WNBA Draft format explained: How many rounds are there? How many players are selected?

Right now, the women’s basketball scene is thriving with excitement and talent.

Fans eagerly await to see which players will join their favourite teams as the draft draws closer, with notable prospects like Cameron Brink, Aaliyah Edwards, Kamilla Cardoso, and Caitlin Clark, set to make this year’s event one to remember.

How many rounds are there in the 2024 WNBA Draft?

The WNBA Draft is divided into three rounds with 12 picks each, so only 36 total players are selected, with the first four picks are determined by a lottery system.

This year it was Indiana, Phoenix, Seattle and Los Angeles, as they had the lowest cumulative records from the past two seasons, making them eligible.

As for the order of draft selection, that is determined by 14 balls placed into a lottery machine and then drawn for the first two picks. The worse a team’s record, the higher the odds are they are drawn as the first pick.

When is the 2024 WNBA draft?

The draft gets underway on Monday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 a.m. PT with live coverage available via ESPN and the ESPN App.

The 2024 draft takes place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York. The show begins at 7 p.m. ET, but picks won’t start until 7:30.

What are the WNBA draft eligibility requirements?

There are a few eligibility requirements players need to meet to enter the WNBA Draft, but they only need to satisfy one.

NCAA players must be graduation seniors or turn 22-years-old the year of the draft. Also, if they have any remaining eligibility, for whatever reason, they must renounce it.

As far as that goes, if their team played in the Elite 8 or any later rounds of the NCAA tournament, they had until 48 hours after their final game. Players can withdraw their name from WNBA consideration up to five days before the draft.

Regarding international players who have never played in the NCAA, they must turn 20-years-old the year of the draft.