WNBA draft guide: Paige Bueckers and the Valkyries get ready for their big night in New York
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 7:30 p.m. ET through 9:30 p.m. ET. A countdown show will be available starting at 7 p.m. ET 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 ver 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.
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