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UConn guard Paige Bueckers landed No. 1 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks in a WNBA 2025 mock draft published by ESPN’s Michael Voepel on Tuesday.
Here’s a look at the entire first round below
WNBA Mock Draft Via ESPN’s Michael Voepel
Los Angeles Sparks: UConn senior guard Paige Bueckers
2. Dallas Wings: USC senior power forward Kiki Iriafen
3. Chicago Sky: LSU senior small forward Aneesah Morrow
4. Washington Mystics: UConn junior shooting guard Azzi Fudd
5. Golden State Valkyries: Notre Dame junior point guard Olivia Miles
6. Washington Mystics (from Atlanta Dream): Maryland senior point guard Shyanne Sellers
7. New York Liberty (from Phoenix Mercury): Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (France) center Dominique Malonga
8. Indiana Fever: UCLA junior power forward Janiah Barker
9. Seattle Storm: Texas senior point guard Rori Harmon
10. Chicago Sky (from Connecticut Sun): South Carolina senior guard Te-Hina Paopao
11. Minnesota Lynx: Notre Dame senior shooting guard Sonia Citron
12. Phoenix Mercury (from New York Liberty): Kentucky graduate student point guard Georgia Amoore
Note that the current draft order is unknown for multiple reasons.
For starters, the draft lottery still needs to be held for the four teams who missed the playoffs (Sparks, Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics). The lottery teams are currently listed in reverse order of their regular-season record.
At 8-32, the last-place Sparks have a 44.2 percent chance to get the No. 1 pick, per Tankathon. Then it’s the 9-31 Dallas Wings (27.6 percent) followed by the 13-27 Chicago Sky (17.8 percent) and 14-26 Washington Mystics (10.4 percent).
It’s also unknown where the WNBA will slot the league’s 2025 expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries.
Regardless of which team lands No. 1, it’s clear that Bueckers is the favorite to go first at this time.
Bueckers averaged 21.9 points on 53.0 percent shooting (41.6 percent from three), 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game last season. She led the 33-win Huskies to a Big East title and an appearance in the Final Four, where they fell to the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes.
It was an incredible comeback season for Bueckers after missing the entire 2022-23 campaign with a torn ACL in her left knee. Bueckers also previously sat nearly three months during the 2021-22 season. Before that year, Bueckers also underwent right ankle surgery to address an osteochondral defect.
Given everything Bueckers endured and persevered through, her accomplishments last year are simply tremendous. There’s no doubting Bueckers’ superstar talent, and she can instantly transform any franchise.
The Sparks would be a great fit in particular. They already have their long-term big in Cameron Brink, the 2024 No. 2 overall draft pick who was shining on the defensive end (2.3 blocks per game) before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. Brink also flashed offensively at times, notably scoring 16 points in her last full game.
Bueckers would be the team’s backcourt leader, of course, and create a one-two punch with Brink that could be a serious problem for opposing teams.
We’ll see what transpires down the road. In the meantime, the lottery still needs to be held. No date has been set yet, but last year’s edition took place on Dec. 10 for reference. The college basketball season begins in November, with Bueckers’ Huskies beginning their campaign on the 3rd against Fort Hays State.
