The Las Vegas Aces didn’t have a first-round pick in Monday’s WNBA Draft, but they made noise with their later selections, adding size and versatility in Tennessee forward Janiah Barker and Kentucky forward Jordan Obi.
General manager Nikki Fargas said the team targeted players who fit coach Becky Hammon’s positionless system. Barker, taken 29th overall, is a 6-foot-4 forward who averaged 11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds over four college seasons at Texas A&M, UCLA, and Tennessee. She was named the 2025 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year at UCLA.
“Janiah Barker is a pro’s pro,” Fargas said. “She’s a player that can do multiple things. When you look at her ability to score from the three, she’s a physical player. She can play inside, very versatile. I like that.”
Obi, drafted 44th, missed the 2024-25 season with a lower leg injury after transferring to Kentucky from Penn. In her collegiate career, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds on 44.5 percent shooting. Fargas called her a “high-motor player who gives maximum effort every night.”
Both rookies will compete for roster spots when training camp opens April 19. Under the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, teams must carry 12 players and can add two development players without cap impact. Fargas called the development spots “a really good thing for our league,” noting they give prospects more time to develop.
First-year salaries for first-round picks jumped from about $75,000 last year to $386,000 this year, though second-rounders like Barker and Obi will earn less. “Training camp is going to be very competitive,” Fargas said.
