NEW YORK, Oct. 20 -- When the WNBA conducts its annual draft in 2006, it
will mark the fifth year that the team receiving the top pick in the WNBA Draft
has been decided by lottery. Prior to that, the top pick went to the team with
the worst record from the previous season.
During the first two seasons with
the lottery system in effect, the team with the worst record from the previous
season, and thus the best chance of earning the first pick, did not won the lottery.
However, in the 2004 Draft Lottery, the Phoenix Mercury finally saw the odds fall
in their favor. But once again in 2005, form did not hold true and Charlotte snuck
in and nabbed the top pick. Who will get the honor in April?
2005:
Sting Sneak In To Win Top Pick
 Janel McCarville
|
Order Prior to Lottery:
San Antonio, Houston, Indiana, Charlotte, Phoenix
Order After Lottery: Charlotte, Indiana, Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston
The Charlotte Sting defied the odds and came away
with the top pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft Lottery. With that pick, they selected
a center from the University of Minnesota,
Janel McCarville. However McCarville
was unable to stay healthy and enjoy the success that previous top selections
had in their rookie years. With the second pick, the Indiana Fever selected guard
Tan White, who had a great season and had many of the league's top plays
on the highlight reels
But neither McCarville nor White won the 2005
WNBA Rookie of the Year as several unexpected rookies made quite the splash in
their debut seasons. The Washington Mystics took a diminutive point guard from
L.S.U. with the six pick, and
Temeka Johnson stole the headlines and was
named the league's top rookie. A surprising rookie taken by the Sacramento Monarchs
enjoyed a great season as well.
Chelsea Newton was taken in the third round,
and ended up starting for the WNBA champs. White, Johnson and Newton were joined
on the All-Rookie team by centers
Katie Feenstra and
Kara Braxton.
2004:
Phoenix Gets Its Franchise Player
Diana Taurasi |
Order Prior
to Lottery: Phoenix, Washington, San Antonio, New York, Indiana, Seattle
Order After Lottery: Phoenix, Washington, Indiana,
San Antonio, New York, Seattle
After winning
the 2004 WNBA Draft Lottery, the Phoenix Mercury selected
Diana
Taurasi with the top pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft. Living up to all of
the hype, she went on to have one of the best seasons for a rookie in the history
of the WNBA en route to winning the Rookie of the Year Award. averaged 17.0 points
and 4.4 rebounds per game to help the Mercury improve from 8-26 in 2003 to 17-17
in 2004.
But Taurasi was not the only rookie
to make a big impact in 2004. The Washington Mystics added
Alana
Beard to the team, and Beard added her team to the Eastern Conference
playoffs. The rookie frontcourt tandem of
Nicole
Ohlde and
Vanessa Hayden
also went to the playoffs with the Minnesota Lynx while the fourth pick,
Lindsay
Whalen, took the Connecticut Sun to the WNBA Finals.
2003: Cleveland Wins
Draft Lottery 
LaToya Thomas |
Order Prior
to Lottery: Detroit, Cleveland, Phoenix, Sacramento
Order After Lottery: Cleveland, Sacramento, Detroit, Phoenix
After winning the 2003 WNBA Draft Lottery, the Cleveland Rockers selected
LaToya
Thomas with the top pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft. Thomas averaged 10.8
points and 5.1 rebounds per game to help the Rockers improve from 10-22 in 2002
to 17-17 in 2003.
Rookie of the Year honors
went to
Cheryl Ford, whom
the Detroit Shock selected with the third overall pick. Ford averaged 10.8 points
and 10.4 rebounds per game to help the Shock go from worst to first and capture
the 2003 WNBA championship.
2002: Seattle Wins Draft Lottery
 Sue
Bird |
Order Prior to Lottery:
Washington, Detroit, Seattle
Order After Lottery:
Seattle, Detroit, Washington
After winning
the 2002 WNBA Draft Lottery to earn the number one pick for the second year in
a row, the Seattle Storm selected
Sue
Bird with the top pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft. Bird averaged 14.4 points
and 6.0 assists per game to help the Storm improve from 10-22 in 2001 to 17-15
in 2002.
Rookie of the Year honors went to
Tamika Catchings,
the third overall pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft, who missed the 2001 season with
an ACL injury. Catchings averaged 18.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in 2002.
2001: Seattle Selects
Lauren Jackson 
Lauren Jackson |
With the top
pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft, the Seattle Storm selected Australia's
Lauren
Jackson. Jackson averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 2001
to help the Storm improve from 6-26 in 2000 to 10-22 in 2001.
Rookie of the Year honors went to
Jackie
Stiles of the Portland Fire. The fourth overall pick in the 2001 WNBA
Draft, Stiles averaged 14.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in her rookie season.
2000: Cleveland Selects
Ann Wauters 
Ann Wauters |
With the top pick
in the 2000 WNBA Draft, the Cleveland Rockers selected
Ann
Wauters from Belgium. Wauters averaged 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per
game in 2000 to help the Rockers improve from 7-25 in 1999 to 17-15 in 2000.
Rookie of the Year honors went to
Betty
Lennox of the Minnesota Lynx. The sixth overall pick in the 2000 WNBA
Draft, Lennox averaged 16.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Lynx.
1999: Washington Selects Chamique Holdsclaw
C. Holdsclaw |
With the top
pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft, the Washington Mystics selected
Chamique
Holdsclaw from Tennessee. Holdsclaw averaged 16.9 points and 7.9 rebounds
per game in 1999 to help the Mystics improve from 3-27 in 1998 to 12-20 in 1999.
Rookie of the Year honors went to Holdsclaw, marking
the only time in WNBA history that a number one draft pick has won Rookie of the
Year.
1998: Utah Selects
Margo Dydek 
Margo Dydek |
With the top pick
in the 1998 WNBA Draft, the Utah Starzz selected Poland's
Margo
Dydek. The 7-2 Dydek averaged 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in
1998 to help the Starzz improve from 7-21 in 1997 to 8-22 in 1998.
Rookie of the Year honors went to
Tracy
Reid of the Charlotte Sting. The seventh overall pick of the 1998 WNBA
Draft, Reid averaged 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
1997: Houston Selects Tina Thompson
Tina Thompson |
With the top
pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft, the Houston Comets selected
Tina
Thompson.
Thompson averaged 13.2 points
and 6.6 rebounds per game in the league's first season, helping the Comets capture
the inaugural WNBA championship.
(Photo Credits: Nathaniel S.
Butler, Gregory Shamus, Jesse D. Garrabrant, Jeff Reinking, David Kyle, Jennifer
Pottheiser, M. David Leeds and Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images)