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.
FIRST TIME IN FRANCHISE HISTORY. 🔥we will have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/raYgQQNIif— Indiana Fever ⛹️♀️🏀 (@IndianaFever) November 11, 2022
FIRST TIME IN FRANCHISE HISTORY. 🔥we will have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/raYgQQNIif
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.