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After going unselected in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Diamond Johnson seems to be in a perfect position to make the Minnesota Lynx roster as the WNBA preseason has started. Johnson, arguably the best women's basketball player out of an HBCU last season on the best team in HBCU, has been actively engaged in practices for the Lynx and was even seen chatting with Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve in a clip that circulated social media last week.
Ahead of the team's first preseason game against the Chicago Sky on Tuesday, Johnson addressed the media and spoke about what HBCU players can do to get on the radar of WNBA teams.
“Just be you, if you’re super talented enough, I think when I was playing for Norfolk State we did a really good job of setting our schedule… and then just dominate in your league, win every game by 30 plus… it’s whatever fits you, it could be a P4, HBCU, smaller school. Just do what makes you happy and then obviously when you get there you got to ball out and they’ll find you.”
Johnson certainly lived up to her own advice in her college career. She, alongside fellow Spartans star Kierra Wheeler, helped lead the team to a program-record 30 wins, a perfect conference record, and the MEAC regular season and tournament titles. The Spartans, who were undefeated in conference play, won 19 consecutive games entering the NCAA Tournament, with the winning streak starting in late December with a victory at Auburn.
Johnson also showed her immense skill in Norfolk State's March Madness first-round matchup against Maryland, in which she finished with 18 points and four three-pointers made in her team's 82-69 loss. Johnson proved herself as a dynamic shot creator and was on the radar of the larger college basketball world, winning numerous awards in-season for her play and was named to several awards watch lists.
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The talented guard started her career as a five-star recruit in the same 2020 class as Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Kamilla Cardoso. She was, in fact, ranked the sixth best player in that class. While in her college journey, she had stints at Rutgers and North Carolina State before eventually landing at Norfolk State. At each of her stops, she showed her five-star level talent.
As a freshman at Rutgers, she averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, earning spots on the All-Big Ten Second Team and the All-Freshman Team. At North Carolina State, she was named the 2022 ACC Sixth Woman of the Year as a sophomore. In her junior season, despite being limited to 22 games due to an ankle injury, she earned second-team All-ACC honors, averaging 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting 41.6% from the field.
She then transferred to Norfolk State and continued her streak of success. During her time with the program, she led the Spartans to back-to-back conference championships and consecutive March Madness appearances, where the team played Stanford and Maryland, respectively. The games against competitive competition certainly helped her showcase her skills and garner WNBA attention.
Despite not being selected in the 2025 WNBA Draft, she is determined to make the league as an undrafted free agent and contribute to a championship-contending team like the Lynx. Johnson has the talent to succeed and can serve as an inspiring example for HBCU athletes, proving that they too can reach the next level from where they are.
