Paige Bueckers became the latest UConn standout to go first overall in the WNBA draft on Monday night as the Dallas Wings selected the 23-year-old guard before several hundred spectators at the Shed in New York City.
Her selection capped a dominant final season at Connecticut and marked the start of an eagerly anticipated professional career. Bueckers helmed the Huskies to a drought-busting 12th national championship eight days ago and becomes the sixth UConn player to be drafted No 1, joining Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart.
“You don’t ever want to assume anything in life,” Bueckers said after taking the stage. “It’s a fresh start and we’re all ready to do something special.”
Bueckers’ journey to Monday night was defined by both early accolades and extended adversity. She won the Naismith Trophy as the nation’s top college player as a freshman but missed significant time in her sophomore year due to a knee injury before sitting out the entire 2022–23 season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament. The injuries delayed but did not derail her rise. She returned for the 2024–25 season to average 22.3 points per game and lead UConn to an unbreaten postseason run.
“Just an overwhelming sense of gratitude, it’s super-surreal just being here,” she said Monday. “All their hard work helped me get to this stage. I didn’t do it alone – it took a village.”
Bueckers’ brand presence has grown alongside her basketball career. She became the first college basketball player to have a Nike sneaker named after her and holds a multi-year endorsement deal with Gatorade.
She described her path to the draft as “a story of resilience, of gratitude, of adversity, of overcoming adversity”, and called the moment the fulfillment of a dream first imagined at age five.
The Wings, who finished 9–31 last season, will look to build around Bueckers as a two-way playmaker known for her efficiency and court awareness.
Seattle selected French teenager Dominique Malonga with the No 2 pick. The 6ft 6in center helped France win silver at the Paris Olympics and was one of the youngest players in the draft.
“It’s amazing to me,” Malonga said. “I’m so happy to represent France. Not only France, but Cameroon and Congo. I’m a multicultural person. I will work very hard to fit in this league, because I know it’s gonna be tough.”
The Washington Mystics, rebuilding under a new coach and general manager, made back-to-back picks to take Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron at No 3 and Southern Cal’s Kiki Iriafen at No 4. The expansion Golden State Valkyries followed by selecting Lithuanian teenager Justė Jocytė with the fifth overall pick, the first in franchise history.
The first round featured 12 total picks. New York, Indiana, Minnesota, Phoenix and Atlanta did not have first-round selections after previous trades. Las Vegas forfeited their pick due to sanctions stemming from a 2023 league investigation into improper benefits and workplace violations.
The 2025 draft unfolded amid continued momentum for the WNBA, following a surge in attendance, viewership and endorsement deals tied to college stars entering the league. Bueckers’ arrival signals another significant chapter in that growth.
Bueckers had been earmarked as a future star long before she stepped onto a college court. As early as middle school, she drew national attention through viral highlight reels showcasing her preternatural court vision, creative passing and deep shooting range in AAU tournaments. Recruiting sites like ESPN HoopGurlz and Blue Star Media began ranking her among the top prospects in the country by the time she was in eighth grade, while comparisons to WNBA greats such as Bird and Taurasi quickly followed.
By the time she entered Hopkins High School in Minnesota, she was already considered the top player in the class of 2020 – a status she maintained throughout her prep career before committing to UConn.
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