📰 NEWS DAY

Kiki Iriafen, Juste Jocyte, Georgia Amoore taken with Nos. 4-6 picks in the WNBA draft

NEW YORK — A look at the first-round picks in the WNBA draft, in order of selection:

1 — Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, UConn

The 5-foot-11 guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, is considered a generational player. Bueckers averaged 19.9 points and shot 41.9% from behind the 3-point line this season. Bueckers was one of the most efficient players in college basketball, playing 38 games this season for the national champion Huskies and 123 in her career. She will pair with Arike Ogunbowale in the Wings’ backcourt. Bueckers was the 2021 AP player of the year and a three-time AP All-American.

2 — Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga, France

The 6-foot-6 center played for the French Olympic team last year and has a bright future in the WNBA. She averaged 15.0 points and 10.3 rebounds so far this season while playing for Lyon. She is 19 and won’t turn 20 until November. But Malonga gave a glimpse of her dazzling athleticism last fall, dunking for Lyon.

3 — Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame

Citron is a 6-foot-1 guard. She averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds during her career at Notre Dame, where she worked hard enough on her defense to become one of the top defenders on the team. She also shot over 90% from the free throw line the past two seasons, one of the best percentages in the country. Citron started 107 of 124 games played over four seasons at Notre Dame.

4 — Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, Southern California

The 6-foot-3 forward was a star at Stanford before spending her last season at USC. She averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds with the Trojans. Iriafen then raised her game when JuJu Watkins went down with an ACL tear, helping USC get to the Elite Eight.

5 — Golden State Valkyries: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania

The 6-foot Jocyte showcased her scoring skills with a 22-point effort against Belgium in the EuroBasket qualifiers. She’s a versatile player who can play any guard position. She is really effective on the pick-and-roll with a toughness and fundamental skills that are impressive for someone who turns 20 on Nov. 19.

6 — Washington Mystics: Georgia Amoore, Kentucky

Amoore is a 5-foot-6 guard with lots of experience, starting 155 of 157 games over five college seasons. Amoore averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists for Kentucky this season after transferring from Virginia Tech, where she spent her first four seasons. She is from Ballarat, Victoria, in Australia.

Dominique Malonga, left, poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected second overall by the Seattle Storm during the first round of the WNBA basketball draft, Monday, April 14, 2025, in New York. Credit: AP/Pamela Smith


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