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The WNBA will finally be able to welcome Paige Bueckers to the league.
The versatile UConn standout is the odds-on favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Wings. She spent five years at Connecticut after being sidelined by injuries. Bueckers will have plenty of company at the April 14 event, especially with the WNBA having its first expansion team in 17 years in the Golden State Valkyries making their debut draft selection at No. 5 overall.
This is the 29th draft in league history. There will be 13 franchises making a combined 38 draft selections over three rounds. The first round will feature 12 picks with 13 in each of the final two rounds. After Dallas makes its pick, the Seattle Storm hold the No. 2 selection overall with the Washington Mystics having both the third and fourth picks.
How to watch the 2025 WNBA draft
ESPN is televising the draft starting at 6:30 p.m. through 8:30 p.m. Chicago time. A countdown show will be available starting at 6 p.m. on the ESPN app, and the WNBA has its own “Orange Carpet” for draft prospects showing off their own style and fashion before the big night. The league also will be providing updates on its social and digital sites, including the WNBA app and WNBA.com.
The orange carpet should be quite the fashion show if only based on the show draftees put on last year. That’s when Caitlin Clark became the first athlete — female or male — dressed by Prada for the WNBA or NBA draft and helped set the tone for draft night in style.
When and where is the draft?
Monday, April 14, in New York City.
The draft is being held at The Shed, a cultural center at Hudson Yards in Manhattan. This will be the second straight draft fans will be able to attend. Tickets went on sale March 21 along with exclusive experiences available.
Who are the top players?
With a new collective bargaining agreement expected for the 2026 season, this draft has seen some would-be top picks choose to stay in college or hit the transfer portal to tap name, image and likeness deals rather than take the WNBA base salary with the very real risk of not making a roster.
That means Olivia Miles and Flau-Jae Johnson won’t have their names called. Instead, the WNBA will have a bit of an NBA-feel with a French player with Dominique Malonga being drafted early. The 6-foot-6 center played for France last summer in the Paris Olympics and will be a top selection after averaging a double-double playing for Lyon this season. She also became the first French female player to dunk in a EuroCup game last October.
Miles may not be going to the WNBA draft or staying at Notre Dame. Her Fighting Irish teammate Sonia Citron could be joining Malonga with the Mystics bringing her defense prowess and nearly automatic free throw shooting to Washington.
Hailey Van Lith is another likely Top 10 pick after becoming the first player to play on three different teams in the Elite Eight. She’s coming off her best college season helping the Horned Frogs make program history, and Van Lith won bronze with the U.S. in 3-on-3 at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore could go to the Sky in this year’s WNBA Draft.
Mock draft
There’s no doubt Bueckers will go first in the draft. After that it gets interesting. The Washington Mystics, with a new coach and general manager, control the direction of the draft with the third, fourth and sixth picks. Five teams will sit out the opening round as New York, Indiana, Phoenix and Atlanta all traded away their picks. Las Vegas forfeited its pick following an investigation by the league in 2023 that found the franchise violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.
Here’s a look at how the first round could look on April 14:
1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, UConn
A generational player who averaged 20.0 points and shot 42.4% from behind the 3-point line this season. Bueckers is one of the most efficient players in college basketball and will pair with Arike Ogunbowale in the Wings’ backcourt.
2. Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga, France
The 6-foot-6 center played for the French Olympic team last year and has a bright future in the WNBA. She averaged 15.0 points and 10.3 rebounds so far this season while playing for Lyon. While Seattle has a solid frontcourt with Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike, it’s hard to pass up on this talented 19-year-old.
3. Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
She averaged 14.3 points and 5.8 rebounds during her career at Notre Dame and also improved her defense to become one of the top defenders on the team. She would be the first of three first-round picks for a rebuilding Washington team and is in need of a solid wing. Citron has shot over 90% from the free throw line the past two seasons, one of the best percentages in the country.
4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, Southern California
Was a star at Stanford before heading to USC for her last season. She’s risen her game since JuJu Watkins went down with an ACL tear and helped get the team to the Elite Eight. She averaged 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds this season and will be another nice addition to a rebuilding Mystics team.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Morrow led the nation in double-doubles, averaging 18.7 points and 13.5 rebounds a game. She is second all-time in that category, behind only Oklahoma great Courtney Paris, having more than 100 in her career at LSU and DePaul.
The 6-foot-1 Morrow has a toughness and nose for the basketball.
6. Washington Mystics: Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
The Mystics will have had a lot of chances to see Sellers play in college with the Terrapins right up the road. She has size at 6-foot-2, but also plays the guard and wing spot. Her versatility makes her an attractive pick for the Mystics. She was the first player in Maryland history to have 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in her career.
7. Connecticut Sun: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania
Jocyte showcased her scoring skills with a 22-point effort against Belgium in the EuroBasket qualifiers. She’s a versatile player who can play any of the guard positions and is really effective on the pick and roll. Has a toughness about her and is fundamentally sound. Sun coach Rachid Meziane, who has spent time coaching in the French league, is well aware of her talents.
8. Connecticut Sun: Sania Feagin, South Carolina
Dawn Staley has produced a plethora of talented post players over the last few years, from A’ja Wilson to Aliyah Boston to Kamilla Cardoso. The South Carolina coach believes Feagin could be the next one to have an impact in the WNBA, predicting over the weekend that she’ll be a lottery pick. At 6-3, Feagin has size and shoots over 60% from the field.
9. Los Angeles Sparks: Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame
Westbeld missed the first half of this season while recovering from a foot injury, and with Miles and Hannah Hidalgo getting the majority of the shots, it was difficult for the 6-3 forward to get back to the numbers she put up the year before. Westbeld averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 2023-24.
10. Sky: Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
The Sky could pair Amoore with veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot to help the Australian learn the pro game. She averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists for Kentucky this season after transferring from Virginia Tech to play for Kenny Brooks, her former Hokies coach before he took the job in Lexington.
11. Minnesota Lynx: Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Van Lith became the first player to play on three different teams in the Elite Eight after seeing her college career revitalized at TCU. She averaged 17.7 points and 5.5 assists to help the Horned Frogs reach the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. She also has some pro experience helping the U.S. win a bronze medal in 3-on-3 at last year’s Paris Olympics.
12. Dallas Wings: Ajsa Sivka, Slovenia
Sivka is a multi-level scoring forward with efficient shot-making ability. She made over 42% from the 3-point line. At 6-4, she is a difficult matchup to defend.
Other players to watch out for who could be taken in the first round or early in the second include: Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina; Sedona Prince, TCU; JJ Quinerly, West Virginia; Sania Rivers, N.C. State; and Makayla Timpson, Florida State.
