Record 39 Players Vie for Spots in WKBL Rookie Draft

The Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) is set to hold its 2026-2027 rookie draft on April 19, with a record number of 39 players submitting applications. This figure marks the second-highest number of applicants since the league's single-division era began in 2007-2008, trailing only last year's 40 applicants.

The applicant pool includes 26 high school graduates, 4 university graduates, 4 players from corporate teams, 1 overseas player, and 4 players of foreign nationality. Notably, the number of foreign-nationality Korean players has reached an all-time high, surpassing the previous record of three in the 2022-2023 season.

Among the promising high school prospects is Lim Yeon-seo of Supia Girls' High School, who dominated the 63rd Spring National Middle and High School Federation Championship, securing five awards including the Most Valuable Player, scoring title, assist title, rebound title, and defensive award. Other notable high school applicants include Lee So-hee of Sookmyung Girls' High School, the MVP of the 2026 Federation President's Cup, and Cho Hee-won of Seonil Girls' High School, who received scoring and excellence awards at the same event.

From the university ranks, Kim Sung-eon of Dankook University, the MVP of the 42nd MBC University Championship, and Ko Eun-chae of Pusan National University, who earned excellence and scoring awards at the MBC University Championship, are among the applicants. The draft ceremony will be held at the Cheongju Gymnasium.