2022 WNBA Draft: How the draft works, which team has first pick and more

Ahead of the 2022 WNBA Draft, here are answers to a few frequently asked questions about how the draft works, which players are eligible, which team has first pick, and more.

The 2022 WNBA Draft will be held on Monday, April 11, 2022. For the first time since 2019, the WNBA Draft will be held in-person at Spring Studios in New York. ESPN will broadcast the event beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

The WNBA draft consists of three rounds with 12 picks in each round. A total of 36 athletes will be drafted.

It hurts to answer this question. The reality is that the majority of WNBA draftees won’t ultimately play in a WNBA game. That’s because there are just 144 roster spots available in the WNBA (12 teams x 12 players).

Of the 36 players who get drafted this year, fewer than 12 are ultimately expected to be named to WNBA rosters when the season begins in May.

The Washington Mystics won the 2022 WNBA draft lottery and will have the first pick in this year’s draft. Here’s a look at all of the teams with first-round picks in the 2022 WNBA draft:

In order to be eligible to play in the WNBA, an athlete must:

International athletes who don’t play college basketball in the U.S. are eligible so long as they turn 20 years old in the year of the draft.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA in 2021 granted all winter athletes an additional year of college eligibility. As a result, athletes who want to be considered for the 2022 WNBA Draft must opt-in. If the athlete has remaining NCAA eligibility, they must renounce it in order to be eligible.

This story will continue to be updated. 

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