
Thursday night’s WNBA Draft saw UNC guard Stephanie Watts selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round by the Los Angeles Sparks.
Watts finished her UNC career as one of just 24 Tar Heels to ever reach the 1,500 career point milestone. She also ranks second in school history with 275 career three-pointers.
Although she missed two of the past four seasons with injuries, the 5-foot-11 Watts will give the Sparks a versatile player on both ends of the floor.
Over the course of her four years at UNC — which doesn’t include a year spent at USC last season before transferring back to Chapel Hill — Watts averaged 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
She joins a Sparks team which went 15-7 last season and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. They also lost star forward Candace Parker to free agency in the offseason.
Although UNC senior forward Janelle Bailey was a projected second-round draft choice in some mock drafts, she went undrafted on Thursday night.
A four-time All-ACC selection, Bailey led UNC in both scoring and rebounding this past season with averages of 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. She is one of five Tar Heels to ever score at least 1,700 points and grab more than 1,000 rebounds.
For the full results from the 2021 WNBA Draft, click here.
Photo via UNC Athletics
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Related Stories
‹

Tar Heel Athletes, Teams Volunteer Around Chapel Hill for Annual Montross Day of ServiceTo honor the birthday of the late Eric Montross, The Rams Club issued a call to action for UNC teams and fans to volunteer.
![]()
The Morning News: CHCCS Bus Snafu, Greenlaw Hall Incident UpdateIn today's news: CHCCS district officials discuss a glitch that left hundreds of students without bus assignments to start the school year.
![]()
The Morning News: Anti-AI Protest, Racial Incident at UNC, K-12 School GradesIn today's news: this week's G20 Innovation Ministerial at the Carolina Inn is met with a large protest on campus.

UNC Women's Basketball Announces 2026-27 ACC ScheduleThe UNC women’s basketball program announced the ACC portion of its 2026-27 regular season schedule Wednesday afternoon. 18 games to make some 𝙉𝙊𝙄𝙎𝙀. pic.twitter.com/ohLCnlv0W0 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) September 2, 2026 The Tar Heels will play three ACC games before the New Year, two of which will come at Carmichael Arena. The conference schedule […]

UNC Women's Basketball to Host Davidson for Preseason Exhibition October 18UNC will host Davidson for a preseason exhibition Oct. 18 at Carmichael Arena, the program announced Wednesday. It will be the only exhibition on the Tar Heels’ 2026-27 schedule. A tip-off time is yet to be announced. Preseason Basketball? 𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙊𝙉 𝘽𝘼𝙎𝙆𝙀𝙏𝘽𝘼𝙇𝙇. See you October 18! pic.twitter.com/8YrY1YAsGj — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) August 26, 2026 The […]
![]()
The Morning News: UNC Degree Cuts, Vinfast, Michael LombardiIn today's news: UNC prepares to cut four degree programs, and Bill Belichick and Lee Roberts weigh in on the Michael Lombardi situation.

Non-Conference Schedule Set for UNC Women's Basketball's 2026-27 SeasonThe UNC women’s basketball program has confirmed its full non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 regular season. You asked, we answered. The non-conference schedule is 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀! 📰 | https://t.co/OEnIKLy7Dt🎟️ | Season tickets on-sale SOON! pic.twitter.com/ClynYQpKSG — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) July 30, 2026 Several of the Tar Heels’ fixtures have already been announced: UNC will face […]
![]()
The Morning News: Expanding the Ackland, Envisioning Carolina NorthIn today's news: UNC officials tour the future Carolina North site - and move forward on a big expansion of the Ackland Art Museum.
![]()
The Morning News: Rani Dasi, UNC Football, and the Red CrossIn today's news: Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board member Rani Dasi is appointed to fill a seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

UNC Women's Basketball to Face Texas Tech, Alabama at WBCA ShowcaseThe UNC women’s basketball program has added two more games to its non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season. The Tar Heels will face Texas Tech and Alabama as part of the WBCA Showcase in Orlando this November. Adding a Dash of Carolina Blue to the Happiest Place on Earth ✨ 📰 | https://t.co/zWPDqLzjnV pic.twitter.com/bQ51fNumF8 — […]
›