Sarah Ashlee Barker, welcome to L.A. (and we don’t mean Lower Alabama).
That’s because last night at the WNBA Draft, held at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City, Barker was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks as the ninth overall pick. The Crimson Tide star accumulated 1,642 points across five seasons at Alabama and became only the fifth player in school history to surpass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 250 assists for a career. She was a two-time first team All-SEC honoree (2024, 2025) and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2021. This past season, Barker averaged 18.2 points per game and set an Alabama single-game scoring record with 45 points against Maryland in an NCAA tournament game.
During her post-draft press conference, Barker was asked what she was looking forward to most at the next level. “I think it’s just learning from other people. Like I said, there’s so many great players in the W, and I’m so excited for the competition, for the athleticism, and just a new chapter in my life. I’ve been in college for five years, and so I’m just ready to start that next chapter,” Barker said.
Only four picks after Barker, another Bama player, Aaliyah Nye, was selected by the Las Vegas Aces in the first pick of the second round (13th overall). Nye accumulated 1,739 career points throughout her five seasons at Alabama and ranks as the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers with 293 for her career. She averaged 15.2 points per game for the Tide in 2024-25 and was named All-SEC Second Team this past season. She also holds the Alabama record for three-pointers made in a single season (111), and single game (9), and on January 12, she had a career-high 32-point performance against Ole Miss.
To complete the Tide’s draft profile for the evening, Alabama’s Zaay Green was selected by the Washington Mystics with the 32nd overall pick (third round). Green collected 1,796 career points across six seasons as a college player and led Alabama in total points scored during the 2024-25 season (15.7 ppg). She scored 20 or more points in 10 different contests and posted a season-high 28 against California on December 5, 2024.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Sarah Ashlee, Aaliyah and Zaay,” said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry. “Each of their basketball journeys are uniquely inspiring and a true reflection of their character, relentless work ethic and their team-first mindset. At Alabama, we often say ‘Built by Bama’—but these three brought something even more powerful: unwavering belief and a will to win that set them apart. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for each of them!”
Barker, Nye, and Green were the ninth, 10th, and 11th players to be selected in Crimson Tide program history, and the three selections were the most ever in the history of the women’s basketball program at Alabama. TG
Photos courtesy UA Athletics
