The No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 picks in the 2013 WNBA Draft are all joining the same team—well, the same brand. Brittney Griner (Mercury), Elena Delle Donne (Sky) and Skylar Diggins (Shock) will suit up for different franchises in their respective rookie seasons, but all will lace up Nikes, since all three have signed with Nike brand.
You probably already know all this, but in case you aren’t up on the accomplishments of that trio, Nike helps you get familiar. After all, they are the future of the women’s game:
Griner, a dominant 6’ 8” scorer and defender, is a two-time Naismith Award Winner as college basketball’s player of the year (2012, 2013); three-time First Team All America (’11, ’12, ’13); and three-time Big 12 Player of the Year (‘11, ’12, ’13). She holds the all-time NCAA and Big 12 records with 748 blocks, making her the first player in college basketball history with 2,000 points and 500 blocks. Griner also dunked 18 times while at Baylor.
Delle Donne, a versatile 6’ 5” guard/forward, is the 2013 Honda Player of the Year, a two-time First Team All America (’12, ’13) and ranks fifth in all-time NCAA scoring. She is also the two-time Academic All-American of the Year (’12, ’13). Additionally, Delle Donne won a Gold Medal with Team USA at the World University Games.
Diggins, a 5’9” point guard and fiery on-court leader, earned First Team All-America honors in 2012 and 2013 as well as the Big East Player of the Year, and took home the Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation’s best point guard in those seasons. She was named NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player during the tournament three times (’10, ’11, ’12).
And, also joining Nike Basketball are former All-Big Ten guard Tayler Hill and All-SEC center Kelsey Bone, according to Tuesday’s release.
