The 2025 WNBA Draft has nearly arrived, with all of the festivities set for Monday night at The Shed in New York City. Soon, the top prospects from college basketball and around the globe will learn where they’ll begin their professional careers.
Many of the top players will be in attendance Monday, including UConn star Paige Bueckers, the projected No. 1 overall pick. Fans will be in the building as well, as they were able to buy tickets for the event for the second consecutive year.
2025 WNBA Draft: Biggest needs, possible fits for all 13 teams; Valkyries looking for a bit of everything
Jack Maloney
“At a time when the passion and excitement surrounding the WNBA has never been higher, we continue to focus on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement last month. “On the heels of an interesting free agency period and with draft serving as the official start to the upcoming WNBA season, we look forward to welcoming in a new set of WNBA rookies in a memorable way.”
Ahead of Monday, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s draft.
Where to watch the 2025 WNBA Draft:
When: Monday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: The Shed, New York, New York
TV: ESPN | Stream: fubo (try for free)
Top prospects
- Paige Bueckers — G, UConn
- Dominique Malonga — C, France
- Sonia Citron — G, Notre Dame
- Kiki Iriafen — F, USC
- Justė Jocytė — G, Lithuania
- Shyanne Sellers — G, Maryland
- Aneesah Morrow — F, LSU
- Georgia Amoore — G, Kentucky
- Ajša Sivka — F, Slovenia
- Hailey Van Lith — G, TCU
Bueckers, who earlier this month led UConn to their first national championship since 2016, is going to be the No. 1 overall pick to the Dallas Wings. She is a generational offense talent, an underrated defender and a franchise-changing player, both on and off the court.
French sensation Dominique Malonga, Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron and USC forward Kiki Iriafen are expected to round out the lottery. After that, however, it’s all up in the air.
The WNBA invited 16 players to the draft, including Bueckers, Malonga, Iriafen, Citron, Morrow and Van Lith. For the full list of invitees, go here.
2025 WNBA Mock Draft 5.0: Paige Bueckers goes No. 1 to Wings, Hailey Van Lith rises following March Madness
Jack Maloney
Key storylines
- Aces without a first-round pick
The Las Vegas Aces had their 2025 first-round pick rescinded by the league after a 2023 investigation into the organization found them guilty of violating league rules regarding impermissible player benefits. That is a major loss for them given their lack of depth. Their only picks on Monday will be Nos. 13 and 35 overall.
The Golden State Valkyries, the league’s first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream in 2008, will begin play this season. First, though, they will make their WNBA Draft debut. The Valkyries were slotted in after the lottery, and will make their first selection at No. 5 overall. They will also have picks Nos. 17 and 30.
- Key deferrals shake up first round
Shortly after Notre Dame was eliminated from the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Olivia Miles, the projected No. 2 overall pick, announced she would forgo the draft and enter the transfer portal. Likewise, UConn’s Azzi Fudd, who was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player, decided to go back to Storrs. Furthermore, LSU star Flau’jae Johnson, who could have left school early, chose to stay in Baton Rouge for her senior season.
All of them would have been first-round picks, and they were arguably the three best backcourt prospects in this class. Without them, this draft looks much different.
- Three teams control the first round
The Aces’ first-round pick being rescinded cancels out the addition of the Valkyries, so there will still only be 12 first-round picks this year. Nine of them are owned by just four teams.
The Dallas Wings will start and finish the first round with picks Nos. 1 and 12, the Washington Mystics will control the middle portion with picks Nos. 3, 4 and 6 and the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky will determine how the latter half shakes out with selections Nos. 7 and 8 and 10 and 11, respectively.
Six teams do not have a first-round pick: Atlanta Dream, Las Vegas Aces, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm.
First-round draft order
- Dallas Wings
- Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles)
- Washington Mystics (via Chicago)
- Washington Mystics
- Golden State Valkyries
- Washington Mystics (via Atlanta)
- Connecticut Sun (via Phoenix)
- Connecticut Sun (via Indiana)
- Los Angeles Sparks (via Seattle)
- Chicago Sky (via Connecticut)
- Chicago Sky (via Minnesota)
- Dallas Wings (via New York)