Ameshya Williams-Holliday, a senior center out of Jackson State University, was selected in the third round, 25th overall, by the Indiana Fever, making her the first HBCU player to be drafted into the WNBA in 20 years.
A three-time Southwestern Atlantic Conference defensive player of the year, Williams-Holliday was also player of the year for the 2021-22 season. CNN reached out to Williams-Holliday for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
In the 26 years since the WNBA’s founding, only five players from an HBCU have ever been drafted into the league.
Three were in 2002: Andrea Gardner from Howard University, Amba Kongolo from North Carolina Central University, and Jacklyn Winfield from Southern University and A&M College.
The two other HBCU players drafted were Denique Graves in 1997 and Karen Wilkins in 1998, both from Howard University.
But in 2022, there are no players from an HBCU in the WNBA.
“People think (HBCUs) can’t compete with other top institutions (or) a Power 5 school, but that’s not true,” she said. “I think we deserve to be on the same level. I do think if I was still at Mississippi State, I would be a first-round draft pick.”
