PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Charlisse Leger-Walker #5 and Gabriela Jaquez #11 of the UCLA Bruins celebrate after the victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the National Championship of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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The 2026 WNBA Draft is days away, and a pool containing some of the best female hoopers awaits to hear their names called within 45 selections.
These newcomers enter the league at a monumental season. Apart from successfully enacting a new collective bargaining agreement, the WNBA continues to grow tenfold. With new teams in Portland and Toronto set to debut this year, the league also announced expansion franchises in Cleveland, Detroit, and Atlanta to round out to 18 camps across the league by 2030.
With the last two draft classes including the likes of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, this year's batch is nowhere short of popularity.
Names such as Azzi Fudd, Flau’jae Johnson, Olivia Miles, and Lauren Betts are sure-fire first-rounders coming off notable collegiate careers. Furthermore, international stars such as Awa Fam, Frieda Bühner, and others will look to leave their mark Stateside by entering this year's draft.
But if we learned anything from previous iterations of the prestigious selection ceremony, it’s that popularity does not often lead to results. More often than not, highly touted prospects struggle to live up to their hype. On the flip side, unsung aspirants thrive without the pressures of the media and focus on helping their teams while working on their individual success.
The 2026 WNBA Draft is no stranger to sleepers. With three rounds of selections on deck, there’s plenty of room for teams to pick these talented hopefuls that are flying under the radar ahead of Monday night.
Los Angeles, CA - March 21: Maggie Doogan #44 of the Richmond Spiders reaches for the rebound against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half of a women's first round NCAA Tournament basketball at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles on Friday, March 21, 2025.(Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
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So much of the NCAA revolves around powerhouses, so it is no surprise that the Richmond Spiders' star has gone nearly unnoticed throughout her time in college. In four years with the Spiders, Doogan averaged 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.1 blocks.
This past year, she brought her college career to a close with her best season numerically, averaging 21.1 points, 7.9 boards, and 3.9 dimes to lead Richmond to a 26-8 record before losing in the first round of the postseason.
A two-time A10 Player of the Year, Doogan stands at 6-foot-2 and could use her efficiency and reliability to her advantage as she heads into the WNBA.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Charlisse Leger-Walker #5 of the UCLA Bruins brings the ball up the court against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first quarter in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 27, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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The New Zealand native wasted no time leaving her mark in the collegiate ranks upon arrival. As a freshman at Washington State, Leger-Walker averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.3 steals for the Cougars. While she was unable to maintain the same productivity with a bar set so high, the Kiwi managed to keep her points and rebounds mean above 13 and 5, respectively, throughout her time in Washington.
She went on to play a fifth season at UCLA and helped lead the Bruins to an NCAA title. Although her role was significantly lower in the City of Angels, Leger-Walker had her most efficient year, shooting 47% from the field in the Bruins' title-winning effort.
With Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, and Gianna Kneepkens all representing the national champions in the draft, Leger-Walker promises to be a reliable backup guard in the league thanks to her on-court IQ and skillset.
HAMBURG, GERMANY - JUNE 19: Iyana Martín of Spain moves during the game against Great Britain during the Women's EuroBasket 2025 Group D game between Great Britain v Spain at Inselpark Arena on June 19, 2025 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by FIBA via Getty Images)
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At just 20 years old, the Spanish prospect has been making noise in the international ranks with impressive outings for her national team. Before joining the senior team, Martín was named the MVP in the FIBA U19 and U16 Women's World Cups in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Besides her national team duties, Martín joined Perfumerías Avenida in 2024 and garnered the EuroLeague Women Young Player of the Year honor after averaging 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists for her club.
She enters the draft after averaging 9.7 points and an assist in her second campaign for the Salamanca-based side.
BRNO, CZECH REPUBLIC - JULY 15: Nell Angloma of France looks to pass during the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2025 Group C game between Australia and France at Starez Arena Vodova on July 15, 2025 in Brno, Czech Republic. (Photo by Yaroslava Nemesh/FIBA via Getty Images)
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Another promising European prospect, the French forward Angloma, is a bona fide sleeper in this year's draft with her versatility on the court.
Angloma is coming off a dominant season with BLMA Lattes-Montpellier in the French LFB, where she averaged 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field. She also appeared in 6 Eurocup games and averaged 12.3 points against Europe's finest.
After averaging 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds at the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in 2025, Angloma looks to translate her success into the WNBA this upcoming season.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 15: Grace Vanslooten #14 of the Michigan State Spartans walks on the court during the fourth quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on February 15, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)
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Although VanSlooten split her four-year college career between Oregon and Michigan, her performances remained impressively consistent despite switching shades of green.
From her sophomore through senior seasons, VanSlooten averaged just over 15 points and right around 7 boards for the Ducks and Spartans alike.
With an impressive senior campaign, VanSlooten helped Michigan to a 6th-place finish in the Big 10 and a 23-9 record before falling to Oklahoma in the second round of the tournament. The Ohio native started in all 32 games for the Spartans this past season and was efficiently making 50% of her field goals.
Yet, somehow, she isn't generating much buzz ahead of the draft.
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