The Golden State Valkyries will make history Monday night as the first expansion team in the WNBA since the Atlanta Dream joined the team in 2008. The Valkyries will also draft three players — at No. 5, 17, and 30 overall — another big first for the brand-new team.
The Valkyries will be closely watched by the Toronto Tempo and the as-yet-unnamed WNBA team in Portland, Oregon, both of whom are slated to host their own expansion drafts after the end of the 2025 WNBA season.
How No. 5 draft picks have fared in the WNBA since 2015
Several notable athletes have been drafted at the No. 5 spot in the WNBA Draft over the last 10 years. Golden State is expected to draft LSU's Aneesah Morrow at the spot. Morrow demonstrated time and time again she's as tough as they come this year at LSU, where she averaged 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds this season. At 6'1" Morrow also brings size to the squad as well as tenacity, strength, and elite double-double ability.
Even with all those attributes, there's no denying that actually landing a roster spot in the WNBA after being drafted is still a tough feat. The players picked up by Golden State will have a better shot at making it to the team for a few factors — the Valkyries have plenty of cap space for the 2025 budget, and the team also has roster spots to fill (especially since several players on the team might be in Europe this summer for the Eurobasket tournament).
But that doesn't mean that No. 5 picks always have it easy. Here's a look at who has entered the league at that slot in the past decade:
2024: Jacy Sheldon
Sheldon was selected by the Dallas Wings but traded to the Connecticut Sun in February 2025. She had a solid season for the Wings, but didn't get a lot of clock or opportunity to make an impact.
2023: Lou Lopez Sénéchal
Lopez Sénéchal, the first Mexican-American drafted to the WNBA, graduated from UConn in 2023 and was picked up by the Wings that year, but missed the season due to an injury. She played 24 games for the Wings in 2024, but in February 2025 the team announced Lopez Sénéchal will miss the 2025 season.
2022: Nyara Sabally
The New York Liberty picked up Sabally in 2022 but she promptly missed the season due to an injury. She signed a rookie scale contract with the team in 2023 and missed half of the 2024 season due to a second injury in her back. Sabally rallied and played a big part in the Liberty's championship win over the Lynx, with teammate Breanna Stewart calling her 'the X factor' during game 5.
2021: Chelsea Dungee
Dungee was picked up by the Wings in 2021 but did not stay in the league for too long. As of August 2024, she was an assistant coach for the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes.
2020: Bella Alarie
Alarie was drafted by the Wings in 2020 but retired from the league in 2023. She also played in the Spanish women's league in 2021 and returned to the country for the 2021-22 season.
2019: Arike Ogunbowale
Ogunbowale is by and far the most successful number 5 pick of the list. She was drafted by the Wings in 2019 and remains on the team. To date she is a 4-time WNBA All-Star, 2-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP, has been named to the All-WNBA First time once, and was named to the All-WNBA Second Team twice.
2018: Jordin Canada
Canada joined the Seattle Storm in 2018 as a back-up point guard for Sue Bird — a role she assumed in 2019 when Bird underwent surgery. But Canada only started in 11 games the following year after Bird retured (the season was also shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic). She signed with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022 and was traded to the Atlanta Dream in 2024.
2017: Nia Coffey
Coffey began her career with the San Antonio Stars, who were moved to Las Vegas and renamed the Aces. She was traded to the Dream in 2019 and then to the Mercury the following year before she was waived. The Sparks signed Coffey in 2021 and she returned to the Dream in 2022. Coffey currently plays overseas in Australia.
2016: Aerial Powers
Powers entered into the 2016 WNBA Draft with an endorsement deal from Nike under her belt. She missed half of her second season due to injury and was traded to the Washington Mystics in 2018. Powers remained with the team until 2021, when she signed with Minnesota Lynx. She signed a one-year deal with the Dream in 2024.
2015: Cheyenne Parker-Tyus
Parker-Tyus played 30 games off the bench during her rookie season with the Chicago Sky. She signed with the Dream in 2021 and played for the team until 2025, when she signed a one-year deal with the Aces.
If drafted at the No. 5 pick, Morrow will still be in good company — but she'll have a lot to prove.