International Picks in WNBA Draft
After a spectacular draft class last year, the WNBA welcomed athletes Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Angel Reese and many more brilliant players who had previously left a profound impact on women’s college basketball. Clark, for example, increased the viewership of the WNBA by 374% compared to the previous year. Heading into the 2025 draft and coming off of a national championship, Paige Bueckers of the University of Connecticut was predicted to go first pick in the WNBA draft. On April 14, her dreams came true as she was drafted by the Dallas Wings.
The 2025 draft class was also filled with many well-known players who had successful college careers and left a lasting impression, including Kiki Iraefen, a star forward with many accolades at both Stanford University and the University of Southern California; Hailey van Lith, the only player to lead three different teams to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament and Aneesah Morrow, a stellar rebounder at Louisiana State University. However, what made this draft special was the surge in international players.
In this year’s draft, there were three international players picked in the first round of the draft, setting a new record. The players included second pick Dominique Malonga of France to the Seattle Storm, fifth pick Justė Jocytė of Lithuania to the Golden State Valykries and 10th pick Ajša Sivka of Slovenia to the Chicago Sky.
Jocytė was originally born in Washington, D.C., but was raised for most of her life in Lithuania where she moved after her dad finished college. She was the youngest player in the European League playing at age 14 and is an interesting guard and post combination, something that the Valkyries were looking for. Jocytė is one of the youngest players in the league at age 19, which is the eligible age for international players versus the minimum age of 22 for American players.
More than 30 of last season’s 157 players came from abroad, including third overall pick from the 2024 draft and NCAA tournament star from the University of South Carolina Kamilla Cardoso, a Brazilian athlete.
Foreign players are drawn to the WNBA because of what the league allows them to do abroad. Unlike other professional women’s basketball leagues across the globe, the WNBA runs during the summer season, offering players the opportunity to play abroad during the offseason.
However, the WNBA looks to include international talent to the U.S. because of the increased viewership it brings. For example, Cardoso has helped to bring more viewership to the WNBA in Brazil. This year, the WNBA is hosting an international exhibition game, similar to the one hosted between the Indiana Fever and the Brazilian national team last season, in order to help gain experience.
In the NBA, international players like Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokić have made a huge impact on the league, impacting the playing style and the culture, something that the WNBA may be looking to do in the near future.
As the WNBA continues to expand, next year will mark the debut of the league’s first international WNBA team, the Toronto Tempo. With the encouragement of Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA commissioner aiming to boost viewership and attention, recruiting talented international players seems like the way to go for a growing league such as the WNBA.
Golden State Valkyries controversial final roster
In preparation for their first ever franchise league game on May 16, the Valkyries released their final roster. Much to fans disappointment and shock, everyone was shocked to see that 17th overall pick, Shyanne Sellers of the University of Maryland and 30th pick Kaitlyn Chen of UConn, were left off of the roster.
They also found out that Jocytė decided to continue playing abroad and that Chen and Sellers were waived from the team, leaving the Valkyries, with no rookie draft picks. Sellers, soon after being left as a free agent, got picked up by the Atlanta Dream, only to be waived by them and is still a free agent (so is Chen).
When Chen was selected by the Valkyries, following her stellar performance in UConn’s national championship win, fans were ecstatic. Both UConn and Golden State fans were beyond excited to welcome Chen to the Bay and give her the opportunity to play in this expanding league.
After hearing the comments from Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase about Chen’s performance during training camp, many believed that she had a good shot of making the team’s regular season roster and were excited to see her play.
Chen’s release was controversial because she had been featured all over the Valkyries Instagram account and other promotional efforts. Many attacked the organization and accused them of exploiting Chen and using her to draw more fans.
As it seems right now, Chen is a free agent starting off the season but regardless of what happens, she will still have her UConn fans following and supporting her every step of the way.
