In the 20 days leading up to the 20th annual WNBA Draft, WNBA.com and @WNBA are highlighting the first 19 No. 1 overall picks and their place in league history. Our 20-day countdown continues with LaToya Thomas, the first selection in the 2003 WNBA Draft.

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With the first pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft, the Cleveland Rockers selected forward LaToya Thomas out of Mississippi State, where she was a two-time AP First Team All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year.

In her only season in Cleveland, Thomas averaged 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds to help the Rockers get back to the playoffs, where they fell in the first round to the eventual champion Detroit Shock in three games.

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Thomas was selected third in the Rockers dispersal draft by the San Antonio Silver Stars and had the best season of her WNBA career in her first year in Texas. She led the team in scoring with a career-best 14.2 points per game to go with 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Thomas would play two seasons in San Antonio before playing the 2007 season in Los Angeles and splitting her final WNBA season between Detroit and Minnesota in 2008.