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3 Pac-12 stars selected in first round of 2022 WNBA Draft

Apr 11, 2022

Pac-12 women's basketball fans didn't have to wait long to hear some familiar names called in the 2022 WNBA Draft.

Oregon forward Nyara Sabally was selected fifth overall by the New York Liberty, Stanford guard Lexie Hull was taken with the very next pick by the Indiana Fever, and Colorado forward Mya Hollingshed was drafted two picks later, going eighth overall to the Las Vegas Aces.

Their selections mean the Pac-12 has produced multiple first-round picks in each of the past six WNBA drafts, the longest active streak of any conference by three years. It's also the fourth time the Pac-12 has had three players selected in the first round (1997, 2000, 2020) and second time the conference has produced three of the top eight picks (2020).

Sabally becomes the third Pac-12 player selected by the Liberty in the first round in as many seasons. They selected UCLA's Michaela Onyenwere, the WNBA Rookie of the Year, sixth overall in 2021 and Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu, Sabally's former UO teammate, with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. 

Sabally joins her sister Satou, drafted second overall by the Dallas Wings in 2020, in the WNBA.

Sabrina and Satou reacted accordingly.

Hull is the first Stanford player to be taken in the first round since Alanna Smith was taken eighth overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 2019. Hull is also the 28th Stanford player to be drafted into the WNBA and the highest drafted Stanford player since Chiney Ogwumike was drafted first overall by Connecticut in 2014. 

Hollingshed is the highest drafted Colorado player ever, the Buffaloes' first WNBA draft pick since Chucky Jeffery in 2013 (second round) and just the sixth Buff ever drafted into the WNBA.