Looking back on the WNBA’s last 5 No. 1 draft picks ahead of the 2026 Draft

The 2025 WNBA Draft is mere weeks away, and there isn’t much debate on who will be drafted No. 1 overall. Paige Bueckers has been slotted as a top draft prospect since before she even stepped onto UConn’s campus as a freshman. After five seasons in Storrs, it’s almost time for us to hear her name called as the first pick to the Dallas Wings.

While we wait, let’s take a look at the last five No. 1 overall draft picks in the WNBA, and see how they’re doing so far:

Indiana Fever, 2024 — Caitlin Clark (Iowa)

Maybe one of the least shocking No. 1 WNBA Draft picks of all time, the Indiana Fever chose Caitlin Clark out of Iowa in 2024. This came following the whirlwind of Clark’s second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament Finals, her breaking the all-time NCAA scoring record, and an overall boom for women’s basketball.

Clark filled several areas of need for the Fever — the first being their lack of a bonafide superstar. Knowers of ball could see the potential in the Fever’s roster pre-Clark, but she brought eyes, money, and thrill to their ascension. What followed was a rookie campaign filled with sold-out arenas, broken records, and Indiana’s first playoff appearance since 2016. She ended the 2024 season as the Rookie of the Year.

If there were a re-draft of the 2024 class, Clark would — likely unanimously — end up right back at No. 1.

Indiana Fever, 2023 — Aliyah Boston (South Carolina)

Another not-so-shocking top-pick, Aliyah Boston had a ton of success at South Carolina before heading to the WNBA. A National Champion and Player of the Year winner, Boston’s physicality and footwork made her a menace under the rim. She filled the Fever’s desperate need for a long-term frontcourt superstar. She was the unanimous 2023 Rookie of the Year winner at the end of the season.

Without even knowing that they would get the No. 1 overall pick two years in a row, the Fever also inadvertently drafted the perfect partner for Caitlin Clark one year early. Early looks of the Clark/Boston connection have been good, and Boston is heading into her third WNBA season looking better than ever. She spent her offseason playing in Unrivaled, helping Vinyl BC reach the Championship Game.

Atlanta Dream, 2022 — Rhyne Howard (Kentucky)

After trading with the Washington Mystics to swap their original No. 3 pick with the No. 1 overall pick, the Atlanta Dream grabbed Rhyne Howard. A long and athletic guard, Howard has lived up to her draft spot, quickly becoming one of the most versatile players in the league. She was another top pick to win the Rookie of the Year Award.

She went on to win a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with Team USA 3×3 basketball. The 3×3 game was perfect for her as she can shoot the lights out, is fast, and defends on ball at a high level. Her quick release also made for some pretty buzzer-beaters. Now going into her fourth WNBA season, Howard is starting to transition from promising young player to team anchor — especially as the Dream are welcoming a new coaching staff and many new free agents this season.

Dallas Wings, 2021 — Charli Collier (Texas)

The last time prior to 2025 that the Dallas Wings had the top WNBA Draft pick was 2021, but drafting the home state kid in Charli Collier unfortunately did not pan out the way the Wings hoped. After being in and out of the starting lineup in her rookie season, earning her a All-Rookie Team selection, her production dropped in 2022. She was waived by the Wings prior to the 2023 WNBA season.

Since then, Collier has steadily played in overseas leagues. Before heading to Australia’s WNBL this current season, she played in Italy, Israel, Poland and China.

New York Liberty, 2020 — Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon)

Another pick that was not much of a surprise was the New York Liberty selecting Sabrina Ionescu first overall out of Oregon. After the pandemic caused March Madness to be cancelled, we still don’t know if Oregon would have been able to win it all. Despite that, Ionescu was still the undisputed best prospect.

Her career started off slow — she was injured 2.5 games into her rookie campaign and missed the rest of the season. In 2021, still injured, she helped the Liberty begin their ascension into championship contention. She led the ship well until 2023, when Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones joined the team. It only took the trio of Ionescu, Stewart and Jones two seasons to win a WNBA Championship.