The WNBA preseason is set to kick off April 25, with the 30th regular season starting less than two weeks later on May 8. Just last Monday, April 13, The Shed at New York City’s Hudson Yards hosted the 2026 WNBA draft, leaving newly drafted players with just 12 days to familiarize themselves with their new professional team.
Unsurprisingly, the Dallas Wings selected University of Connecticut (UConn) star guard Azzi Fudd with the first pick of the 2026 draft. Fudd joined former UConn teammate and 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers on the Wings. Bueckers and Fudd join UConn’s Tina Charles and Maya Moore who were drafted in 2010 and 2011 respectively as the second pair of players from the same school to be drafted No. 1 in consecutive years.
Fudd’s mother, Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd (COL ’01), played three seasons for Georgetown University from 1998 to 2001. When she graduated, Smrcka-Duffy Fudd was the second all-time scorer for the Hoyas; she has since fallen to sixth on that list. Smrcka-Duffy Fudd was the first Georgetown player drafted to the WNBA, selected with the 62nd pick by the Sacramento Monarchs. Fudd’s No. 1 pick last week made this duo the second mother-daughter pair ever to be drafted to the WNBA.
UConn was not the only school to make history at the 2026 WNBA draft. This year’s national champions, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), made history with five first-round picks: Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice were drafted fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Betts and her teammate, No. 9 pick Angela Dugalić, both joined the Washington Mystics. UCLA also had the most picks ever, with Gianna Kneepkens drafted at No. 15 and Charlisse Leger-Walker drafted in the second round, both to the Connecticut Sun. These six seniors were the only players to score for UCLA during the national championship game, leaving the reigning national champions in an interesting spot heading into next season.
The 2025 season marked a historic time for the league in many ways. The league added the Golden State Valkyries as the 13th team, and the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will make their debut this weekend, bringing the league to 15 teams. In June 2025, the league announced an expansion to 18 teams by 2030, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia adding teams in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively. Viewership also hit a record high last season. And the league’s biggest win in 2025 was apparently turning a profit for the first time. While that may not sound like a win, it took the NBA roughly 40 years to reach this mark — the WNBA did it in 29.
While the figures are somewhat unclear since the WNBA does not publish financial statements, the league did meet the cumulative revenue targets established in its 2020 collective bargaining agreement for the first time. This meant that a total of $8 million was distributed to the 13 teams in the league to be dispersed among their players — roughly $50,000 per player, if split evenly. While $50,000 may not sound like a lot, it is an improvement considering the fact that top salaries were around $250,000, Bueckers made $78,831 and 2024 No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark made $78,066.
That is all set to change this year. Fudd was signed to the Wings with a $500,000 rookie salary, more than double the 2025 maximum salary of $249,244. The first round picks of this year’s draft will make an average salary of $386,000. Bueckers will make $500,000 this season; Clark will make $528,846. Team salary caps shifted from $1.5 million last season to $7 million this season. Three players will make over $1 million.
Despite these advances, the league still has a lot of room to grow, as does the world of women’s sports. While I was typing this article, Microsoft Word wanted to autofill “Golden State” to “Golden State Warriors.” Society is set up to associate sports with men.
This year, 180 players will play in the WNBA, with 15 teams each consisting of 12 roster spots. During the 2024-2025 NBA season, 569 players appeared in at least one game across 30 teams, each consisting of a 15-person roster with three two-way contracts. Of course, NBA players make more money, with the top salaries nearing $60 million, average salaries in the $11 million range and the median salary in the ballpark of $5 to $7 million.
Yes, the NBA makes more revenue, but women’s basketball players are not offered nearly the same opportunities. There is no WNBA G League and last year only 52.6% of the drafted WNBA class made opening night rosters, the highest number in years. If players stop having to play the pay game, they can focus on just playing the game.
