The 1997 WNBA draft was the inaugural
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
held by the
WNBA through which teams could select new players from a talent pool of college and
professional women's basketball players. Unlike later drafts, this draft was unique because there were three different stages in which teams built their rosters. First on January 22, 1997, the Initial Player Allocation draft took place in which 16 players were assigned to each team in no particular order. The elite draft portion comprised professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues, usually international leagues. On February 27, 1997, an
elite draft added two more players to each team. On April 28, 1997, the four rounds of the regular WNBA draft took place. Draftees
Cynthia Cooper,
Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 20 ...
, and
Tina Thompson would become the core pieces of the
Houston Comets dynasty.
Key
Initial player allocation
''Note'': 16 players assigned in no particular order.
Elite draft
The elite draft portion was composed of professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues, usually international leagues. It was the first time where the teams could draft the players out of a talent pool.
Round 1
Round 2
College draft
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1997 WNBA draft but played at least one game for the WNBA.
References
*
*
{{1997 WNBA season by team
Women's National Basketball Association Draft
Draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...