Could the WNBA Draft be any more awkward?

The WNBA is an exclusive club. Only a select few people get a chance to play in it. Even fewer get an opportunity to attend the league’s draft and have their name called in the first round.

Naturally, to join a group with that type of exclusivity, a hazing ritual comes first: walk on this stage with all your nerves and emotions and do this awkward television interview in front of a silent auditorium of people listening closely to every word. Welcome to the W! Listen, the draft is a special moment for every player who gets dressed up to hear their name called.

So players power through to make the best of it no matter what. With family and friends in attendance, it even presents as a cozy environment on TV. But that same intimacy that gives the draft its charm also makes for some incredibly uncomfortable moments.

And it was never more obvious how awkward the whole production can be than it was Monday night, from the very beginning of the 2026 draft. ORANGE CARPET: 14 stunning photos from the WNBA draft With the The Shed in New York City piping in ESPN broadcast audio, Azzi Fudd and Awa Fam Thiam presumably could hear the announcers speculate over which would be the No. 1 pick while sitting at their tables.