WNBA Draft Preview: Bueckers slated No. 1 overall; Chen and Griffin both likely to be selected

How to watch

Date: Monday, April 14

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: The Shed, New York City

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN.com/watch

2025 WNBA Draft Preview

UConn’s three seniors didn’t have much time to celebrate their national championship. The Huskies won it all last Sunday, paraded through the streets of Hartford exactly one week later and will now be whisked into the next stage of their careers at the WNBA Draft on Monday. There’s a lot of emotions wrapped up in a short stretch.

“Seems like there's a lot of quick turnarounds,” Geno Auriemma said. “It is a lot for these kids to process. There's the joy of winning the national championship, the joy of going to the Final Four and then immediately you're hit with the realization that, ‘What if I don't get drafted? What if my basketball career is over?’ So it's pretty harsh.”

Realistically, none of UConn’s three players in the draft should have much anxiety entering draft night. Barring the biggest draft day stunner in league history, Paige Bueckers will be taken with the No. 1 overall pick.

As for Kaitlyn Chen and Aubrey Griffin, they should come off the board at some point. Not only is history on their side — the last time a Husky who played regular minutes went undrafted was Caroline Doty in 2013 — Auriemma also seemed confident that both players will hear their names called.

“I've gotten different views from different people. I think they'll both end up [somewhere],” he said. “I think both of their chances are awfully good.”

Paige Bueckers

Ever since she decided to return to UConn for another season, Bueckers has been the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. That part has never been in question. But when the Dallas Wings won the draft lottery and landed the top pick, speculation started about whether she’d actually play there.

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