The 2026 draft order is set, but there is still no clear top pick. Several players have strong cases. Awa Fam is the youngest prospect in the draft class with plenty of untapped potential, Lauren Betts and Paige Bueckers could form a dangerous duo, and Azzi Fudd is off to a great start as UConn aims to defend its title.
Out of those three, Fam is the prospect that fans in the United States may be least familiar with. She has spent the last few years playing for Valencia in Spain and the Spanish national team. In comparison to the other two, her numbers may not look overly impressive. Fam is averaging 10.6 points, 6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals over seven Spanish league games and 7.6 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in EuroLeague competition.
Meanwhile, Fudd is averaging 21 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 steals, and Betts puts up an average of 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 blocks for UCLA. The difference is that while the top college prospects are competing against other players in their teens or early twenties, Fam is a teenager playing against professionals.
Fam made her debut as a pro when she was only 15
Awa Fam became the youngest player to ever suit up for Valencia when she played her first game at 15 years and five months old. The Spanish league is one of the more competitive ones in Europe outside the EuroLeague. 2024 WNBA Champion Leonie Fiebich recently said on The Journey Basketball that the competitiveness in the Spanish league was one of the reasons WNBA players liked to play there and that every game was a challenge.
Fiebich isn’t the only WNBA player to compete in the Spanish league either. Laeticia Amihere, Carla Leite, Lou Lopez-Senechal, Sika Kone, Shavonte Zellous, and 2025 first-round picks Juste Jocyte and Ajsa Sivka all play in Spain.
In EuroLeague competition, Fam already had to go up against WNBA players Iliana Rupert, Rebecca Allen, Julie Allemand, Monique Billings, Sevgi Uzun, Kayla McBride, Emma Meesseman, and Megan Gustafson. Her best game of the season came against a deep Fenerbahce team with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Fam may not be putting up the kind of numbers college stars are, but she is playing against some of the best pros in the game despite being much younger and still holding her own. That experience will help her when she transitions to the WNBA.