Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
USC’s McKenzie Forbes and Kaitlyn Davis Selected in WNBA Draft
April 15, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Both third-round picks, Forbes is selected by the Los Angeles Sparks, and Davis is a New York Liberty selection.
For the second straight year, USC has had multiple Trojans selected in the WNBA Draft, with 2024 picks going to grad students McKenzie Forbes (Los Angeles Sparks) and Kaitlyn Davis (New York Liberty). Coming off key leadership roles in USC's run to the NCAA Elite Eight, Forbes and Davis were selected in the third round today (April 15) as the 28th and 35th overall picks, respectively. Both were transfers to USC from the Ivy League in 2023, and both have further solidified their places in the Trojan history books to make it a count of 18 players selected for the WNBA out of USC.
Two Women of Troy — Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie — were Inaugural Elite Selections to the WNBA in 1997. Additionally, 14 other Trojans have been drafted out of USC, including two picks in 2023 (Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika) and now two more in 2024 with Forbes' and Davis' selections. This is the fourth time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. In 2012, USC had Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath picked, and in 1997 Pam McGee and Tina Thompson were USC draftees.
In her 2023-24 season with the Trojans, Forbes — a 6-0 guard/forward — helped USC win the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament championship and on to a historic Elite Eight run. Named the Most Outstanding Player at the Pac-12 Tournament, Forbes was USC's second leading scorer and top 3-point shooter and assists leader. She was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 List as one of the nation's best small forwards, and she earned All-Pac-12 Team honors. Forbes started her collegiate career as a true freshman at California before making the move to Harvard. In her two seasons of action with the Crimson, she earned a spot on the 2023 Iv League All-Tournament Team and was on the 2022 All-Ivy Second Team. In her collegiate career, Forbes scored 1,452 points, averaging 11.7 points per game. She hit 233 threes, going 37.4 percent from 3-point range and 38.9 percent from the floor overall, while averaging 3.0 rebounds. A full-time starter as a Trojan, she hit at least one 3-pointer in all but three games, scoring in double digits in her final six games at USC.
In last year's draft, USC had back-to-back picks in the third round, with grad students Kadi Sissoko (Phoenix Mercury) and Okako Adika (New York Liberty) selected as the 29th and 30th overall players chosen, respectively. Sissoko would go on to make the Mercury roster and compete in the 2023-24 season.
USC's WNBA SELECTIONS
1997 Inaugural Elite Selection
Cynthia Cooper (Houston Comets)
Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks)
First Round
Ebony Hoffman (2004, Indiana Fever)
Pam McGee (1997, Sacramento Monarchs)
Tina Thompson (1997, Houston Comets)
Second Round
Adrain Williams (2000, Phoenix Mercury)
Shay Murphy (2007, Minnesota Lynx)
Camille LeNoir (2009, Washington Mystics)
Cassie Harberts (2014, Atlanta Dream)
Third Round
Jacki Gemelos (2012, Minnesota Lynx)
Briana Gilbreath (2012, Washington Mystics)
Temi Fagbenle (2016, Minnesota Lynx)
Okako Adika (2023, New York Liberty)
Kadi Sissoko (2023, Phoenix Mercury)
McKenzie Forbes (2024, Los Angeles Sparks)
Kaitlyn Davis (2024, New York Liberty)
Fourth Round
Monica Lamb (1998, Houston Comets)
Nicky McCrimmon (2000, Los Angeles Sparks)
Two Women of Troy — Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie — were Inaugural Elite Selections to the WNBA in 1997. Additionally, 14 other Trojans have been drafted out of USC, including two picks in 2023 (Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika) and now two more in 2024 with Forbes' and Davis' selections. This is the fourth time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. In 2012, USC had Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath picked, and in 1997 Pam McGee and Tina Thompson were USC draftees.
In her 2023-24 season with the Trojans, Forbes — a 6-0 guard/forward — helped USC win the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament championship and on to a historic Elite Eight run. Named the Most Outstanding Player at the Pac-12 Tournament, Forbes was USC's second leading scorer and top 3-point shooter and assists leader. She was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 List as one of the nation's best small forwards, and she earned All-Pac-12 Team honors. Forbes started her collegiate career as a true freshman at California before making the move to Harvard. In her two seasons of action with the Crimson, she earned a spot on the 2023 Iv League All-Tournament Team and was on the 2022 All-Ivy Second Team. In her collegiate career, Forbes scored 1,452 points, averaging 11.7 points per game. She hit 233 threes, going 37.4 percent from 3-point range and 38.9 percent from the floor overall, while averaging 3.0 rebounds. A full-time starter as a Trojan, she hit at least one 3-pointer in all but three games, scoring in double digits in her final six games at USC.
A 6-2 forward, Davis was another instrumental piece of USC's push to its first Elite Eight appearance since 1994. A grad transfer from Columbia, the Connecticut native overcame early-season injuries to become a steadying force for the Women of Troy in 2023-24. She contributed key buckets and rebounds along with solid defense throughout the postseason, including her haul of a season-high 16 rebounds in USC's Pac-12 semifinal win over UCLA. A two-time All-Ivy First Team honoree while at Columbia, Davis picked up a spot on the 2023 WNIT All-Tournament Team and Ivy League All-Tournament Team as a Lion. In her collegiate career overall, she amassed 1,263 points, averaging 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.Moments like this ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/XLbJEaaloU
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) April 16, 2024
Los Angeles ➡️ New York
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) April 16, 2024
KD is headed to the Big Apple 🍎 pic.twitter.com/fFkanrr7g2
In last year's draft, USC had back-to-back picks in the third round, with grad students Kadi Sissoko (Phoenix Mercury) and Okako Adika (New York Liberty) selected as the 29th and 30th overall players chosen, respectively. Sissoko would go on to make the Mercury roster and compete in the 2023-24 season.
In 2016, Temi Fagbenle was picked 35th in the 2016 draft by the Minnesota Lynx. She'd go on to win the 2017 WNBA Championship with the Lynx. In 2014, Cassie Harberts was a second-round selection by the Atlanta Dream. Before that, Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath both were picked up in the 2012 draft and went on to roster spots in the WNBA. Prior to them, Camille LeNoir was selected in the 2009 second round, preceded by 2007 second-rounder Shay Murphy, who would go on to win a WNBA Championship with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014. In addition to 1997 Inaugural Elite Selections Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie, USC now has had 16 players drafted in the WNBA. The first draft in 1997 also saw two Women of Troy taken —Pam McGee and Tina Thompson.A message from Kenzie ✌️ pic.twitter.com/OCpIgEisAN
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) April 16, 2024
USC's WNBA SELECTIONS
1997 Inaugural Elite Selection
Cynthia Cooper (Houston Comets)
Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks)
First Round
Ebony Hoffman (2004, Indiana Fever)
Pam McGee (1997, Sacramento Monarchs)
Tina Thompson (1997, Houston Comets)
Second Round
Adrain Williams (2000, Phoenix Mercury)
Shay Murphy (2007, Minnesota Lynx)
Camille LeNoir (2009, Washington Mystics)
Cassie Harberts (2014, Atlanta Dream)
Third Round
Jacki Gemelos (2012, Minnesota Lynx)
Briana Gilbreath (2012, Washington Mystics)
Temi Fagbenle (2016, Minnesota Lynx)
Okako Adika (2023, New York Liberty)
Kadi Sissoko (2023, Phoenix Mercury)
McKenzie Forbes (2024, Los Angeles Sparks)
Kaitlyn Davis (2024, New York Liberty)
Fourth Round
Monica Lamb (1998, Houston Comets)
Nicky McCrimmon (2000, Los Angeles Sparks)
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
USC WBB Defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16, Advances to Elite Eight | Trojan Press Conference
Saturday, March 29
