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With the WNBA Draft Lottery coming up tomorrow — Sunday, Nov. 23 — teams will be finding out where they will be drafting in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Dallas has the best odds to secure the No. 1 pick for the second year in a row, and if this happens, it would be a repeat of Indiana picking No. 1 back to back in the two years before 2025, when they drafted Aliyah Boston in 2023 and Caitlin Clark in 2024.
While everyone wants their team to get the No. 1 pick, there have been significant players drafted in the top five throughout WNBA history. So, for fans who want to know who the best possible players they might be able to get are — depending on where they land in the lottery — here are the best players ever chosen in the top five spots:
A’ja Wilson — No. 1 pick in 2018
Honorable mentions: Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird
Obviously, there have been a ton of incredible players to be picked first overall in the draft. Bird has 4 WNBA championships, and Taurasi got 3 (to go with 6 Olympic Gold Medals). Candace Parker set basically every record in WNBA history, some of which are only being broken by the No. 1 of No. 1’s — A’ja Wilson.
When the Las Vegas Aces selected A’ja Wilson out of South Carolina in 2018, it was their first year in Vegas after moving the franchise from San Antonio. This pick not only signified the start of a new era, it was also the beginning of one of the best runs the WNBA will ever see.
Since being drafted, Wilson has won 3 WNBA championships, 4 WNBA MVP Awards, 2 WNBA Finals MVP Awards, 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards, and been to 7 All-Star games — all as a member of the Las Vegas Aces. She holds the record for most points scored in a season, reaching that in 2024 when she scored 1021 points. She also holds the record for the highest points per game average in a season, averaging 26.87 points per contest in 2024.
At just 29 years old, Wilson is still in the prime of her career and will continue to dominate the league for years to come. Even now, while still playing, she will go down in history as one of the most highly accomplished basketball players in the world and is a guaranteed future Hall of Famer.
Sylvia Fowles — No. 2 pick in 2008
Honorable mentions: Elena Delle Donne, Kelsey Mitchell
The No. 2 spot has produced some incredible players over the years — more recently with someone like Dominique Malonga, or historically like Elena Delle Donne. Sylvia Fowles was drafted No. 2 in 2008, going to the Chicago Sky. Why was she not drafted No. 1? Well, the LA Sparks drafted Candace Parker that year.
Fowles went on to win 2 WNBA Championships, 2 Finals MVP awards, 1 WNBA MVP award, make 8 All-Star Game appearances, and win 4 Defensive Player of the Year Awards before she retired after the 2022 season.
Fowles was one of the most dominant post players we’ve ever seen in the WNBA. At 6-feet 6-inches in height, few players could truly match up with her defensively. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025.
Skylar Diggins — No. 3 pick in 2013
Honorable mention: Courtney Vandersloot
Skylar Diggins was chosen third overall by the Tulsa Shock (now Dallas Wings) in 2013, and continues to be an excellent player to this day. Her speed, strength, agility, efficiency and gorgeous rainbow-arching shot are all components of a game that is hard to replicate.
She is a 7x WNBA All-Star, Olympic Gold medalist, and has 4 All-WNBA First Team nods. She’s played for Tulsa, moved to Dallas with the franchise, Phoenix, and now Seattle. Still on the hunt for her first WNBA championship, the closest she got was in 2021 in Phoenix when she went to the Finals.
Allisha Gray — No. 4 pick in 2017
Honorable mention: Gabby Williams
Another player drafted to the Dallas Wings, Allisha Gray has grown a lot in her time in the WNBA. Now playing for the Atlanta Dream, her stats during the 2025 season were the best of her career. In a career-high 34.5 minutes per game, Gray scored a career-high 18.4 points on 45.1% shooting and 38.4% shooting from three-point range.
Gray is a 3x WNBA All-Star, made her first All-WNBA first team in 2025, and won both the Skills Challenge and the Three-Point contest at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.
Arike Ogunbowale — No. 5 pick in 2019
Honorable mentions: Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner
Another pick to the Dallas Wings, who chose Arike Ogunbowale No. 5 overall out of Notre Dame in 2019. Known for her ability to shoot in big moments, winning her a National Championship in college, Arike has translated that ability to the WNBA.
She has a career average of 19.9 points per game, shooting 34.6% from three-point range in seven WNBA seasons. Arike has spent her entire career with the Wings so far, making 4 WNBA All-Star appearances and getting an All-WNBA First Team nod.
