Las Vegas Aces select Janiah Barker in second round of 2026 WNBA Draft

Tennessee forward Janiah Barker was selected by the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the 2026 WNBA Draft. She joins the league after spending one season with the Lady Vols.

After a successful high school career in Florida, Janiah Barker began her college career in 2022 at Texas A&M. She was there for two seasons and was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2023.

For her junior season, Barker transferred to UCLA and helped the team reach the Final Four. In 36 games, Barker recorded 7.4 points and six rebounds per game, and her production led to her being named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year.

In April 2025, Barker signed with Tennessee. “Janiah is special,” Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell said at the time. “She is a guard in a post’s body, and I am excited to watch her game grow during her final college season. 

“Her best basketball is ahead of her, and I am thankful that I have an opportunity to coach her. She will have an immediate impact, and the sky is the limit for her.”

This past season, Barker averaged 14.3 and 6.6 rebounds per contest. She helped Tennessee reach the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed.

What WNBA experts are saying about Janiah Barker

Barker could be a player who turns heads in the WNBA very quickly. Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report, said that the Florida native was a “hidden gem” in the draft.

“Absent suffering a major injury, the 2025-26 season couldn’t have gone much worse for Janiah Barker,” Zucker said. “She transfers from UCLA and watches the Bruins lift a title, and she was part of a Tennessee squad that fell massively short of expectations.

“…As the league expands, general managers may begin to find more value toward the end of the first round and further into the draft. More roster spots inevitably dilute the talent pool a bit. For now, you’re lucky if you manage to unearth a starter in that range. Barker is good enough to merit taking the gamble if she’s still on the board heading into Round 2.”