Now that the 2022 WNBA Draft is complete, we can evaluate the selections and take a closer look at how each of the 12 teams performed.

The Atlanta Dream made an aggressive move to trade for the No. 1 pick and land guard Rhyne Howard; Lexie Hull and Mya Hollingshed were easily the biggest surprises of the first round; and several projected first-round picks fell to the second round, which is not necessarily a reflection of their ability to compete for highly coveted roster spots in training camp.

Below, we hand out post-draft grades for every WNBA team.

Atlanta Dream: A+

No. 1 Rhyne Howard, No. 15 Naz Hillmon

The Dream had their eyes set on someone specific when they traded up to the No. 1 pick in a deal with Washington last week, and that someone was Howard. Howard’s pro-readiness and elite skill set have been highly touted for years, and the rebuilding Dream have an opportunity to make her a focal point of the organization under new management.

Landing Naz Hillmon in the second round was a home run, as the Michigan star easily could have been off the board at that point. Although she is undersized at 6-foot-2, Hillmon’s work ethic, character and heart make her a perfect fit for the culture Atlanta is looking to build as she develops her game over time.

Indiana Fever: A

No. 2 NaLyssa Smith, No. 4 Emily Engstler, No. 6 Lexie Hull, No. 10 Queen Egbo, No. 20 Destanni Henderson, No. 25 Ameshya Williams-Holliday, No. 34 Ali Patberg

The Fever’s 2022 draft class could be an expansion team of its own. There is a lot to unpack from Indiana’s draft night, but one thing is for certain: The Fever loaded up on young and promising talent at nearly every position.

General manager Lin Dunn is looking toward the future, a process that involves tearing down the roster and adding players with size and defensive tenacity. The team’s first two selections, NaLyssa Smith and Emily Engstler, fit that mold to a tee. While Lexie Hull at No. 6 was a bit of a surprise, she brings undeniable length and sharpshooting at the wing spot.

Reuniting Smith with Queen Egbo out of Baylor was a good move for the sake of chemistry and consistency. While some are higher on the 6-3 Egbo than others, her elite athleticism and efficiency at the rim are two highly valued traits in the WNBA.

Destanni Henderson shined in the national championship game as the floor general for No. 1 South Carolina and gives the Fever high-level depth at the point, which they need. While it will be challenging for Ameshya Williams-Holliday and Ali Patberg to make the roster, they bring size and, in Patberg’s case, homegrown talent that will make Fever training camp even more competitive.

Los Angeles Sparks: A

No. 9 Rae Burrell, No. 16 Kianna Smith, No. 19 Olivia Nelson-Ododa, No. 27 Amy Atwell

After loading up in free agency, the Sparks were on a mission to add length, depth and shooting ability at the wing in this draft, and they did just that. Rae Burrell played the majority of her senior season with Tennessee at less than 100 percent. If she can take the time to get healthy, her potential in the league is appealing as a 6-1 guard.

Kianna Smith was a bit overlooked in this draft. The 6-0 sharpshooting and steady guard out of Louisville has a legitimate chance to earn a roster spot. While the Sparks are fairly deep already in the post, they would have been remiss to pass on Olivia Nelson-Ododa in the second round given her skill set in the paint and history at UConn.

Amy Atwell is also an intriguing, late addition. An athletic, experienced and offensive-minded guard, she will bring a valuable element to Sparks training camp.

New York Liberty: A-

No. 5 Nyara Sabally, No. 18 Lorela Cubaj, No. 29 Sika Kone

The Liberty addressed the one glaring area on their roster — post play — by adding three extremely promising talents in this draft. Nyara Sabally has the potential to be one of the best post players in the class with her 6-5 frame, versatile skill set, touch around the rim and face-up ability. She has yet to hit her stride after battling injuries at Oregon, an issue that hung over her draft stock but does not seem to concern the Liberty. I did not expect her to be available at No. 5, so this feels like a steal for New York.

The Liberty also added a highly competitive, defensive-minded pro with a great motor in Lorela Cubaj. If she can expand her offensive game, she has a real shot at making an impact in this league. Sika Kone, at just 19 years old, has a high ceiling for the future of the franchise.

Washington Mystics: A-

No. 3 Shakira Austin, No. 14 Christyn Williams

The Mystics gave up the No. 1 pick and still had one of the best drafts, landing Shakira Austin and Christyn Williams with the No. 3 and No. 14 picks. As part of their pre-draft deal with Atlanta, they also still own the right to swap first-round picks in the highly touted 2023 draft.

Austin’s 6-5 frame, power and strength might be the most impressive in this class, and the Mystics have the opportunity to mold her into a long-term impact player.

Williams gives the Mystics necessary depth at the wing position. UConn has one of the best track records of preparing players for the WNBA, and Williams should be no exception given her explosiveness and ability to attack the rim in the open court.

Connecticut Sun: B

No. 12 Nia Clouden, No. 24 Jordan Lewis, No. 36 Kiara Smith

Connecticut, facing a limited salary cap, had a trade in place to move down the board on draft night, sources tell Just Women’s Sports. Instead, they were able to secure the player they had near the top of their list in Nia Clouden. The Sun needed scoring depth at the off-guard position, and Clouden’s ability to facilitate, score and play off the ball will force the Sun to make some difficult roster decisions out of training camp.

Jordan Lewis had a strong season for Baylor and enters the WNBA with an experienced resume. Kiara “Kiki” Smith was an absolute steal as the last pick in the draft. The Florida product is still recovering from a late-season injury, giving the Sun the option to suspend her contract and hold onto her playing rights for the future.

Las Vegas Aces: B-

No. 8 Mya Hollingshed, No. 11 Kierstan Bell, No. 13 Khayla Pointer, No. 23 Aisha Sheppard, No. 35 Faustine Aifuwa

The Aces addressed multiple positions in this draft, but they specifically needed depth at the stretch four, and they added that right at the top of the board in Mya Hollingshed.

Las Vegas’ decision to trade away vital 2023 first- and second-round draft picks to move up in this year’s draft and select a player who likely would have been available later on was perplexing. Hollingshed, however, does give the Aces elite length and athleticism coming off the best season of her NCAA career. They clearly view her as a valuable asset to Becky Hammon’s system in this new era of the franchise.

The Aces were fortunate to get Kierstan Bell at No. 11, since the confident and versatile scorer was projected to go higher. Bell’s game should translate well to Las Vegas’ high-octane offense. From there, the Aces reunited LSU’s Khayla Pointer and Faustine Aifuwa with their former coach and current Las Vegas president, Nikki Fargas, who knows the competitive edge both players will bring to camp. Aisha Sheppard gives the Aces another experienced offensive weapon who shoots the ball well from the perimeter.

Dallas Wings: B-

No. 7 Veronica Burton, No. 30 Jasmine Dickey, No. 31 Jazz Bond

This Wings team has so much young talent that it’s hard to determine where it goes from here. This season could serve as a barometer for the players Dallas decides to hold onto and those it opts to move on from.

Despite the lack of space on the roster, the Wings landed a great point guard in Veronica Burton. The Northwestern product has the mentality, facilitating and scoring ability, and defensive tenacity to carve out a long career in the WNBA.

Jasmine Dickey is a prolific scorer who will challenge for a spot in camp. Jazz Bond, a big who can shoot the 3, might warrant an extra look now that the Wings will be without Bella Alarie this season.

Minnesota Lynx: B-

No. 22 Kayla Jones, No. 28 Hannah Sjerven

Lynx head coach and GM Cheryl Reeve has spoken openly about the Lynx’s roster and cap space challenges this season. Trading the No. 8 and No. 13 picks to the Aces for 2023 first- and second-round picks was a savvy move given their current situation and the strength of next year’s draft. The combination of that trade and their current roster bind earned the Lynx the B- grade.

This draft was not going to be a focal point for the 2022 season, and it didn’t need to be. The Lynx still added Kayla Jones, a well-rounded player and effective rebounder and shooter. Hannah Sjerven put the world on notice after leading South Dakota to the Sweet 16. At 6-2, she will have a learning curve, but she brings a strong presence to the interior.

Seattle Storm: C+

No. 17 Elissa Cunane, No. 21 Evina Westbrook, No. 33 Jade Melbourne

Seattle jumped at the opportunity to select Elissa Cunane in the middle of the second round, since many did not expect her to fall to No. 17. Cunane showed at NC State that she is most effective when she can go one-on-one in the paint and shoot open 3s. Her physicality remains a concern, but the 6-5 center adds an element that Seattle will need to consider deeply after this season.

Evina Westbrook adds depth at the combo spot, but it’s unclear if the Storm have a place for her on their guard-heavy roster. Jade Melbourne, just 19 years old, could be an asset down the road if Seattle can hold onto her.

Phoenix Mercury: C

No. 26 Maya Dodson, No. 32 Macee Williams

With all of their picks coming in the third round, the Mercury were always going to be limited in this draft. Their biggest need was depth in the post given Brittney Griner’s uncertain future in Russia, and they added two five-year collegiate posts in Maya Dodson and Macee Williams.

The 6-3 Dodson, after a standout season at Notre Dame, brings athleticism and the ability to run the floor. Williams had one of the most dominant collegiate careers at IUPUI and might shock some people in camp with her strength, power, footwork and efficiency. They’ll both have their work cut out for them in training camp, competing against a talented Phoenix roster.

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.

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.

On Tuesday, FIFPRO announced the launch of Project ACL, a three-year research initiative designed to address a steep uptick in ACL injuries across women's professional football.

Project ACL is a joint venture between FIFPRO, England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Nike, and Leeds Beckett University. While the central case study will focus on England’s top-flight Women's Super League, the findings will be distributed around the world.

ACL tears are between two- and six-times more likely to occur in women footballers than men, according to The Guardian. And with both domestic and international programming on the rise for the women’s game, we’ve seen some of the sport's biggest names moved to the season-ending injury list with ACL-related knocks.

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Soccer superstars like Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead, Catarina Macario, Marta, and England captain Leah Williamson have all struggled with their ACLs in recent years, though all have since returned to the field. In January, Chelsea and Australia forward Sam Kerr was herself sidelined with the injury, kicking off a year of similar cases across women’s professional leagues. And just yesterday, the Spirit announced defender Anna Heilferty would miss the rest of the NWSL season with a torn ACL. The news comes less than two weeks after Bay FC captain Alex Loera went down with the same injury. 

Project ACL will closely study players in the WSL, monitoring travel, training, and recovery practices to look for trends that could be used to prevent the injury in the future. Availability of sports science and medical resources within individual clubs will be taken into account throughout the process.

ACL injuries in women's football have long outpaced the same injury in the men's game, but resources for specialized prevention and treatment still lag behind. Investment in achieving a deeper, more specialized understanding of the problem should hopefully alleviate the issue both on and off the field.