Charlisse Leger-Walker joins Gianna Kneepkens at the Sun as second round pick

The final Bruin to get drafted was graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, who was selected 18th overall by the Connecticut Sun. 

Leger-Walker joined UCLA after four seasons at Washington State, but medically-redshirted the 2024-25 season in Westwood while recovering from an ACL tear. This past season, Leger-Walker was able to take over as a true point guard, relieving Rice from some of the on-ball duties.

Her points per game dropped at UCLA, but only because she was not required to produce as much. Leger-Walker averaged 8.4 points and four rebounds per game on 45.7% shooting from the field.  

At 5-foot-10, she stands as one of the taller true point guards in the draft class and in the league. Leger-Walker averaged a career high 5.6 assists per game – on a 2.54 assist to turnover ratio, placing her ninth in the country – in her most recent season.

The Waikato, New Zealand, local started in every game she played across her six year collegiate career, while also representing her country on the national stage. Her experience makes her a WNBA-ready player that can impact the Sun as soon as she steps on the court. 

Leger-Walker joins a rebuilding Connecticut Sun, filled with guards Shey Peddy and Saniya Rivers, forward Aaliyah Edwards and center Brittney Griner. The Bruin connection continues, as she joins Kneepkens, who was selected by the Sun 15th overall.

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Gianna Kneepkens is selected by the Connecticut Sun as the last first round pick

Graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens was selected 15th overall by the Connecticut Sun, making UCLA the first team to have five athletes picked in the first round of the same draft in WNBA history. 

The Duluth, Minnesota, local arrived in Westwood for the 2024-25 campaign after spending her first four collegiate seasons at Utah, where she was one of the nation’s few 50-40-90 shooters her redshirt junior year.

A season-ending foot injury gave Kneepkens an extra year of eligibility, in which the shooting guard opted to spend with the Bruins after entering the transfer portal. 

Kneepkens led UCLA in 3-point shooting, ending the season with a 42.9% clip from behind the arc that ranked 14th in the nation. The graduate student started at the four for the Bruins across their national championship-winning campaign, showcasing her ability to get downhill in addition to being lethal from deep.

Aside from her offensive presence, Kneepkens recorded 41 steals across this past season with the Bruins as a threat on both ends of the court.

The Sun welcomes Kneepkens having just acquired Two-Time Defensive Player of the Year and Ten-Time WNBA All-Star center Brittney Griner from the Atlanta Dream. 

[Related: A basketball player from ‘the hockey state’: Gianna Kneepkens joins UCLA]

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Angela Dugalić goes to the Mystics as fourth Bruin selected in the first round

Graduate student forward Angela Dugalić was selected ninth overall by the Washington Mystics to become the fourth Bruin to hear her name called within the top-10 picks.

The Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, who has been playing in Westwood for the past five seasons as a six-year college athlete, came off the bench for the Bruins to average nine points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Despite starting 34 of 35 matches during the 2024-25 season, Dugalić opted to stay with the Bruins even if it meant taking a role as a bench player for her final collegiate season.

After recording consecutive double-doubles in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, Dugalić scored 15 points – trailing only senior center Lauren Betts’ 23 – in UCLA’s Elite Eight win over Duke to help her team advance to their second-straight Final Four.

Dugalić’s versatility as a player who can make an impact in the post in addition to being a threat on the perimeter – shooting 32.6% from behind the arc – will make her an invaluable asset on the Mystics, where she joins Betts, who was drafted fourth overall.

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Kiki Rice picked sixth overall by the Toronto Tempo

Senior guard Kiki Rice was selected sixth overall by the Toronto Tempo as the first pick in program history.

Rice entered UCLA as ESPN’s No. 2 player in the class of 2022. She has been a crucial factor for the Bruins all four years of her collegiate career and saw career highs in points, rebounds and all three levels of shooting this past season.

The Bethesda, Maryland, local jumped from 11.6 points per game her freshman year to 14.9 points per game this past season while also boosting her efficiency. In her senior year, Rice shot 48.9% from the field and 38.5% from the 3-point line, both career-high marks.

But her game is not limited to scoring. Rice averaged 4.3 assists per game in the 2025-26 season on a 2.55 assists-to-turnover ratio – eighth in the country – while also recording 57 steals, the second-most on the squad.

The Third Team All-American consistently finds ways to impact her team, something that will prove to be invaluable on the Tempo.

With this being the Tempo’s inaugural season, the squad is building from the ground up. Rice joins guards Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes, but the lack of notable players on the team will allow the former Bruin to shine.

The basketball IQ and playmaking skill Rice brings to the league, combined with her ability to score on all three levels, makes her a valuable player for the opening season of Tempo history.

[Related: Championed by Campion: Kiki Rice is longtime key piece underlying women’s basketball’s success]

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Gabriela Jaquez selected by the Chicago Sky fifth overall

Senior guard Gabriela Jaquez was selected fifth overall by the Chicago Sky, making her the second Bruin to hear her name called.

Like senior guard Kiki Rice, Jaquez was a four-year Bruin, joining her freshman year as ESPN’s No. 19 recruit in the class of 2022. Her stock skyrocketed in her senior season, where she averaged career highs in points and shooting.

Her jump to 13.5 points per game on 53.9% shooting from the field and 39% shooting from deep showed that her ceiling was higher than what people were expecting. Jaquez is an energizer bunny on the court, always making hustle plays.

Jaquez’s ability to impact play, even when she was not scoring, showed how valuable of a player she is across the Bruins’ national championship run. The Camarillo, California, local combined her scoring with 5.5 rebounds per game and 43 total steals across her senior campaign.

She was a key part in the Bruins’ NCAA title victory, contributing a crucial 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against South Carolina.

The Chicago Sky are rebuilding this season after a 12th place finish in 2025. They have had a busy offseason and added in top talent, including guards Skylar Diggins and DiJonai Carrington, as well as forward Rickea Jackson. Jaquez’s ability to slide into whatever role is needed should be vital this season as the Sky look to revamp their roster.

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

Lauren Betts goes fourth overall to the Washington Mystics

This post was updated April 13 at 4:59 p.m.

Senior center Lauren Betts was selected fourth overall by the Washington Mystics as the first UCLA player to hear her name called.

The 2026 Big Ten Player of the Year led the Bruins in scoring and rebounding during their 2025-26 national championship-winning campaign with 17.1 points and 8.8 boards per game. Betts, the 2025 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year, also led her team in blocks with 76 this season.

Prior to joining UCLA in 2023, Betts spent her freshman year at Stanford, where she averaged  5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game across just 9.7 minutes played. Betts entered the portal following the conclusion of her first collegiate season, ultimately transferring to coach Cori Close’s squad.

In Westwood, the 6-foot-7 center helped lead the Bruins to back-to-back Big Ten tournament championships and the program’s first two Final Four appearances.

The NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player joins the Mystic as a more traditional post presence, something that has taken a backseat to versatile guard players in the WNBA in recent years. Her 68.6% field goal clip across her senior season, as well as her defensive presence and ability to battle through double teams, will make her an invaluable addition regardless.

Betts will join UCLA assistant coach and alumnus forward Michaela Onyenwere – the 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year – in Washington D.C. in addition to her former Stanford teammate Kiki Iriafen.

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)

UCLA women’s basketball stands to make history as the first team in WNBA or NBA to have five players selected in the first round of the same draft. Seniors center Lauren Betts and guards Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice, in addition to graduate students forward Angela Dugalić and guard Gianna Kneepkens received official invites to the 2026 WNBA Draft along with ten other top prospects. While graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker was not featured on the invite list of the top-15 prospects, she has been on draft projections as a second round pick and will likely hear her name called by the end of the night as well.

[Related: UCLA women’s basketball 2026 WNBA draft predictions]

(Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)