June 18, 2018
The draft was conducted on Tuesday morning in South Korea while it was still Monday night in the United States. An even bigger change was made in the league format this year with the number of foreigners per team decreasing from 2 to 1, leading to a decrease in the size of the draft. That did not do much to change the popularity of the draft as 115 players applied for the 6 spots. The non-playoff teams were put into one pot and the playoff teams were put in the other pot as the pick orders for each half were determined by lottery. KEB hopped above KDB to land the first pick while there was no change in order for the last three picks.
As was the case last year, the draft was broadcast on the league’s Facebook page:
With each team only getting one player, the days of teams being able to pick players of different positions or styles were no longer possible. KEB opted for Cheyenne Parker first as a player who is likely to be able to do everything required of a foreign player in the new system. KDB Life opted for Damiris Dantas after her successful season in this league. Samsung Life also went with experience in the league and more versatility as they picked Tianna Hawkins. The trend for experience continued with Shinhan Bank picking Natalie Achonwa. All eyes were on the next pick with Korea Bank having the greatest flexibility and they opted for another player with history in the league in Kayla Thornton. The champions had the last pick and they drafted Krystal Thomas to try to maintain their dominance.
- KEB-Hanabank: Cheyenne Parker
- KDB Life Winnus: Damiris Dantas
- Samsung Life Blue Minx: Tianna Hawkins
- Shinhan Bank S-Birds: Natalie Achonwa
- KB Stars: Kayla Thornton
- Woori Bank Wibee: Krystal Thomas
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