Which team selected 2026 Hall of Fame inductee Chamique Holdsclaw first overall in the 1999 WNBA draft?
Answer
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics selected 2026 Hall of Fame inductee Chamique Holdsclaw first overall in the 1999 WNBA draft.
Holdsclaw entered the WNBA after a remarkable career at the University of Tennessee, where she won three consecutive NCAA championships from 1996 through 1998. Her college success made her the clear top selection when the Mystics chose her in the league’s 1999 draft.
Holdsclaw immediately justified the selection by winning the 1999 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. She also started in the inaugural WNBA All-Star Game that season, helping establish the Mystics’ first major star.
The selection is sometimes confused with Holdsclaw’s later professional moves. She spent her first six WNBA seasons with Washington before being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2005. She later played for the Atlanta Dream and San Antonio Silver Stars.