2015 WNBA draft
| 2015 WNBA draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date(s) | 16 April |
| Location | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut |
| Network(s) | ESPN2, ESPNU |
| Overview | |
| League | WNBA |
| First selection | Jewell Loyd Seattle Storm |
The 2015 WNBA draft was the league's draft for the 2015 WNBA season.[1] The Seattle Storm picked first.
This year's draft was unusual in that two players with remaining college eligibility declared for the draft—Jewell Loyd of Notre Dame, who had one year of eligibility remaining, and Amanda Zahui B. of Minnesota, with two years remaining. Both players were draft-eligible by virtue of their births in 1993; under current draft rules, players who turn 22 in the calendar year of the draft can declare themselves eligible even if they have not completed college eligibility.[2] Before this season, only two players with remaining college eligibility had ever entered the WNBA draft, and only one of these did so before her fourth college season (Kelsey Bone in 2012).[3]
Draft lottery
[edit]The lottery selection to determine the order of the top four picks in the 2015 draft occurred on August 21, 2014. The team that would get the first pick would be the winner of the lottery.[4]
Note: Team selected for the No. 1 pick noted in bold text.
| Team | 2014 record | Lottery chances[5] | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Storm | 12–22 | 35.9% | 1st pick |
| Tulsa Shock | 12–22 | 35.9% | 2nd pick |
| Connecticut Sun | 13–21 | 17.8% | 3rd pick |
| Connecticut Sun (from New York Liberty) | 15–19[a] | 10.4% | 4th pick |
- ^ New York's record
Draft invitees
[edit]The WNBA announced on April 13, 2015 the 12 players invited to attend the draft.[6]
Brittany Boyd, California- Reshanda Gray, California
- Dearica Hamby, Wake Forest
- Isabelle Harrison, Tennessee
- Brittany Hrynko, DePaul
- Samantha Logic, Iowa
- Jewell Loyd, Notre Dame
- Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Connecticut
- Kiah Stokes, Connecticut
- Aleighsa Welch, South Carolina
- Elizabeth Williams, Duke
Amanda Zahui B., Minnesota
Key
[edit]| ! | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-WNBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who never played in the WNBA regular season or playoffs |
| Bold | Denotes player who won Rookie of the Year |
Draft
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Round 1
[edit]| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jewell Loyd * |  United States
|
Seattle Storm | Notre Dame |
| 2 | Amanda Zahui B. |  Sweden
|
Tulsa Shock | Minnesota |
| 3 | Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis | United States
|
Seattle Storm (from Connecticut)[a] | Connecticut |
| 4 | Elizabeth Williams + | Connecticut Sun (from New York) | Duke | |
| 5 | Cheyenne Parker + | Chicago Sky | Middle Tennessee | |
| 6 | Dearica Hamby + | San Antonio Stars (from Indiana)[b] | Wake Forest | |
| 7 | Crystal Bradford | Los Angeles Sparks | Central Michigan | |
| 8 | Ally Malott | Washington Mystics | Dayton | |
| 9 | Brittany Boyd | New York Liberty (from San Antonio) | California | |
| 10 | Samantha Logic | Atlanta Dream | Iowa | |
| 11 | Kiah Stokes | New York Liberty (from Minnesota) | Connecticut | |
| 12 | Isabelle Harrison | Phoenix Mercury | Tennessee |
Round 2
[edit]| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Brianna Kiesel | United States
|
Tulsa Shock | Pittsburgh |
| 14 | Cierra Burdick | Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle) | Tennessee | |
| 15 | Natasha Cloud | Washington Mystics (from Connecticut via Seattle) | Saint Joseph's | |
| 16 | Reshanda Gray | Minnesota Lynx (from New York) | California | |
| 17 | Betnijah Laney + | Chicago Sky | Rutgers | |
| 18 | Alex Harden | Phoenix Mercury (from Indiana) | Wichita State | |
| 19 | Brittany Hrynko (traded to Atlanta) | Connecticut Sun (from Los Angeles) | DePaul | |
| 20 | Vicky McIntyre # | Seattle Storm (from Washington) | Oral Roberts | |
| 21 | Chelsea Gardner # | Indiana Fever (from San Antonio) | Kansas | |
| 22 | Aleighsa Welch # | Chicago Sky (from Atlanta) | South Carolina | |
| 23 | Amber Orrange # | New York Liberty (from Minnesota) | Stanford | |
| 24 | Žofia Hruščáková # |  Slovakia
|
Phoenix Mercury | Good Angels Košice (Slovakia) |
Round 3
[edit]| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Mimi Mungedi # |  Gabon
|
Tulsa Shock | Nevada |
| 26 | Nneka Enemkpali # | United States
|
Seattle Storm | Texas |
| 27 | Laurin Mincy # | New York Liberty (from Connecticut) | Maryland | |
| 28 | Michala Johnson # | New York Liberty (from Minnesota) | Wisconsin | |
| 29 | Ariel Massengale # | Atlanta Dream | Tennessee | |
| 30 | Dragana Stanković # |  Serbia
|
San Antonio Stars (from Indiana) | UNIQA Euroleasing Sopron (Hungary) |
| 31 | Andrea Hoover | United States
|
Los Angeles Sparks | Dayton |
| 32 | Marica Gajić # |  Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
Washington Mystics | ŽKK Celje (Slovenia) |
| 33 | Nikki Moody # | United States
|
San Antonio Stars | Iowa State |
| 34 | Lauren Okafor # | Atlanta Dream | James Madison | |
| 35 | Shae Kelley | Minnesota Lynx (from New York) | Minnesota | |
| 36 | Promise Amukamara # |  Nigeria
|
Phoenix Mercury | Arizona State |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The Storm traded Camille Little and Shekinna Stricklen to Connecticut for the 3rd and 15th picks in this draft.[7]
- ^ The Stars traded Shenise Johnson and their second-round pick to Indiana for the first- and third-round picks in this draft.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Seattle Storm Win Top Pick in 2015 WNBA Draft Presented by State Farm". WNBA.
- ^ Feinberg, Doug (April 15, 2015). "Jewell Loyd, Amanda Zahui B. shake up WNBA draft". The Denver Post. Associated Press. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Morris, Benjamin (April 27, 2015). "Women's College Basketball Is Better Than Men's". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
- ^ Seattle Storm win WNBA draft lottery, secure No. 1 pick - ESPN
- ^ "Seattle Storm Win Draft Lottery!". YouTube. WNBA. August 21, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ "Loyd, Mosqueda-Lewis Headline List of Top College Prospects to Attend WNBA Draft 2015 Presented by State Farm" (Press release). WNBA. April 13, 2015. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
- ^ "Seattle Storm 2015 Team Transactions". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ^ Fever Acquire Shenise Johnson From Stars