While the Sparks did not have a first round pick, they did make a handful of selections in the second and third round in Monday’s 2026 WNBA Draft.
With the No. 20 pick, the Sparks selected Ta’Niya Latson from South Carolina.
Here is the pre-draft analysis of Latson from
Charlie Creme of ESPN.
Latson was the nation’s leading scorer as a junior at Florida State. An exceptional driver and finisher, particularly in transition, she sharpened the rest of her game and learned the art of winning with the Gamecocks. Latson still needs more range and consistency on her jump shot.
With the Gamecocks, Latson averaged 14.1 points and 3.6 assists on 48.2% shooting and 32.5% from three. That comes after a junior season in which she averaged 25.2 points per game at Florida State, shooting 45.1% overall and 34.3% from range.
The biggest difference in the seasons was a drastic decrease in shots as they were nearly halved from her junior to senior season.
At South Carolina, her best showing came against North Carolina Central when she scored 32 points. She also had a pair of 21-point games against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, both ranked teams. In the tournament, she scored 28 points against Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 and had 16 points and 11 rebounds in a Final Four win over UConn.
A handful of picks later, the Sparks selected Chance Gray from Ohio State with the No. 24 pick. That pick was acquired from Seattle in the Kelsey Plum trade.
Here’s Creme’s pre-draft analysis on Gray.
After playing some point guard at Oregon in her first two collegiate seasons, Gray moved off the ball at Ohio State. That versatility and her steadily improved 3-point capabilities (40.5% this season) might give her a chance at a roster spot.
The Sparks did not have a first round pick this season from a trade in January of 2024 in which they traded a 2026 first round pick to the Storm for Kia Nurse and a 2024 first round pick, which became Rickea Jackson…who they just recently traded for Ariel Atkins.
Not great asset management!
This live story will be updated as the Sparks’ second and third round picks are made.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
