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The first overall pick of the WNBA Draft was the least surprising choice of the night.

Paige Bueckers knew her name would be called by the Dallas Wings on Monday night, but the moment still hit hard on the draft stage in New York.

“Just an overwhelming sense of gratitude,” Bueckers said on ESPN. “It’s super surreal just being here with other draft invites. … To be here right now, I’m just extremely blessed.”

Bueckers is the sixth UConn player to be selected first in the WNBA draft. She joins a legendary list of Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011) and Breanna Stewart (2016).

Bueckers capped off her college career by leading UConn to the 2025 national title. She was a three-time All-American, the national player of the year in 2021 and one of the most popular players in women’s basketball.

Bueckers is a stellar 3-point shooter who made 42.3 percent (236 of 558) of her attempts in her four seasons with the Huskies. She had career averages of 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals.

“Everybody has invested a lot in me and part of me wanted to give back to them and show I can be better and how all their hard work helped me get to this stage,” Bueckers said. “I didn’t do it alone, it took a village.”

The Seattle Storm had the second choice and selected 6-foot-6 Dominique Malonga from France.

The 20-year-old Malonga helped France win the 2024 Olympic silver medal in Paris and has been playing professionally in France.

“I will work very hard to fit into this league,” said Malonga, who was born in Cameroon. “I know it will be tough, I know it will be hard but I’m ready to work.”

The Washington Mystics had three of the next four selections and chose Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, Southern California forward Kiki Iriafen and Kentucky point guard Georgia Amoore.

Citron, who stands 6-foot-1, averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season. The No. 3 overall pick also is a standout defender.

“I’m going to work hard and keep trying to get better,” Cintron said. “I have amazing women to learn from in this league. I’m going to continue to play both sides of the ball and be myself.”

The 6-foot-3 Iriafen went fourth overall. She was a third-team All-American this season while averaging 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds.

“I’ve just been resilient,’ an emotional Iriafen said. “There has been a lot (of ups and downs) in my last season and I just trusted the process.”

Washington used the No. 6 pick on Amoore, who set a Kentucky single-season record of 213 assists. She began her career with four seasons at Virginia Tech.

The Australian-born Amoore is used to hearing how short she is at 5-foot-6.

“As long as people have called me too short, I’ve been working on how to counterattack that,” Amoore said. “It’s not a shock to me. I know I have to work in different ways and use my brain a little bit more.”

In between the picks of Iriafen and Amoore, the expansion Golden State Valkyries made their first pick, choosing Lithuanian guard Juste Jocyte.

Jocyte, 19, was born in Washington, D.C., but raised in Lithuania. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 11.9 points this past season for Asvel Feminin in France.

The Connecticut Sun had the seventh and eighth picks and selected LSU forward Aneesah Morrow and North Carolina State guard Saniya Rivers. Morrow, a three-time All-American, split her career at DePaul and LSU and ranks third all-time in Division I history with 1,714 career rebounds and second with 104 double-doubles.

The Sun are in a reloading phase so Morrow will have the opportunity to contribute immediately.

“I feel like I can go in there and try to be unstoppable,” Morrow said. “I want to go in there and work as hard as I possibly can. And just learn from my vets, be a sponge and learn as much as I can.”

Rivers excels on defense, as she recorded more than 50 steals in each of the past three seasons.

At No. 9, the Los Angeles Sparks chose Alabama forward Sarah Ashlee Barker, a two-time, first-team All-Southeastern Conference choice.

The Chicago Sky had picks No. 10 and 11 and chose Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka and TCU guard Hailey Van Lith, the Big 12 Player of the Year who averaged 17.9 points and 5.4 assists this season. Van Lith also played with Louisville and LSU during her college career.

The Wings were back with the No. 12 pick and chose North Carolina State guard Aziaha James to end the first round.

The Las Vegas Aces would have picked 10th, but they were stripped of their first-round selection due to a 2023 investigation that found the franchise promised impermissible benefits and violated workplace policies regarding Dearica Hamby, who now plays for the Sparks.

All 13 WNBA teams passed on 6-foot-7 TCU center Sedona Prince, who has been publicly accused by four women of sexual assault or intimate partner violence, according to reports. Prince has denied all the allegations.

2025 WNBA Draft results
FIRST ROUND
1. Wings — G Paige Bueckers, UConn
2. Storm — C Dominique Malonga, France
3. Mystics — G Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
4. Mystics — F Kiki Iriafen, USC
5. Valkyries — G Juste Jocyte, Lithuania
6. Mystics — G Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
7. Sun — F Aneesah Morrow, LSU
8. Sun — F Saniya Rivers, NC State
9. Sparks — G Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama
10. Sky — F Ajsa Sivka, Slovenia
11. Sky — G Hailey Van Lith, TCU
12. Wings — G Aziaha James, NC State
SECOND ROUND
13. Aces — G Aaliyah Nye, Alabama
14. Wings — G/F Madison Scott, Ole Miss
15. Lynx — F Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, Russia
16. Sky — F Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame
17. Valkyries — G Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
18. Dream — G Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina
19. Fever — F Makayla Timpson, Florida State
20. Fever — G Bree Hall, South Carolina
21. Sparks — F Sania Feagin, South Carolina
22. Sky — G Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M
23. Mystics — G Lucy Olsen, Iowa
24. Lynx — F Dalayah Daniels, Washington
25. Sun — C-F Rayah Marshall, Southern California
THIRD ROUND
26. Storm — G Serena Sundell, Kansas State
27. Sparks — G JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
28. Sparks — F Liatu King, Notre Dame
29. Storm — G Madison Conner, TCU
30. Valkyries — G Kaitlyn Chen, UConn
31. Wings — C Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor
32. Mystics — G Zaay Green, Alabama
33. Fever — F Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
34. Storm — G Jordan Hobbs, Michigan
35. Aces — G Harmoni Turner, Harvard
36. Dream — F Taylor Thierry, Ohio State
37. Lynx — F Aubrey Griffin, UConn
38. Liberty — F Adja Kane, France

–Field Level Media