UT’s Enemkpali drafted by WNBA’s Seattle Storm,
Knee injury doesn’t scare Storm away from UT forward.
Nneka Enemkpali learned she was drafted by the WNBA’s Seattle Storm by text.
“I had stepped away from the TV and I when I got back I had a message from (former Texas Longhorn) Fran Harris, congratulating me,” the Texas senior forward said Thursday night.
Enemkpali said she was “relieved” to be chosen. Given the severity of a knee injury she suffered Jan. 19, some predicted WNBA teams might shy away from taking her.
Texas coach Karen Aston said Enemkpali is “too much of a competitor” to pass up. She was taken with the second pick of the third round — No. 26 overall.
Enemkpali, who will miss the WNBA season that begins June 5, said she is unsure whether she will play overseas this fall. It hinges on how quickly she recovers from the torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.
“It all depends on my body,” she said. “I want to be 100 percent.”
Seattle took Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd with the first pick of the draft and Connecticut small forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis with the third pick.
Graduating next month with a degree in African-American studies, Enemkpali finished her college career with 1,116 points and 899 rebounds.
Aston predicted in February that Enemkpali would be drafted. She added that “an influx” of WNBA teams watched her in games and in practice before the injury.
In Seattle, Enemkpali will join Sue Bird, a seven-time WNBA All-Star and the 2002 draft’s first pick. Enemkpali is the first Longhorn drafted since Brittainey Raven in 2010.