The WNBA Draft is underway from New York City on Monday night. With each selection, prospects will learn where they’re continuing their professional basketball careers next season.

Just Women’s Sports analyst Rachel Galligan will share her thoughts on each pick as the event unfolds. Check back in throughout the first, second and third rounds for updated analysis on draft night.

For more on the prospects and WNBA teams’ needs, check out Rachel’s full WNBA mock draft and Top 50 big board.

Round 1

1. Atlanta Dream: Rhyne Howard, G, Kentucky

The Atlanta Dream make it official! They had their eyes on one specific player who they felt could be a pillar of their franchise and traded up for that. Howard has pro-ready skill, size and potential and provides the type of impact player Atlanta can build around for the coming years. The 6-foot-2 guard has showcased her versatility and scoring ability at all three levels during her time at Kentucky. Howard averaged 20.1 points, 2.9 assists and 6.9 rebounds this season.

2. Indiana Fever: NaLyssa Smith, F, Baylor

The Fever secured a franchise player who easily could have gone No. 1. At 6-foot-4, Smith has been dominant during her time at Baylor and has yet to hit her ceiling, averaging 15.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. She has continued to expand her game and skill set every year and the sky’s the limit what she can do for the retooling Fever. She can play with her back to the basket, face up and attack off the dribble, knock down the mid range jumper and run the floor in transition.

3. Washington Mystics: Shakira Austin, F, Ole Miss

Shakira Austin’s length, power, strength and potential is scary! She can not only make an immediate impact on a roster, but she has the potential and confidence in herself to continue to be developed. Offensively, has she hasn’t even come close to the type of player she can become with her back-to-the-basket and face-up game. Austin wowed us at the SEC tournament in particular, where she showed out in front of nearly every WNBA GM and head coach.

4. Indiana Fever: Emily Engstler, G/F, Louisville

Fever general manager Lin Dunn wanted defensive tenacity, and that is exactly what she got in this pick. Engstler is a swiss army knife in terms of what she can bring to the floor and her competitiveness goes unmatched. She can score, defend, rebound and possesses phenomenal basketball instincts. The Fever immediately have a vital weapon in Engstler who brings an edge and passion on both ends of the floor. The Fever are off to a phenomenal start for 2022!

5. New York Liberty: Nyara Sabally, F, Oregon

Sabally has the potential to be one of the most impressive picks out of this draft. She has great vision and passing ability at 6-foot-5. She plays very well out of the pick and roll, which is a great asset for the next level. If she can stay healthy, remain consistent and continue to develop, her potential is really fun to think about. She has been efficient during her career at Oregon, shooting 51.9 percent and averaging 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds this season.

6. Indiana Fever: Lexie Hull, G, Stanford

OKAY!!!!!!! We have our first big-time shocker with Hull going at No. 6. Hull showcased her skill set, length and IQ extremely well during the NCAA tournament, where her stock really rose. The Fever clearly value her poise and shooting ability and what she can bring to a young rebuilding team. Hull might struggle with the physicality but has the IQ and work ethic to face that curve. You have to wonder: Could the Fever have gotten Hull at No. 10? Maybe they didn’t want to risk it.

7. Dallas Wings: Veronica Burton, G, Northwestern

A complete stat stuffer and the type of player who is a tireless worker and brings a tremendous amount of toughness. Burton has the tools and mindset to be the future in terms of top WNBA point guards. Burton led the country in steals this year at 4.0 per game and Wings coach Vickie Johnson feels this team has got to improve on the defensive end of the floor. Burton does just that.

8. Las Vegas Aces: Mya Hollingshed, F, Colorado

Big surprise here and probably the biggest in the draft so far. Hollingshed’s potential and length is what is appealing to the Aces. Hollingshed has worked really hard to become a more efficient shooter from beyond the arc, averaging 38.8 percent from 3-point range this season. She has elite athleticism and agility at 6-foot-3. While the physicality is going to be a concern, clearly the Aces do not feel that is as big of a concern given her upside.

9. Los Angeles Sparks: Rae Burrell, G/F, Tennessee

The Sparks look at this draft as a chance to improve depth and shooting ability on the wing. Burrell is a long guard capable of really shooting the basketball and stretching the floor forcing defenses to open up the paint for their dominant post players. A healthy Burrell is exciting to think about and she is versatile, but she struggled with lingering injuries this season. At 6-foot-1, Burrell has the length to play wing and make plays on defense as well. A big wing is always sought after in the WNBA.

10. Indiana Fever: Queen Egbo, F, Baylor

The Fever have certainly loaded up in the paint this draft. Egbo is an elite athlete and brings a level of rebound and rim protection the Fever can utilize in the interior. She has a great amount of mobility and could be used to switch and be disruptive defensively. While her offensive skillet can continue to improve, Egbo has been highlight efficient around the basket shooting 51.5 percent during her collegiate career.

11. Las Vegas Aces: Kierstan Bell, G, FGCU

One of the most prolific scorers in this draft. Bell has an elite scoring mentality and has the tools to play 2-4 in this league. She can come in and backup the guards in Las Vegas, she can expose mismatches on the block with her size and strength and she comes from a pro system out of Florida Gulf Coast. Bell thrives in high pressure situations and showing out when she has the chance. She will need to continue to expand on her defensive presence on the floor, but the Aces added a player with confidence, swag and a willing ability to work to translate her game to the WNBA.

12. Connecticut Sun: Nia Clouden, G, Michigan State

Connecticut adds a combo guard here with ability to shoot the three, which is an area the Sun desperately needed shooting 40% this season. Clouden feels a bit overlooked in this draft but can completely stuff the stat sheet. She has a scoring mentality, ability to play in the pick and roll and be a versatile guard who can score at all three levels. The issue lies in the Sun’s cap space and ability to add picks to their already talented roster- who can Clouden beat out to make the team?

Round 2

13. Las Vegas Aces: Khayla Pointer, PG, LSU

It’s just so poetic with Pointer going to play for her aunt Nikki Fargas, who was also her former coach at LSU. Pointer had two triple-doubles this season, and coach Kim Mulkey often mentioned the point guard as an overlooked talent. Pointer is competitive and she does not shy away from big moments. She has a shot to really compete for a backup point guard spot for the Aces — especially since they just waived Destiny Slocum.

14. Washington Mystics: Christyn Williams, G, UConn

Williams has played at a high level for UConn the last four years. When Williams is knocking down shots, she can have a significant impact on the game. With her speed, she’s difficult to stop when getting to the rim in the open court and is tenacious on defense. Williams is a flashy and exciting player to watch who adds a highly skilled option for Washington at the guard spot.

15. Atlanta Dream: Naz Hillmon, F, Michigan

I just love Naz Hillmon and the toughness she has. Naz has one of the best motors in this draft class as a scorer and rebounder. Hillmon is highly efficient around the rim, she is consistent and she can rebound. She has averaged a double-double the last two seasons in the Big Ten. Atlanta adds an undersized post who will need to continue to learn to stretch the floor and expand her offensive game beyond the paint. Hillmon brings the intangibles and toughness anyone would be lucky to coach in this league.

16. Los Angeles Sparks: Kianna Smith, G, Louisville

I love this pick for the Sparks as they add a solid guard who comes from a great program in Louisville. When we talk about long guards who can shoot, Kianna Smith could very easily be a steal in this draft for Los Angeles as one of the best pure shooters in the class.

17. Seattle Storm: Elissa Cunane, C, NC State

Seattle needs depth in the paint and the fact Cunane fell this far is a shock to me. At 6-foot-5, Cunane has gone against some of the best posts in the country during her career and is one of the most consistent players in the draft. Cunane can stretch the floor and shoot the three; she went 40 percent from behind the arc for her collegiate career.

18. Seattle Storm: Lorela Cubaj, F, Georgia Tech

After being selected by the Storm, Cubaj was dealt to the Liberty in exchange for the New York’s 2023 second-round pick. Cubaj is a great defender and veteran forward who can come to New York and compete as a pro because of her work ethic and passion. At 6-foot-4, Cubaj is a high-post threat whose vision and IQ make her an effective passer. She can face up, take defenders off the bounce and create separation with her shot. She needs to continue to expand her offensive game.

19. Los Angeles Sparks: Olivia Nelson-Ododa, F, UConn

The Sparks got themselves a long, versatile forward who has potential to thrive in the WNBA down the road. She comes from a phenomenal program and at 6-foot-5, she runs the floor, rebounds and brings a young forward who will challenge this team in training camp.

20. Indiana Fever: Destanni Henderson, PG, South Carolina

I’m shocked Henderson fell this far down the draft board, but it is a phenomenal pick up for the Fever. Henderson showed out in the national championship game and has the poise and speed to be effective at the next level. As the floor general for the No. 1 team in the country, Henderson does a great job of controlling the pace and setting up the offense with strong decision-making. She has the quickness and agility to get to the rim with ease, fitting the mold of a pick-and-roll player at the next level.

21. Seattle Storm: Evina Westbrook, G, UConn

Westbrook has good size at guard and a well-rounded skill set that should make her a versatile option at the next level. She has a good amount of experience and would be a viable option for any team looking for depth and competition at the guard spot in camp.

22. Minnesota Lynx: Kayla Jones, F, NC State

A good late option at the forward spot for the Lynx, who face similar cap space situations as Connecticut. Jones averaged 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and shot 48 percent from the field for NC State.

23. Las Vegas Aces: Aisha Sheppard, G, Virginia Tech

Las Vegas gets sharpshooting and an efficient 3-point threat in Sheppard. Her game evolved and she showcased her versatility this year at Virginia Tech.

24. Connecticut Sun: Jordan Lewis, G, Baylor

Lewis is a veteran guard who will compete in training camp. She can facilitate, makes sound decisions and has really strong vision. But again, it will be very, very difficult to make the Suns roster for any of these picks.

Round 3

25. Indiana Fever: Ameshya Williams-Holliday, C, Jackson State

26. Phoenix Mercury: Maya Dodson, F, Notre Dame

Dodson played some of the best basketball of her career for the Irish this season. The 6-foot-3 forward is another solid late-round pickup for the Mercury, and she has yet to hit her ceiling with her frame, strength and athleticism.

27. Los Angeles Sparks: Amy Atwell, F, Hawai’i

A long forward with wing potential at the next level, which is exactly what the Sparks have been looking for, Atwell averaged 17.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and shot 38 percent from beyond the 3-point line for Hawai’i this season.

28. Minnesota Lynx: Hannah Sjerven, F, South Dakota

Sjerven and her South Dakota squad wowed us during the NCAA tournament with their Sweet 16 run. Sjerven averaged 12.8 points and 6.9 rebounds and shot 55 percent from the field. While cracking the Lynx roster will be tough, she is a nice post option in camp as Minnesota looks to the future.

29. New York Liberty: Sika Kone, F, Mali

Many had Kone going in the first round, so it is a bit surprising she fell this far down, but there are so many question marks sometimes surrounding international players.  The late selection will spur questions on Kone’s availability and health in the coming months.

30. Dallas Wings: Jasmine Dickey, G, Delaware

Dickey is an elite scoring guard who can go into Dallas and challenge the Wings’ young and highly talented roster. Given a shot, Dickey could surprise some people.

31. Dallas Wings: Jazz Bond, F, North Florida

32. Phoenix Mercury: Macee Williams, C, IUPUI

I’m so happy for IUPUI and the dominant career Williams has had. With so much uncertainty swirling around Phoenix’s post players, Williams could be a pleasant surprise in camp. The four-time Horizon League player of the year had one of the most dominant collegiate careers in the country during her five years at IUPUI. The 6-foot-2 forward averaged a double-double this year at 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds and is one of the most efficient players on the board, shooting 64-percent from the field, which ranked fifth in the country.

33. Seattle Storm: Jade Melbourne, G, Australia

A young, promising guard, the 5-foot-10 Melbourne is a member of the Australian national team and an impressive scorer. Keep your eye on her.

34. Indiana Fever: Ali Patberg, G, Indiana

Patberg stays home in Indiana, which makes me so happy. The veteran guard has been deeply rooted in the state of Indiana her entire career, so it’s just perfect that she will get a shot to make the Fever’s roster. Patberg is poised, smart, experienced and has a phenomenal work ethic.

35. Las Vegas Aces: Faustine Aifuwa, C, LSU

Nikki Fargas loves her people! For the second time this draft, an LSU product reunites with her former coach. Aifuwa has size, rim protection and a powerful body that should allow her to compete in camp.

36. Connecticut Sun: Kiki Smith, G, Florida

Smith is an elite guard who has shown time and time again her ability to elevate her play in big moments. This is a steal for the Sun. I can only imagine her late selection is due to her knee injury, which leaves her unable to play in the upcoming WNBA season. But that is a plus for the Sun, who are in a cap bind.

Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, at a White House ceremony this afternoon. 

The Team USA standout is the most decorated women’s swimmer in the sport’s history. In addition to her seven Olympic golds, she’s also won a total of 21 gold medals at the World Championships, the most of any swimmer regardless of gender. 

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The esteemed award recognizes those who have "made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors," according to a White House press briefing. 

Ledecky is one of 19 medal recipients chosen by the Biden administration this year. She joins a class that spans the worlds of politics, sports, film, human rights, religion, and science. Her fellow 2024 awardees include Everything Everywhere All at Once actress Michelle Yeoh, pioneering Hispanic astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa, and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, plus posthumous winners Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the US, and assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers. 

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe were among 2022’s class of Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients. Biles and Rapinoe were the fifth and sixth women athletes to be given the honor, making Ledecky the seventh.

After an illustrious career for both club and country, Gotham FC and U.S. Women’s National Team defender Kelley O’Hara announced today via Kelley on the Street that she will be retiring from professional soccer at the end of this year, making the 2024 NWSL season her last.

"I have always said I would play under two conditions: that I still love playing soccer, and if my body would let me do it the way I wanted to," O’Hara told Just Women’s Sports in the lead-up to her retirement announcement. "I realized a while back that I was always going to love it, so it was the physical piece that was going to be the deciding factor."

The 35-year-old will retire as a two-time World Cup champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and at least a two-time NWSL champion, depending on where Gotham finishes this season. Her legacy as a player is hard to fully encapsulate, and will forever run through some of the biggest snapshots in USWNT and NWSL history. 

In 2012, O’Hara played every minute of the USWNT’s Olympic gold medal run, after having recently converted into a defender. Her soaring goal off the bench in the 2015 World Cup semifinal is the stuff of legend. And her return from lingering injury to play in every knockout match of the national team’s 2019 World Cup win cemented a storybook international career. 

It was O’Hara who scored the overtime goal in 2021 to earn the Washington Spirit their first-ever NWSL championship, and O’Hara who returned to help see Gotham earn a title in 2023 after years spent in the trenches with the club’s previous iteration, Sky Blue. Her 15-year career spanned two professional women’s soccer leagues in the U.S. (she earned her first professional title in 2010 with WPS’s FC Gold Pride), as well as sweeping changes to the sport both on and off the pitch.

On the field, O’Hara has always been known for a motor that never quits, making the right flank her domain in attacking possession and defensive transition. In recent years, she’s also been celebrated for a competitive fire that raises the level of her teammates, whether she’s in the starting XI or supporting from the bench.

But injuries take a toll, a reality not always seen by the fans watching from home. "I've never taken anything for granted, and I feel like I've never coasted either," O’Hara said of her late-career success in the NWSL despite battling injuries. "I've always been like, 'I gotta put my best foot forward every single day I step on this field' — which is honestly probably half the reason why I'm having to retire now as opposed to getting a couple more years out of it. I've just grinded hard."

Recently, O’Hara has been sidelined at Gotham with ankle and knee injuries, and the situation motivated her to really prioritize listening to her body. "To get injured and come back, and get injured and come back, and just keep doing it, it really takes a toll on you.

"People don't see the doubt that's associated with injury,” she continued. "As athletes we feel a certain way, we perform a certain way, our body feels a certain way, we're very in tune with our bodies. And there's always so much doubt surrounding injury. It’s like, 'Can I feel the way I felt before?' The reality is sometimes you don't."

O’Hara didn’t arrive at the decision to move on from her playing career lightly. But once she began seriously considering making 2024 her final year during the last NWSL offseason, it felt right. "Once I was like, 'Alright, you know what, this will be my last year,' I have had a lot of peace with it," she said. "Truly the only thing I felt was gratitude for everything that my career has been, all the things I've been able to do and the people I've been able to do it with."

She said she’ll miss daily interactions with her teammates and all the amazing memories they’ve created, though she feels lucky to have formed relationships that go beyond sharing a locker room. "You're basically getting to hang out and just shoot the shit with your best friends every day," she reflected. "Which is so unheard of, and I just feel very lucky to do it for so long."

The Stanford graduate also mentioned that the NWSL’s suspension of regular season play in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic made her realize how much playing allowed her the space to simply be creative every day. The tactical elements of soccer provided O’Hara an outlet for problem solving and made use of her naturally competitive edge.

She’s now gearing up to channel her on-field intensity into her post-playing career full time, which is a new chapter she’s excited to begin. "I don't know if the world's ready for it, like the fact that I'm not going to be putting all of my energy into football all the time," she said with a laugh. 

O’Hara said she would like to stay connected to the game in some fashion, whether it be as an owner, coach, or member of a front office. She’s also interested in the growing media space surrounding women’s sports, having provided on-camera analysis for broadcasters like CBS Sports in addition to starting a production company with her fiancée.

"I just feel like I have a lot of passions, and things that excite me," she says. "And I do want to stay as close as I can to the game, because I feel a responsibility — and I'm not sure in what capacity — to continue to grow it."

A sense of responsibility to grow the game has been a consistent refrain for the USWNT and NWSL players of O’Hara’s era, who ushered in a new age of equal pay for the national team and collectively bargained protections for those in the league. The landscape for new players looks different than it did 14 years ago, in large part due to this pivotal generation.

"I feel an immense sense of pride around that, because I don't know if any of us knew that was gonna happen," she said. "We kind of, as things unfolded, took the next step towards changing what women's football looks like in this country and around the world.

"I'm really grateful to have been part of this era with the players that I was [with], not backing down and pushing and knowing that was the right thing to do."

Whatever the future holds, O’Hara is going ahead full throttle. It’s a piece of advice she’d also give to the next generation of professionals looking to make their own impact.

"Whatever you do in life, do it because you love it, and the chips will fall in place," she said. "If you love something, you're willing to do what it takes. You're willing to make the sacrifices, you're willing to handle the roller coaster.

"To me, it's simple. Don't do it for any other reason but that, and I think you'll be alright."

The Phoenix Mercury center spoke with Robin Roberts about her 10-month incarceration, reflecting on her poor living conditions and shaky mental state ahead of her May 7th memoir.

"The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper," Griner told the ABC News anchor in last night’s 20/20 special. "That was the moment where I just felt less than a human." 

She also detailed some of her lowest moments during that time, saying with tears in her eyes that she went so far as to consider taking her own life on more than one occasion. However, the thought of Russian officials not releasing her body back to her family made her reconsider.

"I just didn't think I could get through what I needed to get through," said Griner.

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In February 2022, Griner was arrested and charged with drug possession and smuggling by a Russian court after Sheremetyevo International Airport police found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. The cartridges were prescribed by Griner’s doctor for chronic pain back in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal. In the interview, the two-time Olympic gold medalist said she had a "mental lapse" while packing, and never intended to bring the cannabis products with her when she returned to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg.

"It's just so easy to have a mental lapse," Griner said. "Granted, my mental lapse was on a more grand scale. But it doesn't take away from how that can happen." 

She was later sentenced to nine years behind bars after her Russian attorneys advised her to plead guilty the following July. Griner was then sent to a remote penal colony where she was forced to spend her days cutting cloth to make military uniforms. From there, it only got worse.

"Honestly, it just had to happen," she said when asked about her decision to cut off her signature long locks. "We had spiders above my bed making nests.

"My dreads started to freeze," she added. "They would just stay wet and cold and I was getting sick. You've gotta do what you've gotta do to survive."

Shortly after Griner’s initial arrest, the U.S. State Department classified her case as wrongfully detained, escalating its urgency within the government and calling even more attention to the situation. On December 8th, she was freed in a prisoner exchange negotiated by the Biden administration.

While she told Roberts she was "thrilled" when she got the news, she was also very upset about having to leave fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan behind. She also continues to carry guilt about her arrest, saying "At the end of the day, it's my fault. And I let everybody down."

Griner’s memoir, Coming Home, hits shelves on May 7th.

"Coming Home begins in a land where my roots developed and is the diary of my heartaches and regrets," Griner told ABC News in an exclusive statement. "But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare."

Longtime USWNT fixture Carli Lloyd took to Instagram Wednesday morning to announce that she’s pregnant with her first child. 

"Baby Hollins coming in October 2024!" she wrote. The caption framed a collaged image of baby clothes, an ultrasound photo, and syringes indicating what she described as a "rollercoaster" fertility journey.

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In a Women’s Health story published in tandem with Lloyd’s post, the Fox Sports analyst and correspondent opened up about her struggles with infertility and the lengthy IVF treatments she kept hidden from the public eye.

"Soccer taught me how to work hard, persevere, be resilient, and never give up. I would do whatever it took to prepare, and usually when I prepared, I got results," Lloyd told Women’s Health’s Amanda Lucci. "But I found out that I didn’t know much about this world. I was very naive to think that we wouldn’t have any issues getting pregnant. And so it began."

Lloyd went on to discuss her road to pregnancy in great detail, sharing the highs and lows of the process and expressing gratitude for the care and support her family and medical team provided along the way. She rounded out the piece with a nod toward others navigating the same challenges, encouraging people to share their own pregnancy journeys, painful as they may be.

"My story is currently a happy one, but I know there are other women who are facing challenges in their pregnancy journey. I see you and I understand your pain," she said. "My hope is that more and more women will speak up about this topic, because their stories helped me. I also wish for more resources, funding, and education around fertility treatments. There is much to be done, and I hope I can play a role in helping."

The 41-year-old New Jersey native retired from professional soccer in 2021, closing out her decorated career with 316 international appearances, the second-most in USWNT history, in addition to 134 international goals. A legend on the field, Lloyd walked away from the game with two World Cups, two Olympic gold medals, and two FIFA Player of the Year awards.