WNBA Draft 2025 picks, live updates: Paige Bueckers goes No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings
The 2025 WNBA Draft is here, and the next generation of WNBA stars learned where they'll start their pro careers on Monday night in New York. UConn star Paige Bueckers was the unquestioned No. 1 pick for the Dallas Wings, and after that, the story of the first round was the trio of European players headlined by France's Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick of the Seattle Storm. NC State also saw two of its players drafted (Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James), while TCU's Hailey Van Lith went to the Chicago Sky at No. 11. Here's how the entire first round is unfolded:
First-round results1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, UConn2. Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles Sparks): Dominique Malonga, France3. Washington Mystics (via Chicago Sky): Sonia Citron, Notre Dame4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, USC5. Golden State Valkyries: Justė Jocytė, Lithuania6. Washington Mystics (via Atlanta Dream): Georgia Amoore, Kentucky7. Connecticut Sun (via Phoenix Mercury): Aneesah Morrow, LSU8. Connecticut Sun (via Indiana Fever): Saniya Rivers, NC State9. Los Angeles Sparks (via Seattle Storm): Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama10. Chicago Sky (via Connecticut Sun): Ajša Sivka, Slovenia11. Chicago Sky (via Minnesota Lynx): Hailey Van Lith, TCU12. Dallas Wings (via New York Liberty): Aziaha James, NC State
Second-round results
1. Las Vegas Aces: Aaliyah Nye, Alabama2. Dallas Wings: Madison Scott, Mississippi
Date: Monday, April 14
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, DirecTV, Fubo
Location: The Shed at Hudson Yards | New York
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for all the updates, picks, reactions and more on draft night:
To no one's surprise, Paige Bueckers is heading to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the draft. The UConn guard and 2025 National Champion will join Arike Ogunbowale on the Wings.
PAIGE BUECKERS IS HEADED TO THE DALLAS WINGS WITH THE NO. 1 OVERALL PICK 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Pqjp71ZCJM
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 14, 2025
For their third Top-15 pick of the night, the Wings are going with Ole Miss' Madison Scott. Scott took the Rebels on a strong March Madness run and will be a great addition to Dallas' roster.
Giddy up, Madison!We have selected Madison Scott from University of Mississippi 14th overall. pic.twitter.com/BnbwoDseRW
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) April 15, 2025
Scott will join Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James as the Wings' rookies this season, with one more rookie still set to join: Dallas has one more pick tonight, in the third round.
Las Vegas may have lost its first-round pick as a result of a punishment from the league. But the Aces open the second round with the No. 13th overall pick, selecting Alabama's Aaliyah Nye.
Nye was not expected to go this high, but was in the house to support Crimson Tide teammate Sarah Ashlee Barker, who went ninth overall. Nye, a 6'0" versatile guard/forward, will join A'ja Wilson and the championship-winning Aces squad.
Hailey Van Lith playing and learning behind Courtney Vandersloot in Chicago is intriguing. She could stick on the training camp roster there. And speaking of sticking on a roster, Aziaha James landed in a good spot. Wings GM Curt Miller was adamant with media the other day:
'You would want to hear your name if you're in that [late first round or second round] range for Dallas, because there is absolutely a legitimate chance for 12 and 14 to make our opening day roster, and that was intentionally done through our free agency. So we're excited. So we've invested a lot of time on preparing to pick 12 and 14, and we're excited about it.'
The Wings use their second first-rounder to take Aziaha James, closing out the first round with the NC State guard. James has a strong arsenal of shots and will be a great pairing with Arike Ogunbowale and new rookie guard Paige Bueckers.
Aziaha James is heading to Dallas as the No. 12 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/edNtANdUsF
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Hailey Van Lith is a WNBA first-round pick, with Chicago using its second pick to take the guard 11th overall. Van Lith single-handedly brought up her draft stock this month after a killer March Madness performance with TCU.
Hailey Van Lith is heading to Chicago as the No. 11 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/gNr3Vvi9qE
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
The Sky, who needed some more strength beyond the arc, will find that with Van Lith, who is a great shooter and a notorious workhorse.
Chicago picks Ajša Sivka, a 6'4" forward from Slovenia, at eight overall — the first of two straight first-round picks for the Sky. It's been an international-heavy first round, with Sivka becoming the third European player to be selected in this round.
Ajsa Sivka becomes the newest member of the Chicago Sky 💪 pic.twitter.com/zKLldkR3Ft
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 15, 2025
Sivka is another largely unknown European name in this year's draft, but has drawn comparisons — including from Sivka herself — to the Liberty's German forward Leonie Fiebich. Sivka's shooting ability to be a strong complement for Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso's presence in the paint.
With their only first-round pick of the 2025 Draft, the Sparks have picked guard Sarah Ashlee Barker — a standout at Alabama who caught eyes after a tough performance in 2025 March Madness. Barker was not expected to go this early, but her hard work and high-point performances have seemingly swayed Los Angeles to add her to the roster.
Sarah Ashlee Barker is heading to Los Angeles as the No. 9 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/s8Hz85dUJP
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Barker will now join a rebuilding Sparks team, who ended the season dead last. In addition to stars like forward Dearica Hamby, L.A. recently gained champion guard Kelsey Plum and will hopefully see star second-year center Cameron Brink return this summer after tearing her ACL midway through her rookie season.
The Sun are going with NC State's Saniya Rivers for their second first-round pick, selecting the 6'1" guard at eighth overall. Rivers was key to the Wolfpack's Sweet 16 run, pitching in stats across the board, and will be another key young player as Connecticut starts fresh next year.
Saniya Rivers is heading to Connecticut as the No. 8 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/uiH3Iwf9Xg
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
With the first of two first-round picks, Connecticut takes LSU forward Aneesah Morrow. As the Sun prepare for a full rebuild next season, Morrow will be a great player to take Connecticut into its next chapter — a great scorer and rebounder with a strong drive and work ethic.
Aneesah Morrow is heading to Connecticut as the No. 7 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/j0BdjLEx53
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Washington takes Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore with their final first-round pick of the day.
With the 6th pick of the WNBA Draft, the @WashMystics select Georgia Amoore! 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/U3iZBiPBrF
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Amoore was expected to go later in the draft as well, partially due to her size — as ESPN's Holly Rowe notes, Amoore is one of few draft prospect shorter than the reporter — but she's an athletic guard with a wide range of shots in her arsenal.
Amoore will join fellow rookies Citron and Iriafen on a young Mystics squad — a team already anchored by second-year player Aaliyah Edwards.
In a historic moment, the Valkyries use the franchise's first-ever pick in the WNBA on Justė Jocytė, adding the 19-year-old Lithuanian guard to the team's inaugural squad.
The Golden State Valkyries draft Juste Jocyte from Lithuania with their WNBA inaugural pick 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YbXnDvX4ou
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 15, 2025
Jocytė, who has been playing in the EuroLeague for five years, was expected to go later in the Draft, but will be a good addition to the team's already international-heavy roster.
Washington goes with USC forward Kiki Iriafen for its second of three first-round picks. Iriafen, who transferred to USC this offseason after three years at Stanford, is a strong post player with strengths on both sides of the ball.
A dream come true for Kiki Iriafen and her family 🧡 https://t.co/vC6v6uhKhn pic.twitter.com/f12f64VhB7
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
The Mystics were expected to take both Iriafen and Citron with their third and fourth picks, although the order wasn't certain. Now, Washington will have one more first-round pick, with a chance to get another top player at No. 6 overall.
The Mystics have three of the next four picks, and used the first one on Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron. After putting on a show in the Fighting Irish's March Madness run, Washington is adding Citron to their roster — a smart, multi-faceted guard who will help the Mystics on both ends of the court.
Sonia Citron is heading to Washington D.C. as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/7258o1zTZE
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
The Storm are getting a big boost in the paint, taking Dominique Malonga with the second overall pick the team earned in the trade that sent Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas. Malonga, a 6'6", 19-year-old forward/center, is a stellar player who draws comparisons to Spurs center and countryman Victor Wembanyama.
The Seattle Storm selects 6-foot-6 French star Dominique Malonga with the No. 2 pick 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vCczYZI97s
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 14, 2025
With Loyd going to the Aces, the Storm were largely in need of a new point guard. But Malonga, whose ceiling is so high, was too good to pass up.
Malonga, a member of the French national team, will be joining teammate Gabby Williams on the Storm. Williams won the Olympic silver medal with France this summer alongside Malonga, who was the youngest member of that team.
Paige Bueckers is heading to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/uC9FTmjMXA
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
Paige Bueckers came prepared, changing into a second outfit ahead of the ceremony.
Of course Paige pulled up with a second fit 🔥Tune in to the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm at 7:30pm/ET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/XfsEj8oOmO
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
(Here's what she was wearing on the orange carpet — a different black, sparkly suit.)
Paige Bueckers has entered the chat 🤩#WNBADraft Orange Carpet presented by @Coach pic.twitter.com/GJeBhd4K5U
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
Diana Taurasi with the show-opening voice over for Paige Bueckers' draft night? Say less.
Hello from the theater at The Shed, where we're a few minutes from the 2025 WNBA Draft. Fans in Paige Bueckers' No. 5 UConn jersey gathered outside around 5 p.m. waiting to enter, and there are already cheers at mentions of the projected No. 1 pick. Nika Muhl, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd are among the Huskies here to support her.
One of the players expected to go early in this draft is French center Dominique Malonga, who Yahoo Sports projects will go to the Seattle Storm at No. 2.
Malonga is a 6'6", 19-year-old Cameroonian-born player whose height, youth and nationality have drawn comparisons to Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. But Malonga is a name in her own right: She's played in the French league since 2021 and is a dynamic player on both ends of the court. (And she can dunk, too!)
Malonga is there tonight with her family, with the French, Cameroonian and Congolese flags laid over the table.
Reppin' for her people, Dominique Malonga is proud of her heritage and to be apart of the 2025 draft class 🙌 pic.twitter.com/h1gcjCx7jg
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
To no one's surprise, Paige Bueckers is heading to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the draft. The UConn guard and 2025 National Champion will join Arike Ogunbowale on the Wings.
PAIGE BUECKERS IS HEADED TO THE DALLAS WINGS WITH THE NO. 1 OVERALL PICK 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Pqjp71ZCJM
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 14, 2025
For their third Top-15 pick of the night, the Wings are going with Ole Miss' Madison Scott. Scott took the Rebels on a strong March Madness run and will be a great addition to Dallas' roster.
Giddy up, Madison!We have selected Madison Scott from University of Mississippi 14th overall. pic.twitter.com/BnbwoDseRW
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) April 15, 2025
Scott will join Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James as the Wings' rookies this season, with one more rookie still set to join: Dallas has one more pick tonight, in the third round.
Las Vegas may have lost its first-round pick as a result of a punishment from the league. But the Aces open the second round with the No. 13th overall pick, selecting Alabama's Aaliyah Nye.
Nye was not expected to go this high, but was in the house to support Crimson Tide teammate Sarah Ashlee Barker, who went ninth overall. Nye, a 6'0" versatile guard/forward, will join A'ja Wilson and the championship-winning Aces squad.
Hailey Van Lith playing and learning behind Courtney Vandersloot in Chicago is intriguing. She could stick on the training camp roster there. And speaking of sticking on a roster, Aziaha James landed in a good spot. Wings GM Curt Miller was adamant with media the other day:
'You would want to hear your name if you're in that [late first round or second round] range for Dallas, because there is absolutely a legitimate chance for 12 and 14 to make our opening day roster, and that was intentionally done through our free agency. So we're excited. So we've invested a lot of time on preparing to pick 12 and 14, and we're excited about it.'
The Wings use their second first-rounder to take Aziaha James, closing out the first round with the NC State guard. James has a strong arsenal of shots and will be a great pairing with Arike Ogunbowale and new rookie guard Paige Bueckers.
Aziaha James is heading to Dallas as the No. 12 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/edNtANdUsF
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Hailey Van Lith is a WNBA first-round pick, with Chicago using its second pick to take the guard 11th overall. Van Lith single-handedly brought up her draft stock this month after a killer March Madness performance with TCU.
Hailey Van Lith is heading to Chicago as the No. 11 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/gNr3Vvi9qE
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
The Sky, who needed some more strength beyond the arc, will find that with Van Lith, who is a great shooter and a notorious workhorse.
Chicago picks Ajša Sivka, a 6'4" forward from Slovenia, at eight overall — the first of two straight first-round picks for the Sky. It's been an international-heavy first round, with Sivka becoming the third European player to be selected in this round.
Ajsa Sivka becomes the newest member of the Chicago Sky 💪 pic.twitter.com/zKLldkR3Ft
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 15, 2025
Sivka is another largely unknown European name in this year's draft, but has drawn comparisons — including from Sivka herself — to the Liberty's German forward Leonie Fiebich. Sivka's shooting ability to be a strong complement for Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso's presence in the paint.
With their only first-round pick of the 2025 Draft, the Sparks have picked guard Sarah Ashlee Barker — a standout at Alabama who caught eyes after a tough performance in 2025 March Madness. Barker was not expected to go this early, but her hard work and high-point performances have seemingly swayed Los Angeles to add her to the roster.
Sarah Ashlee Barker is heading to Los Angeles as the No. 9 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/s8Hz85dUJP
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Barker will now join a rebuilding Sparks team, who ended the season dead last. In addition to stars like forward Dearica Hamby, L.A. recently gained champion guard Kelsey Plum and will hopefully see star second-year center Cameron Brink return this summer after tearing her ACL midway through her rookie season.
The Sun are going with NC State's Saniya Rivers for their second first-round pick, selecting the 6'1" guard at eighth overall. Rivers was key to the Wolfpack's Sweet 16 run, pitching in stats across the board, and will be another key young player as Connecticut starts fresh next year.
Saniya Rivers is heading to Connecticut as the No. 8 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/uiH3Iwf9Xg
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
With the first of two first-round picks, Connecticut takes LSU forward Aneesah Morrow. As the Sun prepare for a full rebuild next season, Morrow will be a great player to take Connecticut into its next chapter — a great scorer and rebounder with a strong drive and work ethic.
Aneesah Morrow is heading to Connecticut as the No. 7 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/j0BdjLEx53
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Washington takes Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore with their final first-round pick of the day.
With the 6th pick of the WNBA Draft, the @WashMystics select Georgia Amoore! 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/U3iZBiPBrF
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
Amoore was expected to go later in the draft as well, partially due to her size — as ESPN's Holly Rowe notes, Amoore is one of few draft prospect shorter than the reporter — but she's an athletic guard with a wide range of shots in her arsenal.
Amoore will join fellow rookies Citron and Iriafen on a young Mystics squad — a team already anchored by second-year player Aaliyah Edwards.
In a historic moment, the Valkyries use the franchise's first-ever pick in the WNBA on Justė Jocytė, adding the 19-year-old Lithuanian guard to the team's inaugural squad.
The Golden State Valkyries draft Juste Jocyte from Lithuania with their WNBA inaugural pick 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YbXnDvX4ou
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 15, 2025
Jocytė, who has been playing in the EuroLeague for five years, was expected to go later in the Draft, but will be a good addition to the team's already international-heavy roster.
Washington goes with USC forward Kiki Iriafen for its second of three first-round picks. Iriafen, who transferred to USC this offseason after three years at Stanford, is a strong post player with strengths on both sides of the ball.
A dream come true for Kiki Iriafen and her family 🧡 https://t.co/vC6v6uhKhn pic.twitter.com/f12f64VhB7
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
The Mystics were expected to take both Iriafen and Citron with their third and fourth picks, although the order wasn't certain. Now, Washington will have one more first-round pick, with a chance to get another top player at No. 6 overall.
The Mystics have three of the next four picks, and used the first one on Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron. After putting on a show in the Fighting Irish's March Madness run, Washington is adding Citron to their roster — a smart, multi-faceted guard who will help the Mystics on both ends of the court.
Sonia Citron is heading to Washington D.C. as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/7258o1zTZE
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 15, 2025
The Storm are getting a big boost in the paint, taking Dominique Malonga with the second overall pick the team earned in the trade that sent Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas. Malonga, a 6'6", 19-year-old forward/center, is a stellar player who draws comparisons to Spurs center and countryman Victor Wembanyama.
The Seattle Storm selects 6-foot-6 French star Dominique Malonga with the No. 2 pick 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vCczYZI97s
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 14, 2025
With Loyd going to the Aces, the Storm were largely in need of a new point guard. But Malonga, whose ceiling is so high, was too good to pass up.
Malonga, a member of the French national team, will be joining teammate Gabby Williams on the Storm. Williams won the Olympic silver medal with France this summer alongside Malonga, who was the youngest member of that team.
Paige Bueckers is heading to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm! pic.twitter.com/uC9FTmjMXA
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
Paige Bueckers came prepared, changing into a second outfit ahead of the ceremony.
Of course Paige pulled up with a second fit 🔥Tune in to the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by @StateFarm at 7:30pm/ET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/XfsEj8oOmO
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
(Here's what she was wearing on the orange carpet — a different black, sparkly suit.)
Paige Bueckers has entered the chat 🤩#WNBADraft Orange Carpet presented by @Coach pic.twitter.com/GJeBhd4K5U
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
Diana Taurasi with the show-opening voice over for Paige Bueckers' draft night? Say less.
Hello from the theater at The Shed, where we're a few minutes from the 2025 WNBA Draft. Fans in Paige Bueckers' No. 5 UConn jersey gathered outside around 5 p.m. waiting to enter, and there are already cheers at mentions of the projected No. 1 pick. Nika Muhl, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd are among the Huskies here to support her.
One of the players expected to go early in this draft is French center Dominique Malonga, who Yahoo Sports projects will go to the Seattle Storm at No. 2.
Malonga is a 6'6", 19-year-old Cameroonian-born player whose height, youth and nationality have drawn comparisons to Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. But Malonga is a name in her own right: She's played in the French league since 2021 and is a dynamic player on both ends of the court. (And she can dunk, too!)
Malonga is there tonight with her family, with the French, Cameroonian and Congolese flags laid over the table.
Reppin' for her people, Dominique Malonga is proud of her heritage and to be apart of the 2025 draft class 🙌 pic.twitter.com/h1gcjCx7jg
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025
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