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Indiana Fever win WNBA draft lottery, Minnesota Lynx jump to No. 2

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The Indiana Fever will continue to add to their youth with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft. (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Indiana Fever took the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft lottery Friday night.

As the last-place team in the league in the 2022 season, the Fever entered the lottery with the highest odds for the top pick. While the Fever had the No. 2 pick in 2022 (NaLyssa Smith) and 2018 (Kelsey Mitchell), they’ve never had the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Fever, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics and Minnesota Lynx all were in the running for the top pick.

Three of the teams (Indiana, Atlanta and Minnesota) were in the lottery because they missed the playoffs last season. The Mystics finished fifth in the league and made the postseason, but they took the Sparks’ spot as the result of a trade last offseason.

It’s a big-time draft in 2023, with both Aliyah Boston and Haley Jones likely finishing up their NCAA eligibility this season. Boston is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, while Jones could end up going No. 2.

Other NCAA stars include Maryland’s Diamond Miller and Iowa State’s Ashley Joens.

Some of the options aren’t a guarantee – seniors still have the option to come back for a fifth season if they elect to use their extra year of COVID-19 eligibility. But one player – Sedona Prince out of Oregon – already has made it known that she intends to enter this year’s draft.

First Round Draft Order:

  1. Indiana Fever
  2. Minnesota Lynx
  3. Atlanta Dream
  4. Washington Mystics
  5. Chicago Sky (via Phoenix Mercury)
  6. New York Liberty
  7. Indiana Fever (via Dallas Wings)
  8. Atlanta Dream (via Washington Mystics)
  9. Seattle Storm
  10. Connecticut Sun
  11. Dallas Wings (via Chicago Sky)
  12. Minnesota Lynx (via Las Vegas Aces)