The WNBA Draft Presented by State Farm will air live on Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Ryan Ruocco will host studio coverage from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. studios alongside basketball analysts Rebecca Lobo and LaChina Robinson, and reporter Holly Rowe.

The WNBA Draft will be conducted virtually with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing the picks from ESPN’s New York Seaport District Studios. Numerous first round picks will join the telecast via remote set-ups.

Also joining the telecast for a conversation with this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick is Tina Thompson, the No. 1 pick when the WNBA held its first draft in 1997.

ESPN.com Offers Coverage from Every Angle
The night of the draft, ESPN.com will have multiple immediate reaction pieces that include:

• WNBA Draftcast: Live round-by-round coverage and analysis of each pick, including team-by-team needs, prospect grades and rankings by position.
• WNBA Draft Grades: Which teams were the winners and losers of the draft? Once all three rounds are in the books, ESPN staff writer Mechelle Voepel hands out grades for each team’s draft class.
• WNBA Social Reactions: A round up of the best posts on Twitter and Instagram beginning shortly after the first pick.

Throughout the week leading into the WNBA draft, ESPN.com will have a full slate of content. Highlights include:

• Voepel’s WNBA final mock draft will continue to project all three rounds.
• ESPN staff writer Dave Wilson profiles projected No. 1 pick Charli Collier of Texas, who is atop the draft boards and believes she’s just scratching the surface.
• ESPN senior writer Kevin Pelton examines whether the time is right for the WNBA to consider changing its rules around allowing players to declare early for the draft.
• Additionally, The Undefeated’s Sean Hurd profiles 19-year-old Finnish star Awak Kuier, a 6-foot-4 forward playing in Italy who is expected to be a lottery pick.

Around the Rim Host Pre-Drat Twitter Spaces
espnW’s Around the Rim podcast will host a pre-draft Twitter Spaces on Tuesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. hosted by women’s basketball analyst LaChina Robinson and producer Terrika Foster-Brasby. The space will feature reporters, analysts and special guests to break down and look ahead to the WNBA Draft. You can attend the space here.

-30-