Fan Rankings Home » WNBA » Who is the 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year?

With the season nearing its end, I think it is a great time to highlight the best rookies from a stacked 2026 class. Olivia Miles headlines this list after having one of the greatest rookie seasons we’ve seen in this league’s history, while Azzi Fudd showed she is every bit of the number 1 overall selection she was picked at. Players like Sydney Taylor and Pauline Astier came from nowhere to make big impacts in year 1, and Seattle Storm’s rookie duo of Awa Fam and Flau’jae Johnson brought life to a team going through a major rebuild. So now it’s time to get into the Top 10 Best Rookies in the WNBA for 2026.

Honorable Mention

Gabriela Jaquez

Team: Chicago Sky

Position: Guard

Gabriela Jaquez had a strong start and finish to the year for the Chicago Sky. The numbers don’t always tell the story with Jaquez, as she is excellent at the little things.

Her impact goes beyond the box score, although for a lot of this year, some of her excellence showed up on paper. Her rebounding was great, and she had a couple of really nice scoring performances this year.

She found her way into the starting lineup late, and I think the 5th overall pick has cemented herself as a part of this Sky team’s future.

Jovana Nogic

Team: Phoenix Mercury

Position: Guard

I wanted to have an honorable mention on this list because I didn’t want the efforts of Jovana Nogic to go unnoticed. Nogic only played 16 games, but the 28-year-old rookie was really solid for Phoenix.

Nogic’s playmaking and three-point shooting were both great, and she shot the three at a really efficient clip. The elite free-throw shooting and ability to create for herself and others were fun to watch, and if not for her ending her rookie season because of what was described as “personal reasons,” she would probably be cemented in the top 10.

Top 10 WNBA Rookies 2026 Rankings

10. Charlisse Leger-Walker

Team: Houston Comets

Position: Guard

This list starts with Charlisse Leger-Walker at 10. CLW had an excellent back end of her rookie year, and she was one of the best rookie passers in the league this season.

She finished in the top 20 in assists and was only behind Olivia Miles in assists for rookies. The court vision was an obvious plus, but I love what she did on the defensive side of the ball as well. She finished the year averaging 7.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG,3.7 APG.

9. Laura Juskaite

Team: Toronto Tempo

Position: Guard

Another 28-year-old rookie on this list is the Toronto Tempo’s Laura Juskaite. I think Juskaite is a good example of some of the evolutions of bigs in women’s basketball recently.

The touch around the rim is great, and although she did not shoot the three at a particularly high percentage, you can tell by the free-throw numbers that she probably will get that 31% up.

The defense and rebounding are more than respectable, and I think Juskaite is one of many players that will be a big part of the Toronto Tempo’s future.

8. Lauren Betts

Team: Washington Mystics

Position: Center

Lauren Betts was a tricky one for me to rank because she came off the bench all the whole year and her role was limited somewhat because of the Mystics front court talent.

Betts was one of the only players on this list who was a serious contributor on a good team. The Mystics exceeded expectations this season, and their assortment of front court players is what accelerated this team’s rebuild. Betts’ rebounding and defense were what people thought they’d be coming out, and I saw real strides in her post game this season.

It will be interesting to see what this team does moving forward with Iriafen and Shakira Austin, but for right now, Betts rookie year was a success.

7. Pauline Astier

Team: New York Liberty

Position: Guard

One of the other rookies that was a big contributor on a winning team was Pauline Astier. Astier was a surprise this year, and she quickly went from an unheralded undrafted player to an integral piece to a contender.

Astier’s early-season emergence was huge for a Liberty team that was dealing with a lot of injuries early, specifically to Sabrina Ionescu. Astier kind of took that backcourt over with her playmaking and downhill driving ability, and she remained a big part of this team.

The French international ended the year averaging 9.3 PPG and 3.3 APG.

6. Awa Fam

Team: Seattle Storm

Position: Forward

Awa Fam missed the early portion of the Seattle Storm’s season fulfilling her commitment with Valencia Basket overseas, but when she finally got out there, she showed why she was a top 3 pick.

She made a pretty immediate impact for this rebuilding Storm franchise in every facet. The rebounding was outstanding, and the versatility had to excite a Seattle team that can now put out one of the better young big duos in the sport. Awa’s skillset opens up so many options for Seattle, and I would not be shocked if a few years from now she is near or at the top when we’re talking about the best players in the 2026 class.

5. Kiki Rice

Team: Toronto Tempo

Position: Guard

If you watched any college basketball last season, I think it was fairly easy to see that Kiki Rice would be a big-time contributor once she entered the league. The intangibles and two-way mastery were on display during UCLA’s title-winning season in 2025-26.

Kiki Rice would be higher up this list if not for a rough ankle sprain that forced her out of action for a few months, but she played well enough to make the WNBA All-Rookie Team. Her close to the season was outstanding, highlighted by a 28-point, 0-turnover game in mid-September.

She scored double figures in 12 of her final 13 games and finished the season averaging 13.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.5 APG.

4. Sydney Taylor

Team: Chicago Sky

Position: Guard

Sydney Taylor excellence as a rookie was one of the bigger surprises of 2026. She was an undrafted free agent the Sky signed and very quickly cemented herself as one of the best rookies.

She had one of the best rookie seasons in the franchise history and hit clutch shot after clutch shot. The three-point shooting was elite, and she was the offensive skill set that fits next to almost anyone.

Even with Taylor being a little older for a rookie, I think she found another young guard that should be a part of their future.

3. Flau’jae Johnson

Team: Seattle Storm

Position: Guard

The Seattle Storm were objectively horrible this season, which was not unexpected, but I think in some ways this season was a success. The fact that Seattle has had about as big a draft as they realistically could in this 2026 draft with the aforementioned Awa Fam, and perhaps the steal of the draft, Flau’Jae Johnson.

Flau’jae was quite clearly one of the best guards in this draft and is a budding two-way star. I have seen people point to the fact that Flau’jae wasn’t that efficient, but to me that is just not that important for two reasons. First off, most young guards are not that efficient, and her energy and tenacity make up for the lack of consistent shot-making.

I’m sure it’s something that will improve, so I’m really not too worried.

2. Azzi Fudd

Team: Dallas Wings

Position: Guard

I considered putting Azzi Fudd lower on this list because of the injuries, but ultimately felt she was too effective in her time playing to not be 2. There is something to be said about portability, and Azzi is definitely a great example of that.

She plays off of Paige well, and her ability to consistently knock down shots is super impactful just for the spacing part alone. Before her season ended early to get knee surgery, Azzi was leading all rookies in 3s, and I think the number 1 overall pick has developed into a plus defender.

I really hope Azzi can get and stay healthy because even going back to her time at UConn, it’s really the only thing holding her back.

1. Olivia Miles

Team: Minnesota Lynx

Position: Guard

When we’re talking about Olivia Miles, we have run out of superlatives to accurately describe what kind of rookie season she put together. She was one of the best players in the sport, period, and had one of the greatest rookie seasons the league has ever seen.

She was a serious MVP candidate and led a Minnesota Lynx team to the best regular season record in the league this year without their best player. She was top 5 in almost every category for rookies and was one of the most fun players to watch day after day.

Even with the rough playoff showing, I don’t think you can leave this year thinking anything other than “Olivia Miles is a special basketball player”. I’m excited to see what’s in store for Miles and the Lynx moving forward.

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