Lady Vols basketball star forward Janiah Barker has officially been selected in the 2026 WNBA Draft. With the 29th overall pick in the second round of the draft, Barker was drafted by the Las Vegas Aces.
Barker now joins the reigning WNBA champion. The roster is loaded, with many key pieces from last year’s team returning, as well.
In her lone year with Tennessee, Barker averaged 14.3 points on 46.5% shooting from the field. She is also contributing 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
However, Barker missed the Lady Vols’ trip to play Oklahoma due to not meeting team standards. She also wasn’t able to play in the Round of 64 NCAA Tournament loss to NC State to round out the season due to illness.
More From RTI: Lady Vols Basketball Lands Commitment From Forward With SEC Experience in Transfer Portal
“Barker is a clear first-round talent, but she just hasn’t shown enough consistency throughout her college career, which ended in strange circumstances with a suspension in February and a DNP — Illness in Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament defeat,” CBS’ Jack Maloney wrote before the draft.
Prior to her time at Tennessee, Barker spent a pair at Texas A&M. She then transferred to UCLA for her junior season, coming off the bench for one of the best teams in the country.
She was one of three transfers to join the Lady Vols last season, with the group ranking as the best in the country by ESPN. However, despite Barker, Nya Robertson and Jersey Wolfenbarger joining, the team suffered a significant skid at the end of the regular season that it could never recover from.
Of the eight potential returners for the team, all eight have entered the transfer portal. In response, UT has landed four transfer commitments to this point with plenty more expected to roll in.
