The WNBA Finals illustrated the value of No. 1 draft picks. Five were on the floor between the champion Las Vegas Aces and runner-up New York Liberty — not including injured Aces center/forward Candace Parker.
The Aces are the only team in WNBA history that has had three No. 1 picks in a row, and the organization hit a bull’s eye with each one. Kelsey Plum was the first, in 2017, the last year the franchise was still in San Antonio. A’ja Wilson followed in 2018, Jackie Young in 2019.
It took a little longer for guards Plum and Young to bloom into All-Stars, but they have — big-time. Wilson, a 6-foot-4 forward who was Finals MVP, was one of the WNBA’s best as soon as she stepped on the pro court. All are under contract for next season, as is point guard Chelsea Gray, who after injuries her junior and senior seasons in college was a No. 11 pick (2014).
Breanna Stewart (2016) and Sabrina Ionescu (2020), the Liberty’s No. 1 picks, didn’t get the league championship, but they helped lead New York to the Commissioner’s Cup title and the franchise’s…
