NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2009 - The 2009 WNBA Draft presented by adidas will be held at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 9 at the NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J. ESPN2 will provide live coverage and analysis of the first round of the draft while ESPNU and NBA TV will broadcast the second and third rounds beginning at 4 p.m. ET. WNBA.com, in addition to providing comprehensive draft-day coverage, will serve as the destination on the Web for fans who want to track top prospects and follow the action from mid-March through April 9.
The Atlanta Dream has the first overall pick this year by virtue of winning the eighth annual WNBA Draft Lottery, which went exactly according to odds for the first time in WNBA history. The Washington Mystics will have the second pick in the draft followed by the Chicago Sky, Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury.
Top players eligible for this year's draft include Oklahoma's Courtney Paris, Louisville's Angel McCoughtry, Rutgers' Kia Vaughn, UConn's Renee Montgomery and Maryland's Kristi Toliver.
The WNBA will tip off the 2009 season on June 6 and feature 13 teams. The Eastern Conference will be comprised of seven teams (Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics) while the Western Conference will be made up of six teams (Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, San Antonio Silver Stars and Seattle Storm).
The WNBA is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement and diversity. Comprised of 13 teams, the WNBA is the most successful women's professional team sports league in the world. The league concluded its historic 12th regular season with increases in attendance, ratings, Web traffic and merchandise sales.
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.
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