Why the LA Sparks were excited Ta’Niya Latson lasted until their pick in WNBA Draft
A new class of rookies joined the professional ranks of women’s basketball at the WNBA Draft on Monday.
Among the 45 players who heard their names called were three Gamecocks: Raven Johnson, Madina Okot and Ta’Niya Latson. Johnson and Okot were both first-round picks. Johnson was selected with the No. 10 overall pick by the Indiana Fever and Okot was taken with 13th overall by the Atlanta Dream.
The timing of Latson’s draft selection came at a bit of a surprise.
Latson — who was an All-SEC player for USC this year but also has an All-American-level resume — took one of the bigger slides on draft night. She was selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the second round by the Los Angeles Sparks.
“Surprising to us that Ta’Niya was able to be available at the 20th pick for us,” Sparks GM Raegan Pebley said. “So, really excited about the chance to bring her into this org.”
Pebely’s surprise makes sense given where Latson was projected to be drafted. At least six different mock drafts from various outlets slotted Latson as a first-round pick.
The 5-foot-9 guard was projected to go as high as No. 7 to the Portland Fire by two outlets and as low as No. 13 to the Atlanta Dream by another.
Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said her franchise expected the same outcome for Latson on draft night. Instead, Latson fell to the Sparks, who did not have a first-round pick.
“We watched her closely,” Roberts said. “Our draft model and everything had her a lot higher than 20. And so we were excited that she was still there.”
Latson appeared to take the draft-night slide in stride. In a post-draft press conference, Latson said that “God wanted me here for a reason” and she was ready to get right to work for the Sparks.
“It’s just a surreal moment,” Latson said. “It’s a dream come true. LA is a great city. I love the culture that they have there. I’m excited to meet my coaches, my teammates. I’m just ready to get to work.”
What stood out about Latson to the Sparks
Now, just because she fell to the second round doesn’t mean LA is taking a flyer on Latson.
Latson brings an impressive resume and skill set to the WNBA with her.
She started in all 35 games she played in during her lone season with the Gamecocks and averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Latson had one of the most efficient years of her career, averaging career-highs in field goal percentage (48.6%), effective field goal percentage (52.2%) and true shooting percentage (57.5%).
Those numbers helped Latson earn an All-SEC second-team nod and a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament team. She was also a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award.
“She can shoot it, she can get to the basket,” Roberts said. “She’s great in transition. And then I think something that we really needed, and we’re excited about, is just her defense, her point of attack defense. She’s really good on ball. She’s a winner, and we’re just excited. It’s hard as a rookie, especially at that point guard two spot, to adapt. But I’m expecting her to be a great addition to our squad.”
Latson was a star at Florida State before ending her college career with a year at South Carolina. She was an All-American, three-time All-ACC selection and led the country in scoring with 25.2 points per game in her junior year.
Although she took on a smaller role in South Carolina’s lineup she was still able to perform while also improving generally as a player. The way she was able to adapt to that change was appealing to the Sparks.
“She’s an elite scorer, playmaker,” Pebley said. “Watching how she carried that over from Florida State over to South Carolina, not just within Coach Staley’s program, but in a powerhouse conference like the SEC, with especially the guards that are in that league, it was impressive watching her adapt her game as this season went on…She was willing to do what it takes to win, and if that meant less shots for the team, she was willing to do that.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Why the LA Sparks were excited Ta’Niya Latson lasted until their pick in WNBA Draft."
