What the 2026 NBA Draft Can Learn From The WNBA Draft

It’s not just the 2026 NBA Draft. Every July, the men’s game makes a serious mistake that could be fixed by copying their younger sister. There aren’t many things between the two leagues that someone can say the women do better. The men have been around longer, are far more profitable, and more popular according to television ratings. Their Draft requirements are what make the WNBA better than the men.

Why The NBA Draft Is What It Is

Once upon a time, the only players who entered the NBA Draft were players who were graduating from college. Sure, there was the random one-off, like Moses Malone, but for the most part, every player in the draft had a college degree. Even though a player could leave school at any point, it would be detrimental to their games to leave before they had fully developed. Then 1995 happened.

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It was a buildup to the day that Kevin Garnett changed the NBA. The 1991 NBA Draft saw seven seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore drafted in the top 10, headlined by first overall pick and UNLV senior, Larry Johnson. The following season, a junior was the top pick (Shaquille O’Neal), but the top-10 still consisted of eight seniors and two juniors. The year after that, the first two picks were a sophomore (Chris Webber) and a freshman (Shawn Bradley). The top-10 only had five seniors.

Five seniors were taken in the top 10 of the 1994 class, and five in 1995. What the 95 class also had was four sophomores in the top 10 and a high school player. Garnett, who went fifth overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves, became the first high school player to be drafted since Daryl Dawkins in 1975. That’s when the floodgates opened. 1996 saw two players jump straight from high school (Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neal).

By 2001, six prep players were taken in the NBA Draft, including the top two picks (Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler). When six high school players were taken in the top 20 picks of the 2004 NBA Draft, the league was fed up. The following season, they instituted the one-and-done rule, which is still in effect today. A player must be one year removed from his graduating class in order to turn pro. While most players opt for one year of college basketball, players like Brandon Jennings choose to play that one season professionally abroad.

The WNBA Draft Rules

When the women’s league was created in 1996, they saw the writing on the wall in the men’s game and made sure the same fate would not doom their drafts. In order to be eligible for the WNBA Draft, a player has to turn 22 in the year of the draft or be four years removed from their high school graduating class. So, they can play pro ball in Europe if they want, but most of the women are turning pro after four years in the NCAA.

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This has nothing to do with the players being viable pro prospects or not at a younger age. Ohio State sophomore point guard Jaloni Cambridge was one of the best freshmen in college basketball last season. This year, the 5’8 point guard has led Ohio State to a 26-7 record, while averaging 22.8 points and 4.6 assists per game. She will continue to get better, but she could be a top-five pick in 2026.

Cambridge isn’t the only underclassman dominating the hardwood. The Player of the Year will come down to two other sophomores. Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes, who leads the nation in scoring at 27.0 points per game, and UConn forward Sarah Strong. The latter was arguably the best player on last year’s National Champion Huskies (and that includes number one pick and rookie of the year Paige Bueckers), and is clearly the best player on this year’s squad, which is undefeated.

Strong is averaging 18.5 points and 7.6 rebounds. There is no doubt that 2028 will be an amazing draft class, but it could be amazing right now. So why should the men copy a system that holds pro-ready players back for years? What would be the challenges in making a change?

Why The 2026 NBA Draft Should Copy The WNBA Draft

There are three big incentives to forcing the men to graduate or play four years abroad. First, is the quality of their basketball. The game today is messy in the NBA. Sloppy dribbling and passing lead to record turnovers, players taking too many contested shots, and nobody plays defense. There’s nothing like four years of college hoops to force guys to play the game the right way.

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Next is personal growth. It’s no secret, and it’s blatantly obvious from watching sports news every year, that 18 and 19-year-old children aren’t ready for the fame and fortune that comes with playing in the NBA. Not only are they not physically mature enough to play an 82-game schedule, but they aren’t mentally ready to live like a rich adult. Most adults aren’t ready for that, let alone kids. Four years in college would weed out all the busts who will never be ready for it.

Finally, it gives the players a chance to build their brand. Caitlin Clark was a household name before she ever played a minute in the WNBA. The brand she built for herself at Iowa gave the league an enormous boost. Every woman in the league is about to get paid like never before because of her. The men could benefit from the same thing. Two of the biggest stars to ever enter the NBA Draft are Shaq (three years at LSU) and Tim Duncan (four years at Wake Forest). Every NBA Draft could have a player like that if they had to stay in school.

The challenge, other than the NBAPA shutting down any such suggestion, is the economics of it all. It makes financial sense for female basketball players to stay in college. Someone like Clark or Juju Watkins from USC can earn $1.5-2 million per year playing in the NCAA. Their rookie deals in the WNBA would pay them less than $100,000. On the men’s side, they get the same $1-2 million in college, but in the NBA, the 30th pick in the draft gets $14 million guaranteed (2.75 in year one).

There is no way to make the men come to their senses. The playing field will be leveled at some point, but it won’t be by making the men stay in school. It will be giving the WNBA a one-and-done rule, too. Fans of the women should enjoy the high-quality draft picks while they can. 2028 might be the last good draft they ever have.