Angel Jackson Writes WNBA and HBCU History

Angel Jackson from Jackson State University becomes the second HBCU player to be drafted in the last 20 years. Jackson State University’s very own was drafted in the most recent WNBA draft as the 36th overall pick, round three, 12^th pick to the Las Vegas Aces.

Women’s basketball this year has made history in a lot of ways. The sport has gained much overdue attention and this season has broken almost all records. This was the first year in college basketball history that the women’s NCAA final playoff game was more watched than the men’s and the first time that women’s basketball has ever seen attention like this. All of the hype and excitement around this newfound love for women’s basketball was because of the remarkable players this season produced.

The WNBA draft was able to pull in about 2.5 million viewers on Monday from ESPN. That made it the most watched WNBA draft of all time, by far. The previous record was set back in 2004 with 600,000 viewers. Records are being broken and history is being made for both the WNBA and Mississippi athletics with Jackson’s drafting.

The 6’6” player from Jackson State University has had quite the outstanding career playing ball in Mississippi. She was a two-time SWAC defensive player of the year in 2023 and 2024, made the All-SWAC second team in 2024, and was able to win Southpoint shootout all-tournament team and McDonald’s All American team. This made her an important prospect for the 2024 draft, and she was picked up and will continue her journey in Las Vegas.

Jackson is now the second HBCU player to be drafted in the past 20 years. This is a huge accomplishment and she continues to further her legacy. History is being made for HBCU universities all over, especially here in Mississippi.

Author administrator Corinne Ellington