1997 WNBA draft

General information
Sport| Basketball
Date(s)| April 28, 1997
Overview
League| WNBA
First selection| Tina Thompson
Houston Comets

1998 ->

The 1997 WNBA draft was the inaugural draft 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, and Tina Thompson would become the core pieces of the Houston Comets dynasty.

## Key[edit]

G | Guard | F | Forward | C | Center

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!  | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

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^  | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
+ | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game

## Initial player allocation[edit]

Count  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | Team  | School / club team

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1  | Vicky Bullett ^ | C  |  United States | Charlotte Sting | Maryland
2  | Andrea Stinson + | G  |  United States | Charlotte Sting | NC State
3  | Janice Lawrence Braxton ^ | C  |  United States | Cleveland Rockers | Louisiana Tech
4  | Michelle Edwards ^ | G  |  United States | Cleveland Rockers | Iowa
5  | Sheryl Swoopes ! ^ | F  |  United States | Houston Comets | Texas Tech
6  | Cynthia Cooper ! ^ | G  |  United States | Houston Comets | USC
7  | Lisa Leslie ! ^ | C  |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | USC
8  | Penny Toler | G  |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Long Beach State
9  | Rebecca Lobo ! ^ | C/F  |  United States | New York Liberty | Connecticut
10  | Teresa Weatherspoon !^ | G  |  United States | New York Liberty | Louisiana Tech
11  | Michele Timms ^ | G  |  Australia | Phoenix Mercury | WTV Wuppertal (Germany)
12  | Jennifer Gillom ^ | C  |  United States | Phoenix Mercury | Ole Miss
13  | Ruthie Bolton-Holifield ^ | G  |  United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Auburn
14  | Bridgette Gordon ^ | F  |  United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Tennessee
15  | Elena Baranova + | C/F  |  Russia | Utah Starzz | CSKA Moscow (Russia)
16  | Lady Hardmon | G  |  United States | Utah Starzz | Georgia

Note: 16 players assigned in no particular order.

## Elite draft[edit]

Main article: WNBA 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[edit]

Pick  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | Team  | School / club team

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1  | Dena Head | G  |  United States | Utah Starzz | Tennessee
2  | Isabelle Fijalkowski | C/F  |  France | Cleveland Rockers | Colorado
3  | Rhonda Mapp | C/F  |  United States | Charlotte Sting | NC State
4  | Kym Hampton ^ | C/F  |  United States | New York Liberty | Arizona State
5  | Wanda Guyton | F  |  United States | Houston Comets | South Florida
6  | Judy Mosley-McAfee | F  |  United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Hawaii
7  | Bridget Pettis | F  |  United States | Phoenix Mercury | Florida
8  | Daedra Charles | C  |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Tennessee

### Round 2[edit]

Pick  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | Team  | School / club team

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9  | Wendy Palmer ^ | F  |  United States | Utah Starzz | Virginia
10  | Lynette Woodard | G  |  United States | Cleveland Rockers | Kansas
11  | Michi Atkins | F  |  United States | Charlotte Sting | Texas Tech
12  | Vickie Johnson ^ | F  |  United States | New York Liberty | Louisiana Tech
13  | Janeth Arcain ^ | F  |  Brazil | Houston Comets | Polti (Brazil)
14  | Mikiko Hagiwara | G  |  Japan | Sacramento Monarchs | Japan Energy Griffins (Japan)
15  | Nancy Lieberman-Cline | G  |  United States | Phoenix Mercury | Old Dominion
16  | Zheng Haixia | C  |  China | Los Angeles Sparks | China

## College draft[edit]

### Round 1[edit]

Pick  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | Team  | School / club team

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1  | Tina Thompson ! ^ | F  |  United States | Houston Comets | USC
2  | Pamela McGee ^ | C  |  United States | Sacramento Monarchs | USC
3  | Jamila Wideman | G  |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Stanford
4  | Eva Nemcova | G  |  Czech Republic | Cleveland Rockers | Bourges (France)
5  | Tammi Reiss | G  |  United States | Utah Starzz | Virginia
6  | Sue Wicks ^ | F  |  United States | New York Liberty | Rutgers
7  | Tora Suber | G  |  United States | Charlotte Sting | Virginia
8  | Toni Foster | F/C  |  United States | Phoenix Mercury | Iowa

### Round 2[edit]

Pick  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | Team  | School / club team

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9  | Tia Jackson | G/F  |  United States | Phoenix Mercury | Iowa
10  | Sharon Manning | C/F  |  United States | Charlotte Sting | NC State
11  | Sophia Witherspoon | G  |  United States | New York Liberty | Florida
12  | Jessie Hicks | F/C  |  United States | Utah Starzz | Maryland
13  | Merlakia Jones ^ | G/F  |  United States | Cleveland Rockers | Florida
14  | Tamecka Dixon ^ | G  |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Kansas
15  | Denique Graves | C  |  United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Howard
16  | Tammy Jackson | F/C  |  United States | Houston Comets | Florida

### Round 3[edit]

Pick  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | Team  | School / club team

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17  | Racquel Spurlock | C  |  United States | Houston Comets | Louisiana Tech
18  | Chantel Tremitiere | G  |  United States | Sacramento Monarchs | Auburn
19  | Katrina Colleton | G  |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Maryland
20  | Tina Nicholson | G  |  United States | Cleveland Rockers | Penn State
21  | Raegan Scott | F/C  |  United States | Utah Starzz | Colorado
22  | Trena Trice | F/C  |  United States | New York Liberty | NC State
23  | Debra Williams | G  |  United States | Charlotte Sting | Louisiana Tech
24  | Umeki Webb | G/F  |  United States | Phoenix Mercury | NC State

### Round 4[edit]

Pick  | Player  | Position  | Nationality  | Team  | School / club team

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25  | Monique Ambers | F  |  United States | Phoenix Mercury | Arizona State
26  | Andrea Congreaves | F/C  |  United Kingdom | Charlotte Sting | Mercer
27  | Kisha Ford | G/F  |  United States | New York Liberty | Georgia Tech
28  | Kim Williams | G  |  United States | Utah Starzz | DePaul
29  | Anita Maxwell | F  |  United States | Cleveland Rockers | New Mexico State
30  | Travesa Gant | C  |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Lamar
31  | Tajama Abraham | C  |  United States | Sacramento Monarchs | George Washington
32  | Catarina Pollini | F  |  Italy | Houston Comets | Texas

## Notable undrafted players[edit]

These players were not selected in the 1997 WNBA draft but played at least one game for the WNBA.

Player  | Position  | Nationality  | School / club team

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Marcie Alberts | G  |  United States | Ohio State
Jenny Boucek[1] | G  |  United States | Virginia
Janice Braxton[2] | F  |  United States | Louisiana Tech
Rushia Brown[3] | F  |  United States | Furman
Linda Burgess[4] | F  |  United States | Alabama
Michelle Edwards | G  |  United States | Iowa
Pietra Gay[5] | G/F  |  Trinidad and Tobago | LSU
Kim Gessig[6] | F  |  United States | USC
Nekeshia Henderson | G  |  United States | Texas
Mwadi Mabika | G/F  |  Zaire | Tourbillon Kinshasa (Congo)
Yolanda Moore | F  |  United States | Ole Miss
Kim Perrot | PG  |  United States | Southwestern Louisiana
Tiffany Woosley | G  |  United States | Tennessee

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Jenny Boucek Player File". wnba.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
2. ^ "Janice Braxton Player File: Rockers". wnba.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
3. ^ "Rushia Brown Player File: Rockers". wnba.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
4. ^ "Linda Burgess Player File: Monarchs". wnba.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
5. ^ "Comets Player File: Pietra Gay". www.wnba.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 1998. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
6. ^ "Sparks Player File: Kim Gessig". www.wnba.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

* "All-Time WNBA Draft List". WNBA. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
* "WNBA Elite Draft". WNBA. Archived from the original on April 16, 1997. Retrieved August 6, 2016.

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* v
* t
* e

1997 WNBA draft

Elite draft|

| Round 1|

* Dena Head
* Isabelle Fijalkowski
* Rhonda Mapp
* Kym Hampton
* Wanda Guyton
* Judy Mosley-McAfee
* Bridget Pettis
* Daedra Charles

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Round 2|

* Wendy Palmer
* Lynette Woodard
* Michi Atkins
* Vickie Johnson
* Janeth Arcain
* Mikiko Hagiwara
* Nancy Lieberman-Cline
* Zheng Haixia

WNBA draft|

| Round 1|

* Tina Thompson
* Pamela McGee
* Jamila Wideman
* Eva Horáková
* Tammi Reiss
* Sue Wicks
* Tora Suber
* Toni Foster

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Round 2|

* Tia Jackson
* Sharon Manning
* Sophia Witherspoon
* Jessie Hicks
* Merlakia Jones
* Tamecka Dixon
* Denique Graves
* Tammy Jackson

* v
* t
* e

1997 WNBA season by team

* Draft
* Championship
* Playoffs

Eastern|

* Charlotte Sting
* Cleveland Rockers
* Houston Comets
* New York Liberty

Western|

* Los Angeles Sparks
* Phoenix Mercury
* Sacramento Monarchs
* Utah Starzz

* ← 1996 . WNBA season
* 1998 →

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