Several of the top women’s college basketball prospects will gather at the Nike New York Headquarters, for the WNBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm on Thursday, April 12. Airing in prime time for the sixth-straight year, coverage and analysis of the first round will begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, followed by coverage of the second and third rounds on ESPNU starting at 8 p.m. WNBA Draft host Ryan Ruocco will be joined by analysts Rebecca Lobo and LaChina Robinson, and reporter Holly Rowe. The Draft will also stream live on the ESPN App.
New franchise Las Vegas Aces – coached by WNBA championship coach Bill Laimbeer – hold the top pick in the draft, while the remainder of the top five include: No. 2 Indiana Fever; No. 3 Chicago Sky (from Atlanta); No. 4 Chicago Sky; and No. 5 Seattle Storm.
ESPN will also offer WNBA Draft content throughout the day across its platforms, including SportsCenter and espnW.com.
Production Features
- Hall of Famer and ESPN women’s basketball analyst Lobo will open the ESPN2 coverage with an open letter to all draftees on what lies ahead of them in the WNBA;
- ESPN will have interviews with Laimbeer, as well as Chicago Sky head coach Amber Stocks, as Chicago holds the Nos. 3 and 4 picks;
- “All-Access” profile on South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson, with ESPN’s cameras following the potential No. 1 pick through the day;
- Previews of the upcoming season, as well as analysis of each team’s draft selections.
espnW
- Mock Draft: Mechelle Voepel offers her predictions for all three rounds;
- Pre-draft profiles on South Carolina’s Wilson, international prospect Maria Vadeeva, and how Azura Stevens’ early-draft entry might impact the first round;
- espnW writers Voepel, D’Arcy Maine and Sean Hurd will be on site to capture the stories and drama from the draft;
- espnW social channels will capture the sights and sounds of draft-day action with behind-the-scenes Instagram photos, Tweets and Facebook posts;
- Post-draft analysis and team-by-team draft grades.
ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA’s 22nd season will tip off Saturday, May 20, with a rematch of last year’s Finals as the defending champion Minnesota Lynx and Maya Moore face the 2016 champion Los Angeles Sparks and Candace Parker at 5 p.m., on ESPN2.
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