Kansas Star Taiyanna Jackson Selected In WNBA Draft
Former Kansas Jayhawks center Taiyanna Jackson was the only Big 12 player selected in the WNBA Draft on Monday, going No. 19 overall to the Connecticut Sun.
Jackson had to wait her turn in a stacked draft that featured Iowa star Caitlin Clark go No. 1 overall to Indiana, along with Stanford forward Cameron Brink (No. 2, Los Angeles). South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso and LSU forward Angel Reese were both selected by Chicago in the first round.
Jackson snapped a near-decade drought for Kansas in the WNBA Draft. The program’s last selection was Chelsea Gardner, who went No. 21 overall to Indiana in 2015. Jackson is just the Jayhawks’ eighth draft selection.
The 6-foot-6 Jackson brings rebounding and rim protection to the Sun, as she was selected All-Big 12 Defensive team three times and averaged a double-double in each of her final two seasons at Kansas.
She recorded 14 double-doubles last season, giving her 41 for her career, which ranks second in Kansas history behind the legendary Lynette Woodard.
Jackson holds the all-time Kansas record with 301 blocked shots, set the single-season record in 2021-22 with 109 blocks and had 97 more last season, an averaged of 3.0 per game and good for third in the nation.
She heads to the pros No. 3 in program history with 1,027 career rebounds and No. 23 on the all-time scoring list with 1,227 career points.
Jackson was also a three-time All-Big 12 selection, with first-team selections each of the past two seasons. She was a two-time WBCA All-American honorable mention and a two-time Naismith Defensiv Player of the Year semifinalist.
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