WNBA Draft, Paige Bueckers and UConn
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Bueckers downplayed rumors Friday regarding the possibility that she could refuse to play for certain WNBA teams.
From Bleacher Report
Auriemma did so again Thursday at his Final Four press conference prior to Friday’s national semifinal against UCLA, and of course, he had to start out with a bit of sarcasm.
From StamfordAdvocate
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The Dallas Wings hold the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, and barring anything unexpected, Bueckers is expected to be the first player taken when the draft. The Wings finished the 2024 season 9-31, missing the playoffs. Having the top overall pick is incredibly important to franchises looking to rebuild.
College and high school sports media company On3 estimates Bueckers’s NIL valuation at $1.4 million for the 2024-25 season, with deals including Nike, Bose, CeraVe, Gatorade, Chegg, Verizon, Intuit, Madison Reed, Panini America, and Dunkin’.
The Bruins fell short in their first appearance in the NCAA Final Four. UCLA won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women’s basketball. The Bruins were looking to become the first team from the Big Ten, a conference they joined this season, to win a championship since Purdue did it in 1999.
UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers is focused on attempting to win a national championship, but fans are already curious about the star's WNBA future.
WNBA front offices are always looking for great defenders who can carve out a role within the league, but Quinerly is a multi-level major scoring threat as well. She elevated her play in the final month of her senior year at West Virginia, further increasing her stock on the biggest stage.
The 2025 WNBA Draft will be headlined by UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who has been penciled in as the top pick ever since she decided to exercise her fifth year of eligibility. But beyond Bueckers, there is a deep pool of lead guards, scorers, and wings who are eager to make their impact at the next level.