Not since Tim Duncan landed in San Antonio has a No.1 overall pick landed in such an auspicious situation out of college. Brittney Griner and two-time WNBA champs Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor are going to be an intimidating inside-outside trio for WNBA teams to face. After Taurasi played just eight games last season, and fellow ex-No. 1 overall pick Penny Taylor missed the entire year with an ACL injury, the No. 1 pick fell into their laps. Lady Wilt ended her collegiate career as the all-time leader in blocked shots and second in career points. Somewhere in Texas, David Robinson is smiling.
"I'm ready to get there and ready to learn from [Taurasi]," Griner told ESPN. "I got to play with her a little bit at USA Basketball. I'm ready to feed off her and give all I can to the Phoenix Mercury.
Meanwhile, Elena Della Donne will be leaving Delaware for an extensive period for the first time in her life as the second overall pick of the Chicago Force.
Before her freshman season at UConn, Della Donne left school and played volleyball as a walk-on at Delaware before joining the basketball team. The 6-5 forward finished her senior season as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history and was second nationally in scoring average last season with 26 points per game.
The Tulsa Shock took Notre Dame point guard Skylar Diggins with the third overall pick. Diggins led the Irish to three consecutive Final Fours, but went 0-2 in national championship games.
"When I entered Notre Dame we had lost in the first round of the tournament the year before," Diggins told ESPN. "At the end of my career we had brought the program back to an elite level. I'm looking forward to get to Tulsa and show my leadership skills and do whatever Coach Klopp wants me to do."
