Chance Gray selected No. 24 by Sparks as Ohio State extends WNBA draft streak

Jack Diwik
Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:40:09 +0000
Basketball, Instagram Page, News, Sports, Women's Basketball, Big Ten womens basketball, Buckeyes WNBA draft picks, Celeste Taylor, Chance Gray, Cotie McMahon, Jacy Sheldon, Jantel Lavender, Los Angeles Sparks, ohio state basketball, Ohio State women's basketball, Taylor Mikesell, Taylor Thierry, Washington Mystics, WNBA Draft 2026, WNBA prospects

Chance Gray (2) taking a shot in Ohio State’s Feb. 1 game against Nebraska. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Lantern Photographer.

Ohio State continues its trend of sending talent to the next level.

Former Ohio State guard Chance Gray was selected with the No. 24 pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2026 WNBA Draft Monday.?

Gray becomes the 19th Ohio State to be drafted since 2000 and the second taken by the Sparks, as Jantel Lavender was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in 2011.?

The selection continues a historic stretch for Ohio State, which has now produced at least one WNBA draft pick in four consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. The current run follows selections of Taylor Thierry in 2025, Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor in 2024 and Taylor Mikesell in 2023.

Gray, who transferred from Oregon after the 2023-2024 season, spent two years with the Buckeyes and averaged a career-high 14.7 points per game this past season while shooting 45.3% from the field and 40.5% from 3-point range.

A Cincinnati native, Gray developed into an elite shooter for an Ohio State team that ranked second in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made per game, recording eight games with four or more made 3-pointers, including two with seven.

The guard was not the only former Buckeye to hear her name called, as Cotie McMahon, who played three seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Ole Miss for her final year, was also selected, going No. 11 overall to the Washington Mystics in the first round.