NEW YORK — The Liberty have landed the top pick in the 2021 WNBA draft.
This is the second year in a row the new team in Brooklyn will pick first overall in the draft. General manager Jonathan Kolb and head coach Walt Hopkins picked Sabrina Ionescu out of Oregon the last draft with the No. 1 pick.
"This is an exciting night for the Liberty franchise and for our fans," Kolb said after the draft lottery on Friday. The lottery program aired on ESPN during halftime of the DePaul vs. Louisville women's college basketball game, but was held at the NBA office in Secaucus. "Securing the top selection in the 2021 draft ensures that we will have the opportunity to add a high character, elite level, player to our core group as we continue our efforts to build a championship-caliber team in Brooklyn."
The Dallas Wings, Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever won pick Nos. 2-4, respectively.
Along with the No. 1 pick, the Liberty also have pick Nos. 17 and 29, which were acquired in three-way deals with the Wings and Mystics, as well as the No. 25 pick in the upcoming draft.
The Liberty are the third team in WNBA draft lottery history to get consecutive No. 1 overall picks — the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces are the other two. The team also had the greatest odds (44.2%) of landing that No. 1 pick after going 12-44 over the last two seasons (lottery odds were based on record from the 2019 and 2020 season).
A date for the Draft, however, has not been set just yet amid all the changes between the NCAA's schedule and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
