The WNBA will welcome its new Rookie class, with the head of Paige Bueckers when the competition has its annual concept on Monday evening.
The UConn star, who is fresh, leads the Huskies to their national championship, is expected to go to the Dallas Wings. Bueckers will be a large piece on and outside the field for the wings.
[MORE: ‘My journey became hers’: Geno Auriemma, Paige Bueckers share fairytale ending]
Seattle has the second choice and could possibly take French Dominique Malonga. The 19-year-old helped France win the silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games this past. If she was set up second, she would only be the fifth foreign player who went into the first two picks in the history of the competition. Margo Dydek first went in 1998 and Lauren Jackson was the number 1 pick three years later. Liz Cambage was drawn up in 2011 and Awak Kuier went no. 2 in 2021.
The Washington Mystics will arrange the direction of the design after the top two choices, with the third, fourth and sixth picks. Washington must have new coach and general manager.
Five teams have no picks in the opening round, because New York, Indiana, Phoenix and Atlanta all exchanged their choices. Las Vegas forfeited his choice after an investigation by the competition in 2023 in which it was established that the franchise brought the competition rules with regard to uninsured player benefits and workplace polies.
[MORE: 2025 WNBA Draft: How to watch, date, TV channel]
Here are subject facts for the design of Monday evening:
All eyes on France
The 6-foot-6 Malonga ISN is the only foreign player in the design that has tightened her skills in France. Joze Jocyte, the Lyon teammate of Malonga in the Franch Basketball League, is also expected to be taken in the Cracst Rounst.
Jocyte is a versatile player who can play each of the Guar positions and is really ephective in the pick and roll. The Lithhuanian, who is also 19 years old, scored 22 points against Belgium in Eurobasket that qualifies a few mouths August. She has to be tough over her and is fundamentally healthy.
“She is left-handed and knows how to play in her hands with or without the ball,” said former Mystics coach Mike Tibault. “Not a real Point Guard, buter the ball. She is a smart player who knows how to use screens.”
Ajsa Sivka from Slovenia can also be a first round choice. She is a multilevel scoring forward with an efficient shot-made capacity. She earned more than 42% of the 3-point line. On 6-foot-4 she is a difficult matchup to defend.
“She has all the skills to be a good player in the WNBA,” said Thibault.
Start from the point
The Golden State Valkyries go into the competition as an extension of franchise and have the fifth choice in the design. The Valkyries had their expansion player and may now find a corner player to go with CK. Potential candidates for the Valkyries are Kiki Iriafen from USC and LSU’s Aneesah Morrow.
New location
The design will be held in New York on the barn and will have fans for the second consecutive year. The competition will hold an orange carpet before the arrival of the traaftees.
Reporting by the Associated Press.
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