UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers was first picked at the WNBA Draft Monday, heading to the Dallas Wings.
Bueckers' move was widely expected.
“Dallas needs a point guard to run the show,” WNBA analyst Autumn Johnson told Scripps News. “She’s so selfless. She’s a playmaker with elite vision.”
Bueckers is coming off a stellar senior season at UConn, where she led the Huskies to a national championship.
Seattle selected center Dominique Malonga, who played for the French Olympic team, as No. 2.
The Washington Mystics picked guard Sonia Citron from Notre Dame No.3 and forward Kiki Iriafen from the University of Southern California No. 4.
The Golden State Valkyries selected guard Juste Jocyte No. 5 as the first pick in franchise history.
Other picks for Round 1 include:
- Washington Mystics: Georgia Amoore, guard from the University of Kentucky
- Connecticut Sun: Aneesah Morrow, forward from LSU; and Saniya Rivers, forward from N.C. State
- Los Angeles Sparks: guard Sarah Ashlee Barker
- Chicago Sky: Ajsa Sivka, forward from Slovenia; and Hailey Van Lith, guard from TCU
- Dallas Wings: Aziaha James, guard from N.C. State
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The second and third rounds of the WNBA Draft have 13 picks each.
Five teams — New York, Indiana, Minnesota, Phoenix and Atlanta — traded away their first-round picks this year. Las Vegas forfeited a first round pick following a 2023 investigation into policies that ran foul of league rules.
