Diversity is strength. Inclusion is the key to growth. Representation matters.
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the nonprofit charitable arm of the National Basketball Association (NBA), has long claimed to support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Critics have argued these claims are bogus, primarily because attractive white women are woefully underrepresented in the league.
The WNBA draft on Monday delivered a stunning blow to these critics, and a huge win for advocates of diversity, equity, and inclusion. At least 5 of the top 16 players selected were (arguably) attractive white women, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis. Of the 38 players drafted on Monday, nearly 20 percent were attractive and white, an all-time high based on our limited research. None were transgender or morbidly obese, which just shows that the WNBA still has a long way to go if it wants to be a truly inclusive and equitable organization.
The draft results are important for several reasons. Representation matters. It means that millions of attractive white girls may no longer be discouraged from following their dreams (however foolish) of playing in the WNBA. No organization, let alone one that loses millions of dollars per year, will ever thrive if it allows structural factors to persist that result in the systemic exclusion of a marginalized group. Inclusion is the key to strength.
Please enjoy the results of our exclusive analysis:
Paige Bueckers (1st)
Juste Jocyte (5th)
Sarah Ashlee Barker (9th)
Hailey Van Lith (11th)
Maddy Westbeld (16th)
Lucy Olsen (23rd)
Serena Sundell (26th)
DEI trailblazers: Cameron Brink (2nd overall pick, 2024 WNBA draft)
DEI trailblazer: Sophie Cunningham (13th overall pick, 2019 WNBA draft)
Future star: Maddie Scherr (Texas Christian University)
