the Lakers, including two Finals MVPs.
• Danny Ferry: The LA Clippers drafted Ferry with the second pick of the 1989 draft. But he never suited up for them and chose to pursue a basketball career in Italy instead.

While no WNBA player has done anything of the sort, Renee Montgomery remains one of the only players to forgo an entire season.

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Renee Montgomery sat out an entire WNBA season before retiring

Renee Montgomery, who won two championships with the Minnesota Lynx, forwent the entire 2020 season citing racism and the COVID-19 as a reason. Before she hung up her boots, Renee spent two seasons with the Atlanta Dream. She made 364 career appearances, recording 9.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

After retiring, Montgomery became the first former WNBA player to have an ownership stake in a team. She acquired part-ownership of the Atlanta Dream in February 2021.