The lottery teams were the Tulsa Shock, Minnesota Lynx (from Wash.), Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks.

The 2012 WNBA Draft was held on April 16, 2012, in Bristol, Connecticut.

Coverage of the first round was shown on ESPN (HD).

Second and third round coverage was shown on ESPNU and NBA TV.

Due to the 2012 Summer Olympics, there was no All-Star Game this season as the Olympiad caused a break from mid-July through August.