Full Draft Rules

Draft Order

The WNBA Draft shall consist of three rounds, with each round consisting of twelve picks.

For the first round of the WNBA Draft, each team shall make one selection to be determined as follows:

1.  The Draft Lottery took place in December among the four teams that did not participate in the playoffs in the preceding season (the “Lottery Teams”) to determine the first two selections. Such drawing was made on the basis of 1,000 total chances, with each participating team assigned the following number of chances out of 1,000 (Team one having had the worst cumulative two-year record during the preceding two regular seasons and Team four having had the best record among the Lottery Teams during the preceding two regular seasons):
   1.  Team 1: 442
   2.  Team 2: 276
   3.  Team 3: 178
   4.  Team 4: 104
2.  Of the two teams not selected, the team with the worse cumulative two-year record shall select third and the other team shall select fourth.
3.  The teams that participate in the playoffs shall then select, in inverse order of the standings (including after the application of the WNBA tiebreak formula) at the end of the immediately preceding season.
4.  In the second and third round of the WNBA Draft, draft choices shall be made in inverse order of the standings (including after the application of the WNBA tiebreak formula) of all teams at the close of the immediately preceding season, one selection at a time. The Lottery shall not affect the second and third round.
5.  Draft picks may be traded until 5:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, April tenth.

Draft Eligibility

A player is eligible to be selected in the Draft at the earliest occurrence of the following:

1.  She had (or will have) her twenty-second birthday during the calendar year in which the draft is held, and, since the NCAA granted every winter sport student-athlete an additional year of NCAA eligibility in 2021, she has renounced her remaining intercollegiate eligibility by written notice to the WNBA by March 28, 2022 or, if still competing, forty-eight hours after her final game.
2.  She has graduated from a four-year college or university, or “is to graduate” from such college or university during the three-month period following such draft and, since the NCAA granted every winter sport student-athlete an additional year of NCAA eligibility in 2021, she has renounced her remaining intercollegiate eligibility by written notice to the WNBA by March 28, 2022 or, if still competing, forty-eight hours after her final game. For the purpose of this subsection B, “is to graduate” means that such player would graduate from the college or university she is currently enrolled in if she were to successfully complete the coursework she is enrolled in at the time of such draft and such course load is commensurate with previous course loads she has successfully completed.
3.  She attended a four-year college or university, her original class in such college or university has already been graduated or “is to graduate” during the three-month period following such draft, and she either has no remaining intercollegiate eligibility or renounced her remaining intercollegiate eligibility by written notice to the WNBA by March 28, 2022 or, if still competing, forty-eight hours after her final game. For the purpose of this subsection C, “is to graduate” means that the majority of the students in such class would graduate from such college or university upon successful completion of the coursework the members of such class are enrolled in at the time of such draft.
4.  She is an international player (meaning a player who was born and resides outside of the United States) who has had (or will have) her twentieth birthday during the calendar year in which the draft is held.