Stars win top pick in 2017 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm

SECAUCUS, N.J. – The San Antonio Stars won the 16th annual WNBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm® and earned the top pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm, the WNBA announced today.  The Lottery was televised on ESPN2 during halftime of Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals series between the Phoenix Mercury and the Minnesota Lynx.

For San Antonio, which had entered the WNBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm with the most chances to land the top pick (442 out of 1,000), this marks the first time in franchise history the Stars have emerged as the lottery winner.  Seattle won the top pick in each of the last two years and used it to select Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd in 2015 and University of Connecticut forward Breanna Stewart this past April.

Washington, which had the fourth-most chances of landing the No. 1 pick (104 out of 1,000), will have the second pick.  The Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks, each of whom had 227 chances to earn the top pick, will select third and fourth, respectively.

By missing the playoffs, Connecticut, Dallas, San Antonio and Washington qualified for the lottery drawing.  Connecticut’s spot in the lottery, however, belonged to Los Angeles, the result of a draft-day trade last April.

Lottery odds were based on the cumulative records of the Stars, Sun, Wings and Mystics over the two most recent regular seasons (2015 and 2016).

A representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young was in attendance to oversee the lottery process.

The following are results of the 2017 WNBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm:

2017 WNBA DRAFT LOTTERY ORDER

Team 2015-16 Record Chances (out of 1,000)
1. San Antonio 15-53 442
2. Washington 31-37 104
3. Dallas 29-39 227
4. Los Angeles (via Connecticut) 29-39 227

           

The order of selection for the remainder of the first round as well as the second and third round is in inverse order of the teams’ respective regular-season records solely from 2016.

Following is the remaining order of the first round, as determined by 2016 regular-season records:

REMAINING ORDER FOR FIRST ROUND

Team 2016 Record
5. Phoenix 16-18
6. Seattle 16-18
7. Atlanta 17-17
8. Indiana 17-17
9. Chicago 18-16
10. Dallas from New York 21-13
11. Dallas from Los Angeles 26-8
12. Minnesota 28-6

 

About State Farm®:
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto, home and individual life insurance in the United States. Its 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve more than 83 million policies and accounts – nearly 81 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 35 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.

About the WNBA
The WNBA, which features 12 teams, is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity.  The league, which counts Verizon as its leaguewide marquee partner, concluded its 20th regular season on Sept. 18, 2016.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education.  For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.