UCLA dominates early picks
UCLA placed six players among the first 18 selections in the 2026 WNBA Draft, a historic haul that pundits flagged as the draft’s defining pipeline story. Multiple outlets noted UCLA’s unusually strong presence in the opening portion of the board. (cbssports.com) (nbc.com)
UCLA turned the top of the 2026 Women’s National Basketball Association draft into a campus roll call, placing six players in the first 18 picks. (wnba.com) The run started at No. 4, when the Washington Mystics took Lauren Betts, and continued with Gabriela Jaquez at No. 5 to the Chicago Sky and Kiki Rice at No. 6 to the Toronto Tempo. Washington added Angela Dugalić at No. 9, Connecticut took Gianna Kneepkens at No. 15, and the Sky picked Charlisse Leger-Walker at No. 18. (wnba.com) Five of those six Bruins went in the first round, which made UCLA the first program to reach that number in a single Women’s National Basketball Association draft. The league and the university both said the six total selections also set a one-draft record for one school. (wnba.com) (uclabruins.com) The draft came eight days after UCLA won its first National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball title, beating South Carolina 79-51 on April 5 in Tampa. The Bruins finished 37-1 and sent a senior-heavy roster straight from a championship stage to the professional draft board. (ncaa.com) (espn.com) That group was not built only on four-year recruiting. UCLA’s 2025-26 roster included transfers Kneepkens and Leger-Walker, and CBS Sports reported that three of the five starters on the title team were transfers. (uclabruins.com) (cbssports.com) Betts was the first Bruin off the board after averaging 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, while Rice entered the draft after posting 13.1 points and 4.2 assists. Jaquez, Dugalić and Kneepkens all landed in the first round as teams leaned into experienced college production over projection alone. (wnba.com) The night still belonged to Azzi Fudd at No. 1 to Dallas and Olivia Miles at No. 2 to Minnesota, but several outlets treated UCLA as the draft’s defining team story. CBS Sports said the Bruins “stole the show,” and National Collegiate Athletic Association coverage framed the haul as the latest chapter in the program’s title run. (cbssports.com) (ncaa.com) For Cori Close’s program, the draft board ended up looking a lot like the championship roster sheet: Betts in the middle, guards on the perimeter, veterans everywhere, and Bruins called one after another. (uclabruins.com)
