BERKELEY – The WNBA Draft 2015 presented by State Farm takes place this Thursday, April 16 at 4pm (PT) with the California duo of Brittany Boyd and Reshanda Gray both expected to be selected in the first round.
As the draft nears, CalBears.com takes a look back at our WNBA history with a two-part feature. Tuesday looked back at the all-time WNBA Draft selections in Golden Bear history. Today we will visit the list of all nine Golden Bears that have signed contracts with WNBA teams, whether they were selected in the draft or signed free agent contracts.
Milica Vukadinovic – 1997 (Charlotte Sting)
The first-ever Golden Bear to play in the WNBA was Cal legend Milica Vukadinovic, who played for the Charlotte Sting in the league’s inaugural season in 1997. Twenty-nine years old when the league got its start, Vukadinovic was signed as a free agent and got the Bears started in the country’s premier league in a 14-minute outing where she made her lone shot attempt, a 3-pointer, while also adding one assist and one steal.
Teresa Palmisano – 1999 (Cleveland Rockers)
Teresa Palmisano plied her trade in Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland and Portugal before signing a free agent contract with the Cleveland Rockers in 1999. Palmisano did not play in a regular season game for the Rockers.
Laura Baker – 1998-99 (Phoenix Mercury, Detroit Shock, Seattle Storm)
Laura Baker finished her Golden Bear career in 1991 and did not play competitive basketball again until trying out for the Phoenix Mercury in 1998 while serving as a paramedic and firefighter. She was then signed on a free agent contract by the Detroit Shock two days after the 1999 WNBA Draft. Baker, who is now the first female assistant chief of the Tucson Fire Department, also spent time in a training camp with the Seattle Storm.
Trisha Stafford – 2001 (Houston), 2002 (Miami)
Trisha Stafford-Odom spent two seasons in the WNBA, playing for the Houston Comets and the Miami Sol from 2001-02. Stafford played in 30 games and made four starts with the Comets in her first year in the league, averaging 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 12.2 minutes of action with the team making it to the Western Conference semifinal. She then spent the 2002 season with the Miami Sol, playing in six games for the team before the organization folded at the end of the season.
Devanei Hampton – 2010 (Seattle Storm)
Devanei Hampton signed with the Seattle Storm as an undrafted free agent in 2010, going through the entire training camp, but was not included on the team’s opening day roster and finished her career in Israel.
Ashley Walker – 2009 (Seattle Storm), 2010 (Tulsa Shock), 2011 (San Antonio Silver Stars), 2012 (Washington Mystics), 2013 (Connecticut Sun)
Ashley Walker was the first Golden Bear to be selected in the first round of the draft, doing so in 2009 when she was selected by the Seattle Storm with the 12th overall pick. Walker played in 13 games as a rookie with the Storm before signing with Tulsa in 2010. After signing free agent contracts with the Silver Stars and Mystics in consecutive years while also playing overseas, Walker returned to the WNBA in 2013, playing in seven games for the Connecticut Sun.
Alexis Gray-Lawson – 2011-12, 2014 (Phoenix Mercury)
Alexis Gray-Lawson was picked by the Washington Mystics in the 2010 WNBA Draft but spent her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury, playing a total of 46 games in 2011 and 2012. As a rookie in 2011, Gray-Lawson played in 27 games, averaging 3.9 points in 11.4 minutes for a team that made it to the Western Conference finals. Her playing time improved in 2012 to 16.7 minutes per game as did her scoring average, up to 4.5 points in addition to 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Gray-Lawson was signed to a training camp contract again in 2014 while playing in Israel.
Layshia Clarendon – 2013-Present (Indiana Fever)
Layshia Clarendon was the highest drafted Golden Bear after being picked ninth overall by the Indiana Fever in 2013. A significant presence for the Fever, Clarendon has played in 59 of 68 games in her first two seasons in the league and has helped the Fever make it to the Eastern Conference finals in both of her seasons in Indiana. Clarendon has started in seven games in her career and holds WNBA career averages of 4.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game after two seasons with the Fever.
Gennifer Brandon – 2014-Present (Chicago Sky)
Gennifer Brandon is the most recent Golden Bear to make it to the WNBA after being selected by the Chicago Sky with the 22nd overall selection in 2014, once again making the Bears the only Pac-12 program with at least one selection in both 2013 and 2014. Brandon played in 16 games as a rookie in 2014, earning two starts. She is the first Golden Bear to play in the WNBA Finals after the Sky made it to the final series in her rookie season. She played in two of the three game series against the Phoenix Mercury.
