The 29th annual WNBA Draft will occur on April 16 at The Shed in New York City. Similar to last season, the Draft will be fan and player focused.
Don’t worry WNBA fans, the full draft experience will be nationally televised. With the event starting at 7:30 p.m. ET, WNBA Countdown will take place on ESPN (and the app) beginning at 7 p.m ET.
“At a time when the passion and excitement surrounding the WNBA has never been higher, we continue to focus on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
“The tremendous fan engagement we enjoyed at draft last year was a precursor to a season in which we ultimately set records for viewership, attendance, digital consumption and merchandise sales. Now, on the heels of an interesting free agency period and with draft serving as the official start to the upcoming WNBA season, we look forward to welcoming in a new set of WNBA rookies in a memorable way.”
Similar to last year, the “Orange Carpet” will take place, where prospects are given to ability to highlight their fashion sense. In this iconic moment, it’s the one time draftees are given the opportunity to speak on the biggest moment of their careers. It’s life altering for many.
If you’re looking to attend the 2025 WNBA Draft, tickets will go in sale beginning on March 21, through Ticketmaster. Until then, fans can join the waitlist here.
The 2025 WNBA Draft Puts Players and Fans First
Speaking of fans, this marks the second consecutive year the WNBA Draft will have fans in attendance. While last year’s draft headlined Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Rickea Jackson just to name a few, it was a one of a kind experience. The amount of fans lined up hours prior to the event taken place at Brooklyn Academy of Music, signaled the rise of women’s sports.
Sold out fairly quickly, last year’s draft drew in historic viewership. Luring in 2.4 million viewers, it was the most watched WNBA Draft ever. With the popularity of women’s sports on the rise, there’s increased visibility. With that said, there’s high expectations for this year’s draft class. Last year alone welcomed 1,000 fans.
With this years draft class anchored by Paige Bueckers (UConn), Olivia Miles (Notre Dame), Aneesah Morrow, and Sonia Citron (Notre Dame), Buckers is the presumed No.1 overall pick. Or is she? Perhaps there will be some twists and turns in this year’s draft. If It resembles anything similar to WNBA free agency, hold onto your seatbelt!
With the Dallas Wings earning the No. 1 overall pick, the Seattle Storm acquired the no. 2 pick as part of the Kelsey Plum and Jewell Loyd trade. In complete rebuild mode, the Washington Mystics own the No.3, No.4, No 6 picks in the draft. This year will look different as the WNBA adds a 13th team. With the Golden State Valkyries joining, the league held its first expansion draft since 2008.
Can’t Attend The 2025 WNBA Draft? Here’s How You Can Follow Online
Can’t attend this year’s draft? No problem! The WNBA has made all things related to the 2025 WNBA Draft available on social media. This includes platforms such as Instagram, X, Snapchat, Facebook, Threads, and YouTube. This gives fans the opportunity to follow along all the way up to pre-draft.
As the WNBA continues to innovate, the league announced the upcoming launch of “Draft Central” in March. This will give fans and basketball enthusiasts the chance to follow coverage of all 13 teams. With this feature will include transactions, player profiles, projected news and more.
Overall, the WNBA Draft experience remains extremely focused on fans, which will only boost the visibility of the sport, along with retention of loyal and new fans.
With the regular season set to begin on May 16, the 2025 WNBA Draft will feature 38 total picks over three rounds. Be sure to follow Ballislife.com for all the WNBA news this season!
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Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter, Content Creator, and Manager for Ballislife Bets. She has a focus on Women’s Basketball and the NBA. Sara Jane currently resides in the Connecticut/NYC area with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Connecticut.
