The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional basketball league and also America’s Top Division women’s basketball league, which was founded back on April 24, 1996. It hosted its first season in 1997, which initially had 13 teams from different regions (expanding to 15 in 2026).
The regular season of the WNBA starts in May and lasts until September, with each team playing 44 games each while eight teams qualify for playoffs. The WNBA finals were held in October. The teams that have won the most WNBA titles are the Houston Comets, the Minnesota Lynx, and the Seattle Storm, each holding four titles. The latest 2024 WNBA champions are the New York Liberty. The 2025 WNBA Draft will take place on April 14, 2025, at The Shed at Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York.
Who were the first-overall picks in the WNBA draft?
Following is the list of players who were the first overall pick in the WNBA draft as of April 5, 2025 (via Basketball Reference):
| Year | Player | School/Club | Selecting team |
| 2024 | Caitlin Clark | Iowa | Indiana Fever |
| 2023 | Aliyah Boston | South Carolina | Indiana Fever |
| 2022 | Rhyne Howard | Kentucky | Atlanta Dream |
| 2021 | Charli Collier | Texas | Dallas Wings ( |
| 2020 | Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon | New York Liberty |
| 2019 | Jackie Young | Notre Dame | Las Vegas Aces |
| 2018 | A'ja Wilson | South Carolina | Las Vegas Aces |
| 2017 | Kelsey Plum | Washington | San Antonio Stars |
| 2016 | Breanna Stewart | UConn | Seattle Storm |
| 2015 | Jewell Loyd | Notre Dame | Seattle Storm |
| 2014 | Chiney Ogwumike | Stanford | Connecticut Sun |
| 2013 | Brittney Griner | Baylor | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2012 | Nneka Ogwumike | Stanford | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2011 | Maya Moore | UConn | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2010 | Tina Charles | UConn | Connecticut Sun |
| 2009 | Angel McCoughtry | Louisville | Atlanta Dream |
| 2008 | Candace Parker | Tennessee | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2007 | Lindsey Harding | Duke | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2006 | Seimone Augustus | LSU | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2005 | Janel McCarville | Minnesota | Charlotte Sting |
| 2004 | Diana Taurasi | UConn | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2003 | LaToya Thomas | Mississippi State | Cleveland Rockers |
| 2002 | Sue Bird | UConn | Seattle Storm |
| 2001 | Lauren Jackson | Canberra | Seattle Storm |
| 2000 | Ann Wauters | Valenciennes | Cleveland Rockers |
| 1999 | Chamique Holdsclaw | Tennessee | Washington Mystics |
| 1998 | Małgorzata Dydek | Poland | Utah Starzz |
| 1997 | Tina Thompson | USC | Houston Comets |
FAQs on WNBA
A. The WNBA is on it's 28th season as of April 5, 2025.
A. The first WNBA season started in 1997.
A. There were eight teams in the initial years of the WNBA.
A. The headquarter of the WNBA is in Midtown Manhattan.
