Barker, Spearman Selected In WNBA Draft

Janiah Barker and Zee Spearman became the 47th and 48th Lady Vols taken all-time in the WNBA Draft and the first two of the Kim Caldwell era, going in the second and third rounds, respectively, on Monday night in an event televised live nationally on ESPN at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City.

Barker was chosen with the 14th pick of the second round and 29th overall by the Las Vegas Aces. She is the second Lady Vol to be drafted all-time by the organization, following in the footsteps of Jaime Nared, a second-round choice and the No. 13 overall selection in 2018. Barker will join the same organization where LVFL and former UT assistant Nikki (Caldwell) Fargas is the team's president.

Spearman, meanwhile, went to Dallas with the first pick of the third round and at No. 31 overall. She is the first Tennessee alum to be drafted by the Wings since the franchise moved to Texas. Vicki Baugh (3rd/25th) and Glory Johnson (1st/4th) were drafted when the organization was located in Tulsa, while Alexis Hornbuckle (2008, 1st/4th) and Kara Lawson (2003, 1st/5th) were selected when the franchise resided in Detroit and was called the Shock.

Overall, Tennessee now has had 46 all-time selections in WNBA college drafts and 48 total including elite drafts. Those numbers rank second among all schools. This marks the 13th time UT has had multiple players picked in the same draft, but it's the first time it has happened since 2018.

Barker and Spearman also give the Big Orange its first draft picks since Rickea Jackson in 2024 and six total since 2021. Caldwell, meanwhile, now has two WNBA picks in her second season at UT, her third year at the NCAA Division I level and her 10th season as a head coach.

Barker, a 6-foot-4 forward, started 21 of 27 games in her lone season at Tennessee in 2025-26, averaging a career-best 14.3 points per game and pulling down 6.6 rebounds per contest. She ranked second for UT in scoring and led the squad in rebounding.

The native of Marietta, Ga., scored in double figures 21 times, including six contests with 20 or more points. She made a career-high 36 three-pointers, knocking them down at a 36.5-percent clip. Her total of treys made her one of four Lady Vols hitting 35 or more this season.

Barker shot 46.6 percent from the field and a career-best 73.0 percent from the free-throw line. She carded four double-doubles and six games with 10 or more rebounds. Defensively, she blocked a career-most 23 shots, and her 30 steals ranked second on the team.

Prior to the 2025-26 campaign, Barker was named to the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, John R. Wooden Award and Katrina McClain Award Preseason Watch Lists. She advanced to the Wooden Award Midseason Team and made the Katrina McClain Award Midseason Top 10 as well.

Spearman, also a 6-4 forward, averaged 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while starting 27 of 30 contests for the Lady Vols in 2025-26. She logged career highs in three-pointers made (24), assists (29), blocked shots (38) and steals (25).

The product of Dacula, Ga., scored in double figures on 16 occasions, including three games with 20 points or more. She notched a pair of points/rebounds double-doubles in her final season on Rocky Top and pulled down eight or more rebounds on nine occasions.

In her two seasons at Tennessee, Spearman put up 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds, shooting 45.0 percent from the field. After making only one three-pointer in her first two seasons at Miami, she combined for 48 treys over the past two seasons and nearly doubled her scoring average as well.

Prior to her senior campaign, Spearman was named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List and was on the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List as well.

University of Tennessee Athletics

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Janiah Barker

Zee Spearman

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