Wnba Draft 2026: Azzi Fudd, Lauren Betts and the race for No. 1
NEW YORK — The wnba draft has arrived with the top pick far less certain than in recent years, and the spotlight is fixed on Azzi Fudd, Olivia Miles, Lauren Betts and Awa Fam. The draft begins at 7 p. m. Eastern Time at the Shed at Hudson Yards, with the players already on the orange carpet and the first round now hours away. The wnba draft is unfolding after a packed offseason that included a new collective bargaining agreement, an expansion draft for Toronto and Portland, March Madness, and free agency.
Top prospects arrive with the spotlight on the No. 1 pick
The central question around the wnba draft is simple: who goes first? For three straight years, the No. 1 selection was widely seen as settled before draft night, but this year the picture is less clear. Fudd, Miles, Betts and Fam have all been mentioned as possible top picks, and the uncertainty has pushed the wnba draft into one of its most closely watched nights in recent memory.
As of Monday morning, Fudd sat atop mock drafts from Bleacher Report,, CBS Sports and. The Athletic picked Miles instead. Sportsbooks have Fudd as the frontrunner, followed by Fam, Betts and Miles, giving the wnba draft a rare sense of suspense at the very top.
UCLA’s championship group gives the night extra weight
Five members of UCLA’s championship-winning team are in New York for the wnba draft: Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalić, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens and Kiki Rice. The Bruins could have four players taken in the first round, which would be the first time a school has done that since UConn’s Fab Four in 2002. That possibility adds another layer to a wnba draft already defined by star power and uncertainty.
Betts enters the night as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, and her presence is one of the clearest storylines among the prospects gathered at the Shed. LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, South Carolina’s Raven Johnson and Mississippi’s Cotie McMahon are also among the 15 players in attendance.
Orange carpet energy, but the real drama is still ahead
The players have already hit the orange carpet, turning the opening of the wnba draft into a fashion and arrival moment before the selections begin. Fudd arrived in a custom Coach sequined gray gown, while Johnson told reporters she wanted her look to feel like “the draft was at 6 and the Met Gala was at 6. 30. ”
That kind of energy only sharpens the tension around the picks themselves. With the draft starting at 7 p. m. Eastern Time, the next few hours will determine whether the projected board holds or whether the wnba draft produces an immediate surprise at No. 1.
What comes next for the wnba draft
The opening pick will set the tone, but the wider stakes go beyond one selection. If UCLA lands four first-rounders, that would mark a historic night for the program, and the board beyond the top spot still has enough uncertainty to keep teams and prospects waiting through the evening. For now, the wnba draft is moving from speculation to decisions, and the most important answer is still on the clock.
