The 2024 Women's NBA season is only a matter of weeks away. Teams are preparing to bounce off the back of the collegiate campaign and the NBA postseason picture as they start their own quest for success once again, and it all kicks off at the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Bringing together the best and brightest players from the women's collegiate circuit, the draft represents the chance for all teams across the league to pick up some of the young talents who have lit up the school stage over the past few years. Each team across America is looking to add up-and-coming names to their roster.
However, this year's selection stands out partly for the presence of Caitlin Clark. The Iowa point guard is set to turn pro after a string of record-breaking individual feats and efforts that have helped raise the profile of women's basketball nationwide and beyond.
With the 22-year-old likely set to be a first-round pick and with one eye on perhaps a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics with Team USA, the headlines appear as if they have already been written, but there are still plenty of other terrific talents from women's college basketball looking to get their shot at stardom in this year's draft.
Below, GOAL offers a one-stop guide to the 2024 WNBA draft, including the date and start time, what channel to watch and follow the live stream, and who will lead the all-important draft order.
When is the 2024 WNBA Draft?
Getty ImagesThe 2024 WNBA Draft takes place over one day on Monday, April 15, with all picks due to be made during the event. This is in contrast to other major sporting drafts, which have expanded to multi-day jamborees in recent years.
The draft will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and run until all picks have been made by the dozen sides that make up the WNBA this year.
Where does the 2024 WNBA Draft take place?
Getty ImagesThe 2024 WNBA Draft will take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York.
The city has hosted every in-person WNBA draft since 2017 and will welcome fans back to the event for the first time since the 2016 edition. This follows previous drafts held at Manhattan's Spring Studios and Nike's NYHC headquarters.
Where can I watch the 2024 WNBA Draft?
Getty ImagesThe 2024 WNBA Draft will be aired nationally across the United States on ESPN and streamed alongside through the pay-television network's online service ESPN+.
Offering coverage from all ESPN channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3, ESPN+ allows customers access to a wide variety of sporting content for just $10.99 per month.
What is the 2024 WNBA Draft order?
The 2024 WNBA Draft order will see all twelve teams in the WNBA take turns over three rounds to draft players from the women's collegiate basketball circuit. The Indiana Fever will take the first overall pick for the second successive season.
Three sides - the Los Angeles Sparks, the Chicago Sky, and the Dallas Wings - will each have two first-round picks due to trades. Subsequently, the Seattle Storm, the Phoenix Mercury, and the Las Vegas Aces do not have a first-round pick.
Thirty-six players will be drafted, a dozen at a time, across the 2024 WNBA Draft. Below, you can find the anticipated draft order for the event.
2024 WNBA Draft Order - First Round
| Draft Number | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana Fever |
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 3 | Chicago Sky |
| 4 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 5 | Dallas Wings |
| 6 | Washington Mystics |
| 7 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 8 | Chicago Sky |
| 9 | Dallas Wings |
| 10 | Connecticut Sun |
| 11 | New York Liberty |
| 12 | Atlanta Dream |
2024 WNBA Draft Order - Second Round
| Draft Number | Team |
|---|---|
| 13 | Chicago Sky |
| 14 | Seattle Storm |
| 15 | Indiana Fever |
| 16 | Las Vegas Aces |
| 17 | New York Liberty |
| 18 | Las Vegas Aces |
| 19 | Connecticut Sun |
| 20 | Atlanta Dream |
| 21 | Washington Mystics |
| 22 | Connecticut Sun |
| 23 | New York Liberty |
| 24 | Las Vegas Aces |
2024 WNBA Draft Order - Third Round
| Draft Number | Team |
|---|---|
| 25 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 26 | Seattle Storm |
| 27 | Indiana Fever |
| 28 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 29 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 30 | Washington Mystics |
| 31 | Minnesota Lynx |
| 32 | Atlanta Dream |
| 33 | Dallas Wings |
| 34 | Connecticut Sun |
| 35 | New York Liberty |
| 36 | Las Vegas Aces |
Where will Caitlin Clark go in the WNBA 2024 Draft?
Getty Images The biggest question surrounding the 2024 WNBA Draft will be the future of Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark, who has built a reputation over the past half-decade as not only one of the greatest women's basketball talents of their generation but of all time.
Given their slew of achievements - they are the two-time AP Player of the Year and also exceeded the legendary Lynette Woodard for the women's Division I scoring record - the 22-year-old will almost undoubtedly be the first pick for any team.
That almost singularly assures that Clark will play for the Indiana Fever in their debut pro season, where they will be tasked with helping to snap a near-decade-long spell that has seen the Eastern Conference outfit fail to reach the WNBA Finals since 2016.
FAQs
Getty Images Who has the first pick in the WNBA 2024 Draft?
The Indiana Fever have the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, marking the second successive campaign on the bounce where they have gone first, having drafted South Carolina power forward Aliyah Boston last year.
They will be followed by the Los Angeles Sparks with the second and fourth picks, having traded the latter from the Seattle Storm, one of three sides without a pick in the first round.
The Chicago Sky have the third and eighth picks, followed by the Dallas Wings with the fifth choice, the Washington Mystics with the sixth, and the Minnesota Lynx with the seventh. An additional Wings pick, and the Connecticut Sun round out the leading teams at the top of the draft order.
Who is expected to be drafted in the first round?
Beyond Clark, plenty of questions remain about who else will be drafted as a pick in the first round, with the Utah star's peerless national profile effectively the headline in what looks to be an unpredictable event this year.
Several stars could yet defer another year, thanks to an eligibility waiver offered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those names that are anticipated to be in the mix include Stanford star Cameron Brink, Kansas guard Taiyanna Jackson, and LSU forward Angel Reese.
Other key players, such as Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson, Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon, and Clark's Utah team-mate Alissa Pili, are also anticipated to be among the early picks made by WNBA teams.
When was the first WNBA Draft held?
The first WNBA Draft was held in April 1997, ahead of the 1997 Women's National Basketball Season, the competition's inaugural campaign. It took place over multiple locations and featured a different format from later editions.
This was so teams could pick from existing professional basketball players who played in other leagues, often internationally. The first pick of this "elite draft" was Dena Head, drafted by the Utah Starzz.
A former gold medalist at the Sheffield 1991 World University Games, she was unable to prevent a difficult start for the WNBA team.
Where will the WNBA 2025 Draft be held?
The 2025 WNBA Draft has not yet been set for a date or a location, meaning it is currently unknown where it will take place. However, given that the event has been held in New York since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems safe to assume it may occur there again.
The 2016 WNBA Draft was the last to be held outside of the city, except those held virtually during 2020 and 2021, when it took place in Connecticut. Since then, the Big Apple has been the exclusive destination for teams looking to fix up their draft picks.