Fifteen of the world’s top female college basketball seniors have been invited to the 2012 WNBA Draft, which will be held Monday, April 16 at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. Coverage and analysis of the first round will begin at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2, followed by the second and third rounds televised on ESPNU and NBA TV from 3-4:30 p.m. The entire Draft – three rounds of 12 picks each – will be simulcast on ESPN3. Last year’s event marked the first professional sports league draft held at ESPN.
Additional content will be offered across multiple ESPN platforms, including SportsCenter, espnW, ESPN.com and ESPNEWS.
The telecast of the Draft will take place in Studio E – home to several ESPN shows including Mike & Mike in the Morning and Sunday NFL Countdown. Pam Ward will anchor the show alongside analysts Rebecca Lobo and Carolyn Peck. Holly Rowe will conduct interviews with the players.
The Los Angeles Sparks hold the No. 1 overall pick after winning the Draft Lottery for the first time since 2008. With the first selection last year, Minnesota chose University of Connecticut star Maya Moore, who helped propel the Lynx to its first WNBA championship in franchise history. In 2010, the Connecticut Sun, having acquired the No. 1 pick in an offseason deal with Minnesota, selected Connecticut’s Tina Charles.
Rounding out the top five picks are the Seattle Storm (second, via trade with Chicago), Minnesota (third, by virtue of a trade with Washington), the Tulsa Shock (fourth), and the San Antonio Silver Stars.
Among the top prospects invited to the WNBA Draft are seven players who earned All-America honors this year, either from the Associated Press or the State Farm Coaches’ Poll this season, including Stanford forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike, an All-America pick the past three years. Also invited are three sets of teammates: Tennessee’s frontcourt trio of Glory Johnson, Shekinna Stricklen and Vicki Baugh; Miami (Fla.) guards Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams; and guard Natalie Novosel and forward Devereaux Peters of Notre Dame. Connecticut’s Tiffany Hayes, who joined Ogwumike, Novosel and Peters as participants in the 2012 Women’s Final Four, will also be in attendance.
The WNBA and ESPN have been affiliated for 16 years, dating back to the league’s inaugural season in 1997.
Production Features & Storylines
- Satellite reports from the Los Angeles Sparks (Shelley Smith) and Minnesota Lynx (LaChina Robinson), which will include coverage of each team’s draft party and interviews with the head coach/general manager
- All-Access pieces with the 15 draftees throughout day
- Select college coaches will be at ESPN, including Geno Auriemma (Connecticut), MaChelle Joseph (Georgia Tech), Kelley Graves (Gonzaga), Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame) and Jim Foster (Ohio State)
- Live shots and reaction from the friends and family area on ESPN’s campus
- Virtual team and player specific banners will appear to be hanging above the studio audience
- Logos will be virtually shown around campus and used in and out of segments
- Use of Lady GaGa’s “The Edge of Glory” music video in montages
espnW/ESPN.com
- Draft preview content from veteran ESPN.com writer Mechelle Voepel
- Live online coverage through espnW’s DraftCast – giving up-to-minute picks, analysis on each selection and a chat area for fans to interact with experts
- Video interviews with the top five draft picks
- On-site and post-Draft coverage from Voepel and former Colorado basketball athlete and espnW writer Kate Fagan
SportsCenter and ESPNEWS
- WNBA Draft preview segment will run during the 1 p.m. SportsCenter
- WNBA Draft will be the “What to Watch For” during the 9 a.m.-noon editions of SportsCenter
- Interview with the No. 1 pick will air on the 3-6 p.m. and later SportsCenter shows