Raven Johnson reacts to joining Indiana Fever: ‘They have a lot of vets I can learn from’
The No. 10 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft shares her reaction, what she knows about the Fever, and what she hopes to bring to Indiana.
The Indiana Fever added another South Carolina Gamecocks product to the roster, selecting point guard Raven Johnson with the 10th pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Johnson was a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award, given annually to the nation’s top guard. She played under Dawn Staley at South Carolina from 2021–26.
A starter in every game over the past two seasons, Johnson averaged 9.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game during her final year. She shot 48.6% from the field, including 39.8% from 3-point range.
She has been the head of the snake for one of the premier programs in women’s college basketball, a starter the last three years helping the Gamecocks remain a regular Final Four team.
Johnson, 23, was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was a two-time Miss Basketball in Georgia (2020, 2021).
“When we saw that she was gonna be available at 10, we were absolutely thrilled to bring her here, to add her to our backcourt depth, to reunite her with Aliyah Boston,” said Fever COO and GM Amber Cox to a crowd of more than 500 season-ticket holders at their draft party held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“Home run tonight. Home run.”
Johnson was one of 15 players invited to attend the draft, held at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City. After walking across the stage and being greeted by WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Johnson spoke with reporters at a post-draft press conference.
Read what she had to say below. Questions are in bold.
You’ve been the engine for the most dominant program in the country, basically. How has your experience in high-stakes NCAA basketball prepared you to run a professional offense from day one?
Yeah, it’s crazy, honestly. You’re talking about a team that could possibly win the championship. I think it’s crazy. But they have a lot of vets I can learn from. And they’re winners. Everybody on that team likes to win. I think that’s what makes that team special.
So to go to a program like that that has the same mentality of me as winning is phenomenal.
