The 2018 WNBA draft was the

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's draft for the

2018 WNBA season The 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Minnesota Lynx are the defending champions. The regular season began on May 18, with the Phoenix Mercury hosting the Dallas Wings. The season ende ...

. On March 12, the league announced the draft would be held on April 12 at

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Headquarters, a recently opened secondary headquarters for the athletic apparel giant located in

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Draft lottery

The lottery selection to determine the order of the top four picks in the 2018 Draft was set to take place on September 14, 2017, but was delayed by the league to November 13.

Lottery chances

The lottery selection to determine the order of the top four picks in the 2018 draft occurred on November 13, 2017. The lottery odds were based on combined records from the 2016 and 2017 WNBA seasons. The San Antonio Stars, with the worst two-year record, were guaranteed no worse than the third pick. With the Stars relocating to Las Vegas, Las Vegas retained these best odds. All odds out of 1,000 based on percentages (the 11–12–13–14 combination was ignored). Note: Team selected for the No. 1 pick noted in bold text. This is the fifth time that the lottery was won by the team that had the highest odds and second consecutive number 1 pick for Las Vegas.

Notable prospects

On November 7, 2017, the WNBA announced the following notable prospects for the 2018 draft: *

A'ja Wilson A'ja Riyadh Wilson ( ; born August 8, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Wilson played for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball, South Car ...

- South Carolina * Kelsey Mitchell - Ohio State * Gabby Williams - Connecticut * Kia Nurse - Connecticut * Jordin Canada - UCLA * Victoria Vivians - Mississippi State *

Myisha Hines-Allen Myisha Hines-Allen (born May 30, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In college she played for the University of Louisville. Growing up in Montclair, New ...

- Louisville * Katelynn Flaherty - Michigan

Draft invitees

On April 6, 2018, the WNBA released the names of the players invited to be in attendance at the draft. * Monique Billings, UCLA * Lexie Brown, Duke * Jordin Canada, UCLA * Diamond DeShields, Çukurova (Turkey) * Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State * Kia Nurse, UConn * Azurá Stevens, UConn * Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State * Gabby Williams, UConn *

, South Carolina

Key

Draft

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Viewership

The draft was telecast on ESPN2 (1st round) and ESPNU (2nd and 3rd rounds). The draft had an average audience of 212,000, which was an increase of 25% compared to the 2017 WNBA draft. The first round experienced an increase of 13% compared to 2017, with an average audience of 308,000. The 2nd and 3rd rounds saw a 49% increase in average viewers compared to 2017 (110,000 vs. 74,000). The 2018 draft was the most watched draft since 2014.

Footnotes

References

{{2018 WNBA draft WNBA draft

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