1997 WNBA draft
The 1997 WNBA draft was the inaugural draft held by the WNBA through which teams could select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. Unlike later drafts, this draft was unique because there were three different stages in which teams built their rosters. First on January 22, 1997, the Initial Player Allocation draft took place in which 16 players were assigned to each team in no particular order. The elite draft portion comprised professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues, usually international leagues. On February 27, 1997, an elite draft added two more players to each team. On April 28, 1997, the four rounds of the regular WNBA draft took place. Draftees Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson would become the core pieces of the Houston Comets dynasty.
Key
Initial player allocation
Pick |
Player |
Position |
Nationality |
WNBA Team |
School/Club Team |
1 |
Bullett, VickyVicky Bullett ^ |
C |
United States |
Charlotte Sting |
Maryland |
2 |
Stinson, AndreaAndrea Stinson + |
G |
United States |
Charlotte Sting |
NC State |
3 |
Braxton, Janice LawrenceJanice Lawrence Braxton |
C |
United States |
Cleveland Rockers |
Louisiana Tech |
4 |
Edwards, MichelleMichelle Edwards |
G |
United States |
Cleveland Rockers |
Iowa |
5 |
Swoopes, SherylSheryl Swoopes ! |
F |
United States |
Houston Comets |
Texas Tech |
6 |
Cooper, CynthiaCynthia Cooper ! |
G |
United States |
Houston Comets |
USC |
7 |
Leslie, LisaLisa Leslie ! |
C |
United States |
Los Angeles Sparks |
USC |
8 |
Toler, PennyPenny Toler |
G |
United States |
Los Angeles Sparks |
Long Beach State |
9 |
Lobo, RebeccaRebecca Lobo ^ |
C/F |
United States |
New York Liberty |
Connecticut |
10 |
Weatherspoon, TeresaTeresa Weatherspoon ^ |
G |
United States |
New York Liberty |
Louisiana Tech |
11 |
Timms, MicheleMichele Timms ^ |
G |
Australia |
Phoenix Mercury |
WTV Wuppertal (Germany) |
12 |
Gillom, JenniferJennifer Gillom ^ |
C |
United States |
Phoenix Mercury |
Ole Miss |
13 |
Bolton-Holifield, RuthieRuthie Bolton-Holifield ^ |
G |
United States |
Sacramento Monarchs |
Auburn |
14 |
Gordon, BridgetteBridgette Gordon |
F |
United States |
Sacramento Monarchs |
Tennessee |
15 |
Baranova, ElenaElena Baranova |
C/F |
Russia |
Utah Starzz |
CSKA Moscow (Russia) |
16 |
Hardmon, LadyLady Hardmon |
G |
United States |
Utah Starzz |
Georgia |
Elite draft
The elite draft portion was composed of professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues, usually international leagues. It was the first time where the teams could draft the players out of a talent pool.
Round |
Pick |
Player |
Position |
Nationality |
Team |
School/club team |
1 |
1 |
Head, DenaDena Head |
G |
United States |
Utah Starzz |
Tennessee |
1 |
2 |
Fijalkowski, IsabelleIsabelle Fijalkowski |
C/F |
France |
Cleveland Rockers |
Colorado |
1 |
3 |
Mapp, RhondaRhonda Mapp |
C/F |
United States |
Charlotte Sting |
NC State |
1 |
4 |
Hampton, KymKym Hampton |
C/F |
United States |
New York Liberty |
Arizona State |
1 |
5 |
Guyton, WandaWanda Guyton |
F |
United States |
Houston Comets |
South Florida |
1 |
6 |
Mosley-McAfee, JudyJudy Mosley-McAfee |
F |
United States |
Sacramento Monarchs |
Hawaii |
1 |
7 |
Pettis, BridgetBridget Pettis |
F |
United States |
Phoenix Mercury |
Florida |
1 |
8 |
Charles, DaedraDaedra Charles |
C |
United States |
Los Angeles Sparks |
Tennessee |
2 |
9 |
Palmer, WendyWendy Palmer |
F |
United States |
Utah Starzz |
Virginia |
2 |
10 |
Woodard, LynetteLynette Woodard |
G |
United States |
Cleveland Rockers |
Kansas |
2 |
11 |
Atkins, MichiMichi Atkins |
F |
United States |
Charlotte Sting |
Texas Tech |
2 |
12 |
Johnson, VickieVickie Johnson |
F |
United States |
New York Liberty |
Louisiana Tech |
2 |
13 |
Arcain, JanethJaneth Arcain |
F |
Brazil |
Houston Comets |
Polti (Brazil) |
2 |
14 |
Hagiwara, MikikoMikiko Hagiwara |
G |
Japan |
Sacramento Monarchs |
Japan Energy Griffins (Japan) |
2 |
15 |
Lieberman-Cline, NancyNancy Lieberman-Cline |
G |
United States |
Phoenix Mercury |
Old Dominion |
2 |
16 |
Zheng Haixia |
C |
China |
Los Angeles Sparks |
China |
College draft
Round |
Pick |
Player |
Position |
Nationality |
Team |
School/club team |
1 |
1 |
Thompson, TinaTina Thompson |
F |
United States |
Houston Comets |
USC |
1 |
2 |
McGee, PamelaPamela McGee |
C |
United States |
Sacramento Monarchs |
USC |
1 |
3 |
Wideman, JamilaJamila Wideman |
G |
United States |
Los Angeles Sparks |
Stanford |
1 |
4 |
Nemcova, EvaEva Nemcova |
G |
Czech Republic |
Cleveland Rockers |
Bourges (France) |
1 |
5 |
Reiss, TammiTammi Reiss |
G |
United States |
Utah Starzz |
Virginia |
1 |
6 |
Wicks, SueSue Wicks |
F |
United States |
New York Liberty |
Rutgers |
1 |
7 |
Suber, ToraTora Suber |
G |
United States |
Charlotte Sting |
Virginia |
1 |
8 |
Foster, ToniToni Foster |
F/C |
United States |
Phoenix Mercury |
Iowa |
2 |
9 |
Jackson, TiaTia Jackson |
G/F |
United States |
Phoenix Mercury |
Iowa |
2 |
10 |
Sharon Manning |
C/F |
United States |
Charlotte Sting |
NC State |
2 |
11 |
Witherspoon, SophiaSophia Witherspoon |
G |
United States |
New York Liberty |
Florida |
2 |
12 |
Hicks, JessieJessie Hicks |
F/C |
United States |
Utah Starzz |
Maryland |
2 |
13 |
Jones, MerlakiaMerlakia Jones |
G/F |
United States |
Cleveland Rockers |
Florida |
2 |
14 |
Dixon, TameckaTamecka Dixon |
G |
United States |
Los Angeles Sparks |
Kansas |
2 |
15 |
Graves, DeniqueDenique Graves |
C |
United States |
Sacramento Monarchs |
Howard |
2 |
16 |
Jackson, TammyTammy Jackson |
F/C |
United States |
Houston Comets |
Florida |
3 |
17 |
Spurlock, RacquelRacquel Spurlock |
C |
United States |
Houston Comets |
Louisiana Tech |
3 |
18 |
Tremitiere, ChantelChantel Tremitiere |
G |
United States |
Sacramento Monarchs |
Auburn |
3 |
19 |
Colleton, KatrinaKatrina Colleton |
G |
United States |
Los Angeles Sparks |
Maryland |
3 |
20 |
Nicholson, TinaTina Nicholson |
G |
United States |
Cleveland Rockers |
Penn State |
3 |
21 |
Scott, RaeganRaegan Scott |
F/C |
United States |
Utah Starzz |
Colorado |
3 |
22 |
Trice, TrenaTrena Trice |
F/C |
United States |
New York Liberty |
NC State |
3 |
23 |
Williams, DebraDebra Williams |
G |
United States |
Charlotte Sting |
Louisiana Tech |
3 |
24 |
Webb, UmekiUmeki Webb |
G/F |
United States |
Phoenix Mercury |
NC State |
4 |
25 |
Ambers, MoniqueMonique Ambers |
F |
United States |
Phoenix Mercury |
Arizona State |
4 |
26 |
Congreaves, AndreaAndrea Congreaves |
F/C |
United Kingdom |
Charlotte Sting |
Mercer |
4 |
27 |
Ford, KishaKisha Ford |
G/F |
United States |
New York Liberty |
Georgia Tech |
4 |
28 |
Williams, KimKim Williams |
G |
United States |
Utah Starzz |
DePaul |
4 |
29 |
Maxwell, AnitaAnita Maxwell |
F |
United States |
Cleveland Rockers |
New Mexico State |
4 |
30 |
Gant, TravesaTravesa Gant |
C |
United States |
Los Angeles Sparks |
Lamar |
4 |
31 |
Abraham, TajamaTajama Abraham |
C |
United States |
Sacramento Monarchs |
George Washington |
4 |
32 |
Pollini, CatarinaCatarina Pollini |
F |
Italy |
Houston Comets |
Texas |
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1997 WNBA draft but played at least one game for the WNBA.
Player |
Position |
Nationality |
School/club team |
Alberts, MarcieMarcie Alberts |
G |
United States |
Ohio State |
Boucek, JennyJenny Boucek[1] |
G |
United States |
Virginia |
Braxton, JaniceJanice Braxton[2] |
F |
United States |
Louisiana Tech |
Brown, RushiaRushia Brown[3] |
F |
United States |
Furman |
Burgess, LindaLinda Burgess[4] |
F |
United States |
Alabama |
Edwards, MichelleMichelle Edwards |
G |
United States |
Iowa |
Gay, PietraPietra Gay[5] |
G/F |
Trinidad and Tobago |
LSU |
Gessig, KimKim Gessig[6] |
F |
United States |
USC |
Henderson, NekeshiaNekeshia Henderson |
G |
United States |
Texas |
Mabika, MwadiMwadi Mabika |
G/F |
Zaire |
Tourbillon Kinshasa (Congo) |
Moore, YolandaYolanda Moore |
F |
United States |
Ole Miss |
Perrot, KimKim Perrot |
PG |
United States |
Southwestern Louisiana |
Woosley, TiffanyTiffany Woosley |
G |
United States |
Tennessee |
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010430030949/http://wnba.com/playerfile/career/jenny_boucek.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010305025641/http://wnba.com/playerfile/career/janice_braxton.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010415021010/http://wnba.com/playerfile/career/rushia_brown.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010220211709/http://wnba.com/playerfile/career/linda_burgess.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/19980208062146/http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/pietra_gay.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010712172125/http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/kim_gessig.html