Paige Bueckers, UConn national champion guard, selected No. 1 overall by Dallas Wings in WNBA draft

By Wayne Sterling, CNN

(CNN) — Fresh off winning her first NCAA women’s basketball title at the University of Connecticut, superstar guard Paige Bueckers was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings in Monday night’s WNBA draft in New York.

Bueckers and the Huskies dominated then-reigning national champion South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 in Tampa, Florida, on April 6 for the school’s 12th championship.

The 2025 National Player of the Year said it was “super surreal” being selected with the top pick but is ready to turn the page on her next chapter.

“You don’t ever want to assume anything in life, nothing is guaranteed, so for this moment to be here and it actually happened, it’s nerve-racking,” Bueckers told reporters. “You just have a level of excitement, nervousness, bittersweet feeling knowing that my journey at UConn is over but excited for the next one to begin.”

She added: “I don’t want to take this for granted. I’ve been focusing a lot about being present … To be at this stage, to be here, to have a lot of my supporters here and people who have helped me get here, it just means everything to me.”

The three-time All-American becomes the sixth UConn player taken No. 1 overall, joining Breanna Stewart (2016), Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010), Diana Taurasi (2004) and Sue Bird (2002).

Bueckers is the sixth player to win a national title and be drafted first overall in the same year.

The Minnesota native, along with four-time WNBA All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale, will look to help Dallas return to the playoffs after the team finished this past season with the league’s second-worst record (9-31). The Wings made the postseason in each of the previous three seasons.

Dallas will host last season’s WNBA Finals runner-up, the Minnesota Lynx, on opening night May 16.

Bueckers guided UConn to the Final Four in each of the four seasons she played. The 23-year-old leaves Storrs as the top scorer in the program history – a remarkable achievement for a storied program.

Bueckers averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists in her college career.

The Seattle Storm chose one of the most fascinating prospects in the draft, Dominique Malonga, out of France.

The 19-year-old averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds for the French club ASVEL Féminin in 2024. She became a viral hit at age 16 when a video of her dunking was widely shared.

The 6-foot-6-inch budding star was the youngest member of France’s silver medal-winning women’s basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Washington Mystics, who finished last season 19-21 and made the playoffs, drafted three of the next four players.

The Mystics took Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron with the third pick. Southern California forward Kiki Iriafen went fourth and Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore was sixth.

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s first expansion franchise in 17 years, selected forward Justé Jocyté from Lithuania with the fifth pick.

The WNBA’s 29th regular season will feature a record-high 44 games.

First Round Selections

1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers — Guard — UConn

2. Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga — Center — France

3. Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron — Guard — Notre Dame

4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen — Forward — Southern California

5. Golden State Valkyries: Justé Jocyté — Forward — Lithuania

6. Washington Mystics: Georgia Amoore — Guard — Kentucky

7. Connecticut Sun: Aneesah Morrow — Forward — LSU

8. Connecticut Sun: Saniya Rivers — Guard — NC State

9. Los Angeles Sparks: Sarah Ashlee Barker — Guard — Alabama

10. Chicago Sky: Ajša Sivka — Forward — Slovenia

11. Chicago Sky: Hailey Van Lith — Guard — TCU

12. Dallas Wings: Aziaha James — Guard — NC State

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This story has been updated with additional information.