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Azzi Fudd could easily be a first-round pick—and potentially a top-five selection—in the WNBA draft in April. But the 22-year-old may choose to return to UConn next year after she missed most of last season with a torn ACL, and she told reporters Saturday that she’s still unsure about her decision.
“I think I have to sit down and talk with my family, with the people closest to me, and just talk through the decisions, options,” Fudd said. “I think a pros-and-cons list is in my near future.”
Fudd isn’t the only top pick who could return to the NCAA next year. Paige Bueckers, Fudd’s teammate and the projected No. 1 pick, can also return for a fifth year due to an eligibility waiver from the COVID-19 season—and because she missed the 2022–2023 season with an ACL tear.
Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles, a potential top-three pick, could also return to college next season. UCLA’s Lauren Betts is eligible for the 2025 WNBA draft, but she announced earlier this month that she will return to the Bruins for her senior season.
Most of the other NCAA stars projected to be top picks are out of eligibility years and are expected to declare for the draft. Some of those names include:
- Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
- Sonia Citron, Notre Dame
- Kiki Iriafen, USC
- Aneesah Morrow, LSU
- Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina
- Sedona Prince, TCU
- Saniya Rivers, NC State
- Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
- Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Unlike the NBA, where players need to be only one year removed from high school to declare for the draft, NCAA women’s basketball players must be at least 22 years old during the year of the WNBA draft to be eligible. International players must be at least 20 years old, and there are several potential international first-round picks this year including French center Dominique Malonga, who turns 20 in November.
Why Stay in College?
The decision between staying in college and going pro is not the same between men’s and women’s players. NCAA men’s basketball stars have the luxury of millions of dollars in guaranteed money once they go pro. And even though some men’s basketball stars are already receiving millions in NIL (name, image, and likeness) money in college, staying an extra year means potentially delaying hundred-million-dollar contracts.
The salary for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft will be less than $350,000 over four years—or an average of less than $87,500 per year, per Spotrac. There is a strong possibility that WNBA salaries rise significantly starting in 2026 when the new media-rights deal and potential new CBA kick in. But that does not guarantee changes in the rookie-scale deals and could even favor those who choose to wait until 2026 to be drafted.
A roster slot in the WNBA is also no guarantee, even for some first-round picks. The WNBA has only 13 teams—the Golden State Valkyries joined this year—with just 12 players per team. Some first-round picks never even make the team, a notable example being Mya Hollingshed, the No. 8 pick in 2022, who has not played a single game in the WNBA.
In 2026, the Toronto Tempo and a still-unnamed Portland expansion franchise will join the WNBA, bringing the available roster slots from 156 to 180.
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