1997 WNBA Draft
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1997 WNBA Draft - 22 January 1997
The 1997 WNBA Draft was the first draft in the WNBA's history. Unlike later drafts, this draft was unique because there were three different stages in which teams built their rosters.
- On January 22, 1997 a total of 16 players were assigned to each teams in no particular order.
- On February 27, 1997 an Elite Draft added two more players to each team.
- On April 28, 1997 the 4 rounds of regular WNBA draft took place.
Contents
Initial Player Allocation
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vicky Bullett (C) | Charlotte Sting | Maryland | |
| 2 | Andrea Stinson (G) | Charlotte Sting | North Carolina State | |
| 3 | Janice Lawrence Braxton (C) | Cleveland Rockers | Louisiana Tech | |
| 4 | Michelle Edwards (G) | Cleveland Rockers | Iowa | |
| 5 | Sheryl Swoopes (F) | Houston Comets | Texas Tech | |
| 6 | Cynthia Cooper (G) | Houston Comets | Southern California | |
| 7 | Lisa Leslie (C) | Los Angeles Sparks | Southern California | |
| 8 | Penny Toler (G) | Los Angeles Sparks | Long Beach State | |
| 9 | Rebecca Lobo (C/F) | New York Liberty | Connecticut | |
| 10 | Teresa Weatherspoon (G) | New York Liberty | Louisiana Tech | |
| 11 | Michele Timms (G) | Phoenix Mercury | Australia | |
| 12 | Jennifer Gillom (C) | Phoenix Mercury | Mississippi | |
| 13 | Ruthie Bolton-Holifield (G) | Sacramento Monarchs | Auburn | |
| 14 | Bridgette Gordon (F) | Sacramento Monarchs | Tennessee | |
| 15 | Elena Baranova (C/F) | Utah Starzz | Russia | |
| 16 | Lady Hardmon (G) | Utah Starzz | Georgia |
Elite Draft
The Elite draft portion was comprised 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 1
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dena Head (G) | Utah Starzz | Tennessee | |
| 2 | Isabelle Fijalkowski (C/F) | Cleveland Rockers | Colorado | |
| 3 | Rhonda Mapp (C/F) | Charlotte Sting | North Carolina State | |
| 4 | Kym Hampton (C/F) | New York Liberty | Arizona State | |
| 5 | Wanda Guyton (F) | Houston Comets | South Florida | |
| 6 | Judy Mosley-McAfee (F) | Sacramento Monarchs | Hawaii | |
| 7 | Bridget Pettis (F) | Phoenix Mercury | Florida | |
| 8 | Daedra Charles (C) | Los Angeles Sparks | Tennessee |
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Wendy Palmer (F) | Utah Starzz | Virginia | |
| 10 | Lynette Woodard (G) | Cleveland Rockers | Kansas | |
| 11 | Michi Atkins (F) | Charlotte Sting | Texas Tech | |
| 12 | Vickie Johnson (F) | New York Liberty | LSU | |
| 13 | Janeth Arcain (F) | Houston Comets | Brazil | |
| 14 | Mikiko Hagiwara (G) | Sacramento Monarchs | Japan | |
| 15 | Nancy Lieberman-Cline (G) | Phoenix Mercury | Old Dominion | |
| 16 | Zheng Haixia (C) | Los Angeles Sparks | China |
WNBA Draft
Round 1
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tina Thompson (F) | Houston Comets | Southern California | |
| 2 | Pamela McGee (C) | Sacramento Monarchs | Southern California | |
| 3 | Jamila Wideman (G) | Los Angeles Sparks | Stanford | |
| 4 | Eva Nemcova (G) | Cleveland Rockers | Czech Republic | |
| 5 | Tammi Reiss (G) | Utah Starzz | Virginia | |
| 6 | Sue Wicks (F) | New York Liberty | Rutgers | |
| 7 | Tora Suber (G) | Charlotte Sting | Virginia | |
| 8 | Toni Foster (F/C) | Phoenix Mercury | Iowa |
Round 2
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Tia Jackson (G/F) | Phoenix Mercury | Iowa | |
| 10 | Sharon Manning (C/F) | Charlotte Sting | North Carolina State | |
| 11 | Sophia Witherspoon (G) | New York Liberty | Florida | |
| 12 | Jessie Hicks (F/C) | Utah Starzz | Maryland | |
| 13 | Merlakia Jones (G/F) | Cleveland Rockers | Florida | |
| 14 | Tamecka Dixon (G) | Los Angeles Sparks | Kansas | |
| 15 | Denique Graves (C) | Sacramento Monarchs | Howard | |
| 16 | Tammy Jackson (F/C) | Houston Comets | Florida |
Round 3
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Racquel Spurlock (C) | Houston Comets | Louisiana Tech | |
| 18 | Chantel Tremitiere (G) | Sacramento Monarchs | Auburn | |
| 19 | Katrina Colleton (G) | Los Angeles Sparks | Maryland | |
| 20 | Tina Nicholson (G) | Cleveland Rockers | Penn State | |
| 21 | Raegan Scott (F/C) | Utah Starzz | Colorado | |
| 22 | Trena Trice (F/C) | New York Liberty | North Carolina State | |
| 23 | Debra Williams (G) | Charlotte Sting | Louisiana Tech | |
| 24 | Umeki Webb (G/F) | Phoenix Mercury | North Carolina State |
Round 4
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Monique Ambers (F) | Phoenix Mercury | Arizona State | |
| 26 | Andrea Congreaves (F/C) | Charlotte Sting | Mercer | |
| 27 | Kisha Ford (G/F) | New York Liberty | Georgia Tech | |
| 28 | Kim Williams (G) | Utah Starzz | DePaul | |
| 29 | Anita Maxwell (F) | Cleveland Rockers | New Mexico | |
| 30 | Travesa Gant (C) | Los Angeles Sparks | Lamar | |
| 31 | Tajama Abraham (C) | Sacramento Monarchs | George Washington | |
| 32 | Catarina Pollini (F) | Houston Comets | Italy |
| Preceded by: none | WNBA Draft | Followed by: 1998 WNBA Draft |
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