The 2025 WNBA Draft was held Monday night in Manhattan as the league prepares for its 29th season this summer.
While the Dallas Wings’ selection of UConn’s Paige Bueckers as the number one overall pick was unsurprising, the remainder of the first round featured much intrigue. With so much movement occurring during free agency, the needs of the franchises have changed drastically since the New York Liberty won the WNBA Championship in October.
With the Washinton Mystics holding three of the first six picks, all eyes were on them as the team is moving into a new era after the retirement of perennial All-Star Elena Delle Donne. Other storylines focused on who the Golden State Valyries would select in the franchise’s first-ever draft as the expansion team begins play this season and how the Connecticut Sun would handle holding the seventh and eighth picks in the first round as the team starts a rebuild and looks to roll the dice in the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Let’s start locally, as the New York Liberty was on the clock on Monday night.
Liberty Pick Foreign Player With Only Pick
The Liberty traded out of the first and second rounds of the WNBA Draft and had to wait until the very last pick to make their selection. With the 38th pick, New York selected Adja Kane out of France. The pick screams of a draft-and-stash possibility, as Kane will need more seasoning before coming to the United States.
The 6’3″ center averaged 4.9 points and four rebounds in 20 games for Landerneau, a team in La Boulangère Wonderligue, a First Division French team. With an already stacked roster that features all five starters returning to the fold, Kane would be on the bubble to make the team. Having a player continue to develop as the team continues its drive toward a dynasty is a forward-thinking concept for New York.
Former Princeton Player Goes In Third Round
Kaitlyn Chen, who played three years with the Princeton Tigers and finished her collegiate career with UConn, was drafted by the expansion Valkyries in the third round.
While a role player with the Huskies, Chen showed her entire arsenal while she played in New Jersey. Chen averaged double figures in all three seasons with Princeton, putting up 14 points and four assists over her time with the Tigers. Moving on to UConn this past season, Chen was an integral part of the Huskies’ National Championship, scoring 15 points in the Elite Eight against USC.
The WNBA goes into a pivotal season as the league’s popularity grows. While more eyes are on the product, there are still issues regarding fairness and equality within the league regarding pay, transportation to games, and other pertinent matters. With the players’ union opting out of the CBA in October, the upcoming negotiations will be the first with the league prominently on the sports landscape, so both sides will be dug in with a work stoppage being mentioned for the 2026 season.
