For the second-consecutive year, the New York Liberty earned the No. 1 draft pick in this year’s 2021 WNBA Draft. In 2020, the Liberty used their coveted pick to draft top-guard and online betting favorite, Sabrina Ionescu.
The WNBA Draft Lottery has been held annually since 2002. The four teams who did not make the previous year’s playoffs participate in the lottery to determine the first four picks of the up-and-coming draft. Lottery odds are based on combined records for the previous two regular seasons. The remaining draft order is determined by inverse order of the teams’ regular-season record of the previous year.
This year’s Draft Lottery was held on December 4, 2020, with the New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, and Indiana Fever all participating. The New York Liberty look to reload and work their way to the top of the league standings and basketball odds behind a pair of top picks.
Below is a recap of all of the No. 1 picks since the Draft Lottery has been in place.
| Year | Player | Team |
| 2002 | Sue Bird | Seattle Storm |
| 2003 | LaToya Thomas | Cleveland Rockers |
| 2004 | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2005 | Janel McCarville | Charlotte Sting |
| 2006 | Seimone Augustus | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2007 | Lindsey Harding | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2008 | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2009 | Angel McCoughtry | Atlanta Dream |
| 2010 | Tina Charles | Connecticut Sun |
| 2011 | Maya Moore | Minnesota Lynx |
| 2012 | Nneka Ogwumike | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2013 | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury |
| 2014 | Chiney Ogwumike | Connecticut Sun |
| 2015 | Jewell Loyd | Seattle Storm |
| 2016 | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm |
| 2017 | Kelsey Plum | San Antonio Stars |
| 2018 | A’ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces |
| 2019 | Jackie Young | Las Vegas Aces |
| 2020 | Sabrina Ionescu | New York Liberty |
| 2021 | ??? | New York Liberty |
This year’s WNBA Draft is currently scheduled for April 16, 2021.
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Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at BetMGM, HERO Sports, and Winsidr, focusing on college hoops and the WNBA. She’s a former D1 standout at Eastern Illinois University, a three-time Hall of Famer, professional basketball player, and collegiate coach. Rachel also has served as a color analyst for ESPN, OVC Sports Network, and Mountain West Network.
