JuJu Watkins, Madison Booker, and Sarah Strong were trending in Google searches as fans speculated about their absence from the 2026 WNBA Draft. The reason is that none of them are part of the draft class this year.
WNBA Draft: JuJu Watkins, Madison Booker, Sarah Strong at front of college basketball minds originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 WNBA Draft included plenty of big names, led by Azzi Fudd and Olivia Miles at the top of the board.
There were also big names missing, though, like JuJu Watkins, Madison Booker and Sarah Strong.
They were trending in Google searches late Monday night as fans tried to figure out what was going on with them.
And the simple fact is this: None of them were in the WNBA Draft class.
Watkins is set to be the biggest name in women's college basketball in 2026-27. She missed the entire 2025-26 season due to injury, but she'll be back for the USC Trojans for the start of the new campaign.
Booker is the Texas Longhorns star, and she's coming off a rough Final Four performance against UCLA. She'll want to lead her college teammates to bigger heights next season.
Strong will have even more spotlight on her with the UConn Huskies now that Fudd has left. She was already Connecticut's best player this season.
All three of those stars could be in next season's draft class, which could make for a loaded top of the board.
For now, though, the WNBA will go on without them, and that's big news for the NCAA season to come. There are going to be some serious standouts.
And Watkins in particular could mean everything to college hoops. She has the potential to be as sensational as the likes of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, as long as her injury recovery goes smoothly.
They were trending because fans were curious about their absence from the draft class.
No, none of them are part of the 2026 WNBA Draft class.
The top prospects include Azzi Fudd and Olivia Miles.
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