List of WNBA first overall draft choices

Year	Player	Position	College	WNBA Team
1997 1997 WNBA Draft The 1997 WNBA Draft was the first annual draft held by the WNBA through which teams could select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. Unlike later drafts, this draft was unique because there were three different stages in which teams built their...	Tina Thompson Tina Thompson Tina Marie Thompson is a professional basketball player in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks. The first draft pick in WNBA history, Thompson was selected first by the Houston Comets. She helped lead the Comets to four WNBA Championships...	Forward	USC University of Southern California The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...	Houston Comets Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
1998 1998 WNBA Draft 1998 WNBA Draft - 27 January 1998On January 27, 1998 a total of 4 players were assigned to two teams in no particular order.On February 18, 1998 a WNBA expansion draft took place*On April 28, 1998 the regular WNBA draft took place....	Margo Dydek Margo Dydek Małgorzata Dydek , known as Margo Dydek in the United States, was a Polish international professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest active professional female basketball player in the world...	Center	Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...	Utah Starzz Utah Starzz The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams. The Starzz relocated, in 2003, to San Antonio, Texas where the team became the San Antonio Silver Stars...
1999 1999 WNBA Draft 1999 WNBA Draft - 6 April 1999On September 15, 1998, two more players were assigned prior to the expansion draft.On April 6, 1999 a WNBA expansion draft took place.*On May 3, 1999 another round of player allocation took place....	Chamique Holdsclaw Chamique Holdsclaw Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...	Forward	Tennessee University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...	Washington Mystics Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
2000 2000 WNBA Draft 2000 WNBA Draft - 25 April 2000On December 15, 1999, a WNBA expansion draft took place.On April 25, 2000 the regular WNBA draft took place.-Expansion Draft:-College draft:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:...	Ann Wauters Ann Wauters Ann Hilde Willy Wauters is a Belgian professional basketball player who currently plays for Ros Casares Valencia in Euroleague Women. Wauters played in the WNBA from 2000 to 2009, most recently with the San Antonio Silver Stars. Her primary position is center.-Personal:Wauters began playing...	Center	Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...	Cleveland Rockers Cleveland Rockers This article is about the defunct WNBA team; for the American Basketball Association team, see Cleveland Rockers .The Cleveland Rockers were a Women's National Basketball Association team that played from 1997 until 2003. The Rockers were one of the original eight franchises of the WNBA, which...
2001 2001 WNBA Draft 2001 WNBA Draft - 20 April 2001*On April 20, 2001 the regular WNBA draft took place.-College draft:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:...	Lauren Jackson Lauren Jackson Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Jackson began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian...	Center	Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	Seattle Storm Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
2002 2002 WNBA Draft 2002 WNBA Draft – April 20, 2002On April 20, 2002, the regular WNBA draft took place.-College draft:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-UConn Fab Four:...	Sue Bird Sue Bird Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region....	Guard	Connecticut University of Connecticut The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...	Seattle Storm Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
2003 2003 WNBA Draft The 2003 WNBA Draft, both the dispersal draft and the regular WNBA draft, took place on April 24. The dispersal draft involved players from the rosters of the Portland Fire and Miami Sol teams which had both folded after the 2002 season....	LaToya Thomas LaToya Thomas LaToya Monique Thomas is a professional basketball player.-College years:Thomas was a standout four-year starter at Mississippi State University....	Forward	Mississippi St Mississippi State University The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...	Cleveland Rockers Cleveland Rockers This article is about the defunct WNBA team; for the American Basketball Association team, see Cleveland Rockers .The Cleveland Rockers were a Women's National Basketball Association team that played from 1997 until 2003. The Rockers were one of the original eight franchises of the WNBA, which...
2004 2004 WNBA Draft 2004 WNBA Draft - 17 April 2004On January 6, 2004 a dispersal draft took place. Players were drafted from the roster of the Cleveland Rockers, who folded after the 2003 season....	Diana Taurasi Diana Taurasi Diana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...	Forward	Connecticut University of Connecticut The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...	Phoenix Mercury Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
2005 2005 WNBA Draft The WNBA Draft is an annual draft held by the Women's National Basketball Association through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players...	Janel McCarville Janel McCarville Janel McCarville is an American professional basketball player. She currently is suspended from the WNBA's New York Liberty for failure to report to Training Camp on time.-High school years:...	Center	Minnesota University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...	Charlotte Sting Charlotte Sting The Charlotte Sting was a Women's National Basketball Association franchise based in Charlotte, North Carolina and it was one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007....
2006 2006 WNBA Draft On November 16, 2005, the Women's National Basketball Association held an expansion draft for the Chicago Sky. It was the first expansion draft since the 2000 season, when the WNBA welcomed the Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Indiana Fever, and Seattle Storm into the league.On April 5, 2006, the WNBA...	Seimone Augustus Seimone Augustus Seimone Augustus is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Minnesota Lynx, WBC Spartak Moscow Region and the US national team...	Forward	LSU Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...	Minnesota Lynx Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...
2007 2007 WNBA Draft The 2007 WNBA Draft was the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league....	Lindsey Harding Lindsey Harding Lindsey Marcie Harding is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Atlanta Dream. She was born in Mobile, Alabama, but grew up in Houston, Texas.-College career:...	Guard	Duke Duke University Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...	Phoenix Mercury Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises... (traded to Minn. Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season... )
2008 2008 WNBA Draft The 2008 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2008....	Candace Parker Candace Parker Candace Nicole Parker is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and is also the younger sister of NBA player Anthony Parker. She was drafted to the team from Tennessee in 2008...	Forward	Tennessee University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...	Los Angeles Sparks Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
2009 2009 WNBA Draft The 2009 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2009. The first round was shown on ESPN2 at 3:00pm ET, while the second and third rounds were shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at...	Angel McCoughtry Angel McCoughtry Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is a professional basketball player who completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA Draft and is considered its franchise player...	Forward	Louisville University of Louisville The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...	Atlanta Dream Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream is a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2008 WNBA season began. The team is owned by Dream Too LLC, which is composed of two Atlanta...
2010 2010 WNBA Draft The 2010 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 8, 2010. The first round was shown on ESPN2 , while the second and third rounds were shown on NBA TV and ESPNU.A lottery was...	Tina Charles Tina Charles (basketball) Tina Charles is an American women's basketball player with the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Galatasaray Medical Park of the TWBL. Originally from Jamaica, New York, Charles was drafted 1st overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft...	Center	Connecticut University of Connecticut The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...	Connecticut Sun Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
2011 2011 WNBA Draft The 2011 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 11, 2011 at the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut...	Maya Moore Maya Moore Maya April Moore is an American basketball forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Ros Casares Valencia of Euroleague. Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the...	Forward	Connecticut University of Connecticut The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...	Minnesota Lynx Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1999 season...

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