October 24, 2005
WNBA Blog from Draft Lottery

Watch Video from WNBA Draft Lottery

The Minnesota Lynx won the fifth annual WNBA Draft Lottery today in New York, earning the first pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft. The WNBA Draft will be held in April in New York.

“This is a very exciting day in the history of Minnesota Lynx basketball for not only our team, but also our fans,” said Chief Operating Officer Roger Griffith. “We have a great opportunity to add a premier player from the collegiate game to our roster, adding even more talent to our existing core of young, talented players.”

This is the first time in franchise history the Lynx will be selecting first overall. Previously, the team’s highest selection was fifth overall in the 2000 WNBA Draft. The Lynx will select twice in the first round, as they also hold the seventh overall pick. In 2004, the Lynx also chose twice in the first-round, selecting Kansas State’s Nicole Ohlde and Florida’s Vanessa Hayden with the sixth and seventh overall picks, respectively.

Minnesota entered the lottery with 167 chances out of 1,000 to receive the first overall selection. The Phoenix Mercury will choose second in the Draft followed by the Charlotte Sting, the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Washington Mystics.

The Draft Lottery was conducted by WNBA officials and representatives from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young at the WNBA Headquarters on Fifth Avenue in New York and included the five teams that did not qualify for the 2005 WNBA Playoffs. The lottery establishes the order of selection for the first round of the draft, with the order of selection for the second and third rounds based on each team’s finish during the 2005 regular season.