Becky Hammon is not just the greatest undrafted player in WNBA history—she might be one of the greatest, full-stop. Having gone undrafted in 1999, largely due to her 5’6″ size and questions regarding how her game would translate at the professional level, Hammon signed with the New York Liberty. And oh boy, did she send those doubters packing.
Erica Wheeler’s road to WNBA stardom is the stuff of a Hollywood script. Undrafted in 2013 out of Rutgers, Wheeler never allowed disappointments and grief to deter her—not even after the loss of her mother to cancer.
If hustle came in a human face, Kayla Thornton’s would be the one. Having gone undrafted out of UTEP in 2014, she was soon signed—and dropped—by the Washington Mystics. But Thornton refused to quit. She took her talent overseas, sharpened her defense, and battled back into the league with the Dallas Wings.
DeMya Walker was a best-kept secret in the WNBA during the early 2000s. Undrafted in 1999, she started her pro career in the ABL before going overseas and ultimately ending up in the WNBA with the Portland Fire.
Anna DeForge may not be a household name today, but during her heyday in the early 2000s, she was a flat-out scorer. An undrafted pick from Nebraska in 1998, DeForge went back and forth between leagues before becoming a fixture in the WNBA. Especially with the Detroit Shock and the Phoenix Mercury later in her career.
