The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Basketball's Boyette selected by WNBA's Chicago Sky in First Round
04.14.2016 | Women's Basketball
Boyette becomes the fourth WNBA First Round pick in program history.
AUSTIN, Texas — Former University of Texas women's basketball player Imani Boyette on Thursday became the fourth player in program history to be selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft. Boyette was chosen by the Chicago Sky with the 10th overall pick.
Boyette is the ninth player in Texas history to have her name called on WNBA Draft night. She joins Edna Campbell (1999, 10th), Edwina Brown (2000, 3rd), and Tiffany Jackson (2007, 5th) as the program's all-time first-round selections.
"I'm really, really excited to go to Chicago," Boyette said. "I think it's a great fit for me and the way I play. I've come a long way and I'm just really excited to get home, get back to work and get ready for training camp."
This past season, Boyette became the first player in the history of the Texas women's basketball program to reach the combined milestone of 1,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 200 career blocks.
She finished her decorated career 22nd on UT's all-time career scoring list with 1,361 career points, fifth on UT's all-time career rebounding list with 1,036 career rebounds and second on UT's all-time career blocks list with 303. Boyette's 104 blocks this past season ranks second on the school's all-time single-season blocks list.
Boyette made the All-Big 12 First Team as a junior and senior with the Longhorns. The three-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection was the conference's co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2015-16 after leading the league in blocked shots (3.6 bpg) and ranking second in defensive rebounding (6.8 drpg).
Boyette, a senior accounting major at the University of Texas, has an incredible story of overcoming significant obstacles to achieve great success on the basketball court, in the classroom and within the community. She has been recognized with the Honda Inspiration Award and was named the 2014-15 Big 12 Conference Female Sportsperson of the Year. She was selected as a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Texas Exes President's Leadership Award, which is presented to undergraduate students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within the student community at the University of Texas.
All-Time Longhorns In WNBA Draft
Year - Name - Round (Overall Pick) - Team
1999 - Edna Campbell - 1st (10) - Phoenix Mercury
2000 - Edwina Brown - 1st (3) - Detroit Shock (first collegian taken in 2000 WNBA Draft)
2004 - Stacy Stephens - 3rd (37) - Houston Comets (later traded to Detroit Shock)
2005 - Heather Schreiber - 3rd (39) - Los Angeles Sparks
2005 - Jamie Carey - 3rd (31) - Phoenix Mercury (later signed with Connecticut Sun)
2007 - Tiffany Jackson - 1st (5) - New York Liberty
2010 - Brittainey Raven - 3rd (33) - Atlanta Dream
2015 - Nneka Enemkpali - 3rd (26) - Seattle Storm
2016 – Imani Boyette – 1st (10th) – Chicago Sky
