Bueckers goes No. 1 to Wings fresh off UConn title

NEW YORK -- UConn star and newly minted NCAA champion Paige Bueckers was selected No. 1 by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA draft on Monday night.

Bueckers, a three-time first-team All-American from Hopkins, Minnesota, becomes the sixth player, and first since Breanna Stewart in 2016, to be drafted first overall and win a national championship in the same year. Bueckers led the Huskies to their first NCAA title in nine years last Sunday in her final college game.

"Dallas I'm so excited, a new city, a new start," Bueckers said. "A fresh start, so let's get it."

The 2021 national player of the year, Bueckers is also the sixth UConn player to be drafted No. 1, joining a distinguished group of WNBA superstars that includes Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011) and Stewart (2016).

Bueckers' UConn teammates and coach Geno Auriemma were in attendance at the draft, which was held at The Shed in New York in front of hundreds of fans. Bueckers choked up when talking about her former Huskies teammates.

"They mean everything to me. They helped me get through highs and lows," Bueckers said.

The selection marks a hopeful change of fortune for the Wings, who went 9-31 last season, missed the playoffs and changed coaches. Dallas was rewarded the top pick in November when it won the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history.

"The addition of Paige is another huge momentum-building moment for the Wings franchise and team," Curt Miller, in his first year as Wings general manager, said in a statement. "Paige is one of the most efficient and decorated players we have seen in the history of the collegiate game. ... Tonight is truly a special night for Paige and the Dallas Wings."

The Seattle Storm followed Dallas' selection by taking 19-year-old French star Dominique Malonga, who became the sixth player drafted in the top two who did not attend university in the United States.

Malonga, a 6-foot-6 center, has been a pro since she was 15 and is averaging 15.4 points and 10.3 rebounds for Lyon Asvel Feminin.

The Washington Mystics, with a new coach and general manager, then took Notre Dame's Sonia Citron with the third pick, and USC's Kiki Iriafen with No. 4.

The expansion Golden State Valkyries made Justė Jocytė of Lithuania with the first draft choice in franchise history.

Even before the addition of Bueckers, the 2025 Wings -- headlined by four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale -- were already set to feature a slew of newcomers. Stars Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard moved on to different teams, while new coach Chris Koclanes and Miller brought in DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris, NaLyssa Smith and Myisha Hines-Allen during free agency.

"It takes a special person to be able to navigate the daily pressures and expectations she faces and consistently deliver with the gratitude and grace that she has," Koclanes said of Bueckers. "I look forward to empowering her to be herself and to be a rookie as she begins this next chapter. We will create a space where Paige and all our players can lead from where they are. Leaning on her experiences at UConn, I believe she can have an immediate impact in helping us cultivate and establish a strong foundation that will lead to success in Dallas for years to come."

The Wings organization, which previously played in Detroit and Tulsa when it was known as the Shock, has made the postseason in five of its nine seasons since relocating to Dallas in 2016, but advanced past the first round only once, in 2023.

Now the Wings will look to channel the momentum of drafting Bueckers into supercharging their franchise on and off the court. The team had already announced a move in 2026 from Arlington to Dallas, where it will have a standalone practice facility and play in a larger and newly renovated arena.

Bueckers enters the pros boasting the top career scoring average in UConn history (19.8 PPG) on remarkable efficiency (53% from the field, 42% from 3, 85% from free throw line), while also shining as a facilitator. The 6-foot guard overcame a pair of knee injuries, including an ACL tear that sidelined her the entire 2022-23 campaign, to play the best basketball of her career over the past two seasons with the Huskies.

While she can play both on and off the ball, multiple WNBA talent evaluators told ESPN they see her as a point guard long-term in the league. Her pairing with Ogunbowale in the backcourt could soon emerge as one of the best guard duos in the league.

The first round features 12 picks, with 13 in each of the final two rounds. Six teams don't have picks in the opening round as New York, Indiana, Minnesota, Phoenix and Atlanta traded away their picks. Las Vegas forfeited its pick following an investigation by the league in 2023 that found the franchise violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.