Drafting international prospects can be a long-term investment for WNBA teams. International players who play professionally in their domestic leagues instead of going to college in the U.S. become draft eligible the year they turn 20. So, many international prospects are drafted at a very young age and aren’t necessarily ready to come to the W right away. The 2025 WNBA Draft saw three European players picked in the first round: Dominique Malonga, Justė Jocytė, and Ajša Sivka. Malonga was the only one to come to the WNBA immediately, and she was the youngest player in the league.
The 2026 WNBA Draft will also feature an intriguing young big in Awa Fam. Fam is still 19 years old and plays for Valencia in Spain. Considering how young she is and how well she is already playing, she could have the highest ceiling in this stacked draft class. As with many young prospects from Europe, the question is: Is it worth using a top pick on a player who may not be ready to join your team yet?
That concern has officially been laid to rest. ESPN’s Michael Voepel put together an updated 2026 WNBA mock draft with Fam as the top pick ahead of college stars Lauren Betts, Olivia Miles, Azzi Fudd, Flau’jae Johnson, and Ta’Niya Latson. In it, Voepel notes, “Fam’s agent told ESPN that competing in the WNBA is her ‘top priority’ for 2026.”
Awa Fam has great WNBA potential
WNBA teams value versatile, mobile bigs more and more. Fam is just that. She can score on the inside with great touch and fluid footwork. Fam is also a great passer out of the post and offers great size and athleticism on the defensive end. On top of that, Fam runs the floor well, regularly beating other bigs down the court, and operates well out of the pick-and-roll or from the elbow.
Fam made her debut with Valencia at only 15 and has played for the club ever since. This season, Fam hasn’t been a big-time scorer for Valencia yet, as she is still much younger than most of her teammates. She averaged 7.6 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals over her first five EuroLeague games, but also had some outstanding performances already. She scored 17 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 34 minutes off the bench in her first game against a Fenerbahce team led by WNBA players Iliana Rupert, Monique Billings, Julie Allemand, Rebecca Allen, and Sevgi Uzun.
Going to the WNBA and playing against top veteran bigs like A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, Bri Jones, Aliyah Boston, or Tina Charles will be a challenge for Fam and there will be a learning curve. Fans were able to observe the same with Dominique Malonga this past season. She went from barely playing to getting comfortable enough to match up with A’ja Wilson in the playoffs. Fam’s potential makes some initial growing pains worth it, though.