WNBA draft: Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu goes No. 1, Philly native Kamiah Smalls selected in third round

The WNBA held its virtual draft Friday night, offering one of the first live sporting events in North America since the coronavirus outbreak put all professional leagues and tours on hold last month.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the picks from a makeshift studio in her home, and the top-10 prospects also took part remotely.

Here are some of the highlight’s from Friday night’s three-round draft:

No surprise, but Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu was taken first overall by the New York Liberty. Ionescu will be tasked with leading the Liberty to their first WNBA title. The Liberty have been the league’s top seed five times in the past, but have yet to win a championship.

Ionescu is the only player in NCAA Division I history to record at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. She has also been regarded as one of the best prospects in WNBA history.

“I’ve only been to New York twice, but I’m excited to get to Brooklyn and get to playing,” Ionescu said. “I’m going to enjoy this for a couple days, but I’m excited to get to work.”

Gianna Bryant, Payton Chester and Alyssa Altobellli — who all died in the January helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant — were selected as honorary draft picks to begin Friday night’s show. The three were introduced in alphabetical order, with moving tributes from family members.

“She worked tirelessly every single day,” Vanessa Bryant said of her daughter, Gianna. “She wanted to be one of the greatest athletes of all time, just like her daddy, so thank you for honoring my little girl.”

“We just want to say thank you to the WNBA for honoring our sister Alyssa and her two teammates,” J.J. Altobelli, Alyssa’s brother, said. “Alyssa loved basketball and she worked very hard at her craft. There’s no doubt in our mind she would’ve made it to the WNBA after her years at Oregon.”

“She exemplified the mamba mentality and was a fierce competitor,” Chris Chester, Payton’s father, said. “Her skill and determination to play in the WNBA is something I have no doubt she would have achieved.”

Kamiah Smalls was selected in the third round (28th overall) by the Indiana Fever.

Smalls was a star at Neumann Goretti during its 53-game winning streak from March 2014 to Feb. 2016. Neumann Goretti won a Super 25 girls basketball national championship in 2015 and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the country during Smalls’ senior year.

Smalls was the unanimous Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year in 2017 at James Madison. As a senior, she averaged 18.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.