University of North Carolina Athletics
Indya Nivar Selected 28th Overall In 2026 WNBA Draft
April 13, 2026 | Women's Basketball
NEW YORK – For the first time since 2021, a Tar Heel was selected in the WNBA Draft with North Carolina's Indya Nivar selected 28th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the second round of the 2026 WNBA Draft from New York City.
Nivar is the 22nd Tar Heel to be drafted and the second under head coach Courtney Banghart, and the first since 2021 when Stephannie Watts was selected in the first round.
A North Carolina native, Nivar put on a show in her final season in Chapel Hill with a career-high 10.6 points per game. Lauded for her defensive prowess, Nivar snagged 94 steals to rank 25th nationally, and her 2.69 swipes per game ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Her 94 steals were the most by a Tar Heel in a single season since 2012-13.
An excellent distributor, Nivar led Carolina with an average of 3.6 assists per game and stuffed the stat sheet all year long with six games of at least five points, five rebounds and five assists.
An All-ACC Second Team member as well as All-Defensive, Nivar was the seventh Tar Heel to earn the defensive nod and became the fifth under Banghart to pick up second team accolades.
Making her mark in the record books, Nivar posted the second triple-double in North Carolina women's basketball history with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 steals in the Cancun Challenge against South Dakota State. Her 10 steals matched the single-game program record last set by Pam Peake in 1985.
Training camps for the 2026 WNBA season open on April 19, with the regular season set to open on May 8.
Nivar is the 22nd Tar Heel to be drafted and the second under head coach Courtney Banghart, and the first since 2021 when Stephannie Watts was selected in the first round.
A North Carolina native, Nivar put on a show in her final season in Chapel Hill with a career-high 10.6 points per game. Lauded for her defensive prowess, Nivar snagged 94 steals to rank 25th nationally, and her 2.69 swipes per game ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Her 94 steals were the most by a Tar Heel in a single season since 2012-13.
An excellent distributor, Nivar led Carolina with an average of 3.6 assists per game and stuffed the stat sheet all year long with six games of at least five points, five rebounds and five assists.
An All-ACC Second Team member as well as All-Defensive, Nivar was the seventh Tar Heel to earn the defensive nod and became the fifth under Banghart to pick up second team accolades.
Making her mark in the record books, Nivar posted the second triple-double in North Carolina women's basketball history with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 steals in the Cancun Challenge against South Dakota State. Her 10 steals matched the single-game program record last set by Pam Peake in 1985.
Training camps for the 2026 WNBA season open on April 19, with the regular season set to open on May 8.
Players Mentioned
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