Every lesbian and sapphic WNBA No.1 draft pick since the league started
From Left: Sue Bird, Brittney Griner, Paige Buckers, and Chamique Holdsclaw.
The WNBA has been getting gayer every year since its inception. With 41 queer players in the league this year, the StudBudz taking over All-Star weekend, and couples like Paige Bueckers/Azzi Fudd and NaLyssa Smith/DiJonai Carrington making headlines, the WNBA's LGBTQ+ fans are eating well.
Over the course of the nearly 30-year history of the WNBA, 11 of the No.1 overall draft picks have been gay. All of these players held off on coming out until after they had joined the league and have been living their lives out and proud ever since.
Do we wish there were even more? Of course! But not only were these players the best of the best in the NCAA, but they've gone on to have illustrious, headline-making careers in the WNBA.
So who are these gay No.1 draft picks, where are they now, and what's been going on in their romantic lives?
Paige Bueckers (2025)
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Paige Bueckers is the latest No.1 overall pick after having won the NCAA National Championship in 2025 while playing for Conn. Bueckers was drafted to the Dallas Wings, where she now plays alongside DiJonai Carrington and Arike Ogunbowale.
Relationship status
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Bueckers finally confirmed her relationship with her former UConn teammate and best friend Azzi Fudd last week, after months of teasing fans and speculation.
Jewell Lloyd (2015)
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Jewell Lloyd was picked No.1 by the Seattle Storm after having played for Notre Dame. On February 1 she was officially traded to the Las Vegas Aces as part of a huge three-team trade involving the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm, that also sent Kelsey Plum to the Sparks.
Relationship status
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On July 20, Lloyd semed to hard launch her new relationship with Miami Hurricane player Natalija Marshall. This comes after she started publicly dating Estonia point guard Téa Adams last year.
Brittney Griner (2013)
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Brittney Griner was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury when she was the first overall pick in 2013. The three-time Olympic gold medalist and 10-time All-Star played 11 seasons with the Mercury before joining the Atlanta Dream.
Relationship status
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Griner met her wife Cherelle Griner when they were both attending Baylor University. They tied the knot in 2019, and Cherelle stood by Griner's side while she was being detained in a Russian prison. The two were reunited in 2022 and in July 2024 they announced the birth of their son Bash.
Angel McCoughtry (2009)
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Angel McCoughtry was originally drafted to the Atlanta Dream out of the University of Louisville. Since then, she was the WNBA Rookie of the Year, won two Olympic gold medals, and was a five-time WNBA All-Star. McCoughtry last played for the Minnesota Lynx in 2022, and is currently producing the thriller TV show Apartment 6B.
Relationship status
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McCoughtry got engaged to Brande Elise in 2015, but the two have since split up.
Candace Parker (2008)
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Since being the No.1 overall pick in 2008, Candace Parker has racked up a long list of accomplishments. She is a three-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion, two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, a seven-time WNBA All-Star, and five-time Russian League National Champion. Parker played for the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, and the Las Vegas Aces over the course of her career, which ended in 2024 when she retired to pursue a career in broadcasting for NBA and NCAA games.
Relationship status
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After keeping things under wraps, Parker announced she married Anna Petrakova in 2019. The lovebirds had been teammates during the WNBA offseason when they were both playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg. Now they share two children.
Seimone Augustus (2006)
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Seimone Augustus was drafted to the Minnesota Lynx before going on to win four WNBA Championships, including leading the Lynx to their first title. She also took home Rookie of the Year, won multiple titles while playing overseas, and is now the assistant coach for the LSU women's basketball team, where she rocks incredible outfits every game.
Relationship status
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Augustus married LaTaya Varner in 2015, but the couple divorced a few years later in 2018.
Janel McCarville (2005)
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Janel McCarville was initially drafted to the now-defunct Charlotte Sting. The star center played her final WNBA season with the Minnesota Lynx in 2016, after winning a WNBA Championship with the team in 2013. After retiring from the WNBA, McCarville returned to he home state and is now coaching high school basketball in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Relationship status
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McCarville has been very private about her personal life, but appears to spend a great deal of time with her family.
Diana Taurasi (2004)
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When GOAT Diana Taurasi was the No.1 draft pick back in 2004, the Phoenix Mercury snapped her up, and she ended up playing for the team for the entirety of her legendary 20-year-long career. She is the WNBA's all-time leading scorer and one of the most decorated basketball players of all time, taking home three WNBA championships, six Olympic medals, and is an 11-time All-Star.
Relationship status
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Taurasi met her wife Penny Taylor in 2004 while they were both playing for the Mercury. They got married in 2017 and share two children together, a son named Leo and a daughter named Isla.
Sue Bird (2002)
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Sue Bird, who is considered one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, was drafted by the Seattle Storm when she was the No.1 draft pick. During her career, Bird took home four WNBA championships with the Storm, five Olympic gold medals, was selected as an All-Star 13 times, and was picked for All-WNBA teams. Much like Taurasi, Bird retired in 2022 after 20 years on the same team that originally drafted her.
Relationship status
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Bird got engaged to soccer legend Megan Rapinoe in 2020. The pair have both retired from the world of sports and now host a podcast together called A Touch More.
Ann Wauters (2000)
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Ann Wauters was the No.1 draft pick by the now-defunct Cleveland Rockers back in 2000. She was Rookie of the Year, won a WNBA Championship while playing for the Los Angeles Sparks, was a All-Star in 2005, and won countless championships while playing overseas. During her career she also played for the Atlanta Dream, San Antonio Silver Stars, and Seattle Storm. Since retiring, she has spent the last two seasons as the assistant coach with the Chicago Sky.
Relationship status
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Wauters met her partner Lot Wielfaert in 2007. They got married in Belgium that same year, and then in 2010 they both announced they were pregnant at the same time. Wielfaert, who was also a pro baller, retired to help raise their children. Wauters was a pioneer at a time when very few public figures were out and even fewer were public about having children, and the WNBA didn't provide maternity care. The couple is still together and shares three children, Lou, Vance, and Dree.
Chamique Holdsclaw (1999)
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The WNBA had its inaugural season in 1997, and just two years later it's first LGBTQ+ player was drafted when Chamique Holdsclaw was picked No. 1 overall by the Washington Mystics. Holdsclaw was named Rookie of the Year, was a six-time WNBA All-Star, and took home a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Relationship status
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Holdsclaw married Cara Wright in 2018, and the couple has a son named Cairo and a daughter named Camdyn Rose.
This article originally appeared on Pride: Every lesbian and sapphic WNBA No.1 draft pick since the league started
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