Las Vegas Aces WNBA Draft
The Aces didn't have a first round pick in this year's draft. Didn't need one. With A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Jewell Loyd locked in, the mission for draft night was simple find the right pieces to compete for depth on a championship roster. With picks No. 29 and No. 44, Las Vegas did exactly that.
Meet your new Aces rookies.
Pick 29 — Janiah Barker, F, Tennessee
If you want a player who has been tested at every level, Barker is your girl. The 6'4" forward from Marietta, Georgia took one of the most well traveled roads to draft night Texas A&M, UCLA, and finally Tennessee and at every stop she figured out how to produce. A 2022 McDonald's All-American and three time USA Basketball medalist, she arrived at Tennessee for her senior year and put together her best season yet: 14.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field.
What makes Barker interesting for the Aces specifically is her versatility. She can stretch the floor as a stretch four, attack the glass, and defend multiple positions exactly the kind of positionless, high-IQ forward that Becky Hammon loves to deploy. She shot 36.5 percent from three as a senior at Tennessee, an improvement from her earlier college seasons, which tells you she keeps working.
Her USA Basketball resume also stands out gold at the 2019 FIBA U16 AmeriCup, gold at the 2021 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup, and silver at the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup. She has played in big moments. That experience matters.
"As a stretch four and all-around scorer, Janiah will add depth to our post rotation and her growth throughout her college career has been exciting to witness," said Aces President and GM Nikki Fargas. "Her work ethic and dedication to her game is the type of mindset we value at the Aces."
Pick 44 — Jordan Obi, G/F, Kentucky
Obi's story is one of the most compelling in this entire draft class. The Hartford, Connecticut native spent three years at Penn earning back-to-back All-Ivy honors and averaging 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds as a senior in 2023-24. Then a lower leg injury cost her the entire 2024-25 season. Instead of letting that define her, she transferred to Kentucky as a graduate student, helped the Wildcats reach the NCAA Sweet 16, and shot a career high 51.8 percent from the floor in the process.
That kind of bounce back says everything about who she is. She missed a full year, walked into a new program, and immediately elevated her efficiency. The Aces are getting a versatile guard-forward who can defend, rebound at an elite rate for her position, and make open shots. At 6'1" she creates real matchup problems and her motor according to Fargas — never stops.
"Jordan is a versatile guard/forward whose skillset can translate into the WNBA," said Fargas. "She is a high motor player who gives maximum effort every night and sets the tone with her energy and hustle."
My take
These are exactly the kinds of picks a championship team makes. You don't need star power at picks 29 and 44 you need players who will run through a wall in practice, learn from the veterans around them, and be ready when their number is called. Barker has the size and shooting to carve out a real role in this league. Obi has the resilience and work ethic that championship cultures are built on.
Landing in Las Vegas with A'ja Wilson, Becky Hammon, and a locker room full of champions is the best possible environment for both of them to develop. As Fargas put it, they'll be "learning from experienced veterans on a championship caliber team." That's not a small thing. That's everything for a young player trying to make it in this league.
Welcome to Vegas, Janiah and Jordan.