WNBA Draft 2023: Date, start time, pick order, TV channel & more to know

Sara Tidwell

WNBA Draft 2023: Date, start time, pick order, TV channel & more to know image

The NCAA Women's March Madness spectacle has come to a never-before-seen ending.

The LSU Tigers walked away with heavy and shiny ring fingers after defeating the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 in Dallas for their program's first league title.

Now, with the hype around women's basketball brewing and bubbling hot, it's time to turn your attention to the WNBA. With NCAA and NBA in the offseason, who better to support than the W's 27th season?

In less than a week, the WNBA will draft some of the top players in the country, including projected No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston, who declared for the draft after South Carolina was bested in the Final Four by Iowa.

MORE: Everything to know about Aliyah Boston

Other big names who have enlisted themselves to go pro this year include: Diamond Miller (Maryland), Haley Jones (Stanford), Maddy Siegrist (Villanova), Alexis Morris (LSU), Lou Lopez Sénéchal (UConn), Grace Berger (Indiana) and Brea Beal and Zia Cooke (South Carolina), to name a few other potential first-rounders.

MORE: When is Caitlin Clark eligible for the WNBA? | When is Angel Reese eligible for the WNBA?

Here is a complete guide to the 2023 WNBA Draft including the date, start time, pick order, TV channel & more.

When is the WNBA Draft in 2023?

  • Date: Monday, April 10
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET

The 2023 WNBA Draft will be held on Monday, April 10, at 7 p.m. ET. The draft will be live from Spring Studios in New York City, the same venue as last year.

Prior to the Draft, the prospects invited to attend on-site will get a chance to visit the Empire State Building and participate in a special orange carpet ceremony.

The 2023 WNBA preseason will tipoff on Friday, May 5, and the regular season will follow suit exactly two weeks later on Friday, May 19.

ESPN and the WNBA announced a partnership in early March that laid out the groundwork for availability on the big screen. The broadcast giant will collaborate with the league to present up to 52 possible games, beginning with the regular season. There will be 25 highlighted national broadcasts and the WNBA All-Star Game will be airing live for the first time in primetime on ABC. 

MORE: Key dates for the 2023 WNBA season

WNBA Draft TV channel, how to live stream

  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Live stream: ESPN+ app, Sling TV

Fans can watch the 2023 WNBA Draft live on ESPN, and stream it through the ESPN+ app.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will be announcing the 36 selections live, and ESPN's lead team will be on the call – Ryan Ruocco (host), Rebecca Lobo and LaChina Robinson (analysts) and Holly Rowe (reporter).

MORE: Watch the WNBA Draft with Sling TV

2023 WNBA Draft order

The Indiana Fever holds the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history after winning the Draft Lottery in November 2022. Following them are the Minnesota Lynx at No. 2 and the Dallas Wings at No. 3, who traded with the Atlanta Dream and will round out the top three.

The remainder of the first round, as well as the second and third rounds, was determined in an inverse order of the regular-season records from the previous season. All teams will get at least one pick, the Lynx and Wings have the most at five a piece and the Sparks have the least at one.

Per ESPN's press release, there will be cameras inside seven of the team draft rooms, all of whom have a First Round pick, including:

  • Indiana
  • Minnesota
  • Dallas
  • Atlanta
  • Washington
  • Los Angeles
  • Seattle

The Fever and Lynx will also have content shared from their respective watch parties.

Here's the full order of picks, one through 36:

First-round

NumberTeam
1.Indiana Fever
2.Minnesota Lynx
3.Dallas Wings
4.Washington Mystics
5.Dallas Wings
6.Atlanta Dream
7.Indiana Fever
8.Atlanta Dream
9.Seattle Storm
10.Los Angeles Sparks
11.Dallas Wings
12.Minnesota Lynx

Second-round

NumberTeam
13.Indiana Fever
14.Los Angeles Sparks
15.Atlanta Dream
16.Minnesota Lynx
17.Indiana Fever
18.Seattle Storm
19.Dallas Wings
20.Washington Mystics
21.Seattle Storm
22.Connecticut Sun
23.Chicago Sky
24.Minnesota Lynx

Third-round

NumberTeam
25.Indiana Fever
26.Los Angeles Sparks
27.Phoenix Mercury
28.Minnesota Lynx
29.Phoenix Mercury
30.New York Liberty
31.Dallas Wings
32.Washington Mystics
33.Seattle Storm
34.Connecticut Sun
35.Chicago Sky
36.Las Vegas Aces

    WNBA Draft No. 1 overall pick history

    Here's the full list of No. 1 overall picks since the WNBA Draft was inaugurated in 1997:

    YearPlayerSchool/ClubSelecting Team
    2022Rhyne HowardKentuckyAtlanta Dream
    2021Charli CollierTexasDallas Wings
    2020Sabrina IonescuOregonNew York Liberty
    2019Jackie YoungNotre DameLas Vegas Aces
    2018A'ja WilsonSouth CarolinaLas Vegas Aces
    2017Kelsey PlumWashingtonSan Antonio Stars*
    2016Breanna StewartConnecticutSeattle Storm
    2015Jewell LoydNotre DameSeattle Storm
    2014Chiney OgwumikeStanfordConnecticut Sun
    2013Brittney GrinerBaylorPhoenix Mercury
    2012Nneka OgqumikeStanfordLos Angeles Sparks
    2011Maya MooreConnecticutMinnesota Lynx
    2010Tina CharlesConnecticutConnecticut Sun
    2009Angel McCoughtryLouisvilleAtlanta Dream
    2008Candace ParkerTennesseeLos Angeles Sparks
    2007Lindsey HardingDukePhoenix Mercury
    2006Seimone AugustusLSUMinnesota Lynx
    2005Janel McCarvilleMinnesotaCharlotte Sting*
    2004Diana TaurasiConnecticutPhoenix Mercury
    2003LaToya ThomasMississippi StateCleveland Rockers*
    2002Sue BirdConnecticutSeattle Storm
    2001Lauren JacksonCanberra (Australia)Seattle Storm
    2000Ann WautersUS Valenciennes Olympic (France)Cleveland Rockers*
    1999Chamique HoldsclawTennesseeWashington Mystics
    1998Margo DydekFota Porta Gdynia (Poland)Utah Starzz*
    1997Tina ThompsonUSCHouston Comets*

    * No longer an official franchise team.

    Sara Tidwell

    Sara Tidwell is an editorial intern with The Sporting News. A native to Michigan's Thumb region, she received her Bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University. Previous bylines include the Detroit News, Cincinnati Enquirer, Hartford Courant and The State News.