Seven players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities have been drafted by the WNBA. Norfolk State’s Diamond Johnson would be the eighth if she’s selected tonight.
Johnson, a 5-foot-5 guard, led Norfolk State to a 30-5 record. Norfolk State was 14-0 in the Mideastern Athletic Conference and lost to Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.
Johnson averaged 18.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The former blue-chip recruit started her career at Rutgers and transferred to North Carolina State for two seasons. Johnson played her final two seasons at Norfolk State and was the 2025 MEAC Player of the Year.
Jackson State’s Angel Jackson was the last HBCU drafted. She was a third-round pick of Las Vegas in 2024 out of Jackson State.
Ameshya Williams-Howard was a third-round pick in 2022 out of Jackson State. Three HBCU players were drafted in 2002. Andrea Gardner was a second-round pick from Howard by Utah and Amba Kongolo (North Carolina Central) and Jaclyn Winfield (Southern) were fourth-round picks by Phoenix and Utah, respectively.
Howard’s Karen Wilkins was a fourth-round selection in 1998 by Phoenix. The first HBCU player drafted was Howard’s Denique Graves, who was a second-round pick by Sacramento in 1997.
