Two Duke guards selected in 2026 WNBA Draft after standout careers
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- Duke guards Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair were selected in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
- Taina Mair was chosen in the first round; Ashlon Jackson taken in the second round.
- Mair, Jackson become first pair selected from Duke in the same draft class since 2020.
Once again, two WNBA Draft picks came from the same program in the Triangle.
Duke guards Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair were selected on Monday night in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
The Seattle Storm selected Mair in the first round as the 14th overall pick. The Golden State Valkyries selected Jackson in the second round as the 23rd overall pick. Both players received WBCA All-America honors this season.
Mair is the 12th Duke player selected in the first round and the first since Lexie Brown in 2018. Additionally, this is the first time two Duke players have been drafted since 2020 and the first time since 2014 a pair have gone in the first two rounds.
This is the second year in a row, however, that teammates from the same local program were drafted after N.C. State’s Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James’ first-round selections in 2025.
Mair put together a historic season, dishing out 201 assists to tie Chelsea Gray for the program’s single season record. She contributed 89 steals, which is tied for No. 8 in a single season.
This season, Mair averaged 13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and two steals per game. She received All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team honors for her efforts.
She finished her college career, which includes a freshman season at Boston College, with 1,367 points, 610 rebounds and 675 assists. Her 675 assists rank No. 7 in ACC history, surpassing players like Georgia Amoore (Virginia Tech) and Olivia Miles (Notre Dame).
The guard is one of six Blue Devils to amass at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
“Whatever this team needs me to do, I’m willing to do it, whether that’s scoring, rebounding or just making the one more pass,” Mair said after beating LSU in the Sweet 16. “I’m just willing to do what it takes to win. When I have to be able to score, I’m gonna take that head on.”
Jackson is a two-time All-ACC pick and spent all four seasons of her career at Duke. She finished her career with 1,272 points and ranks second in program history with 235 career 3-pointers.
This season, she averaged 11.2 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. She was one of the program’s top shooters from distance, hitting at least 70 3s in three years. She is the third Duke player to reach that mark in multiple seasons. Jackson assisted Mair in ball distribution, recording 164 assists this year.
Jackson hit the game-winning buzzer beater 3 against LSU to lift Duke to the Elite Eight last month.
“Whenever I first made the decision to come here, most people thought I was crazy, because what is Duke known for? Men’s basketball teams and our academics,” Jackson said following the team’s second-round NCAA Tournament win. “ I went out on my faith. I had faith in what my coach and what my institution could accomplish. To see over the past four years how that turned out, not bad. I’m just really grateful.”
The duo played a key role in putting Duke back in the national spotlight, making the Sweet 16 in 2024 and back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. They won back-to-back ACC championships in 2025 and 2026 and won this year’s regular season crown for the first time since 2013.
They have gone 78-29 in three years together and 41-13 in ACC play. This season, Duke finished 27-9 overall and 16-2 in conference play.
“The sadness, of course, at this time of year is when it’s your seniors’ final game,” Duke head coach Kara Lawson said after falling to UCLA in the Elite Eight. “You know you’re not going to get the chance to coach them again. That’s where it’s emotional and that’s where it’s heavy.
“But these two have changed our program. They’ve been the most influential class in our program since I’ve been here. They changed the tide of our program and turned us into champions. … They’ve been all about winning, and they’ve sacrificed so much to be able to earn that. That example is going to reverberate in our program for a long time.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Two Duke guards selected in 2026 WNBA Draft after standout careers."
