thelesterlee
The 2025 WNBA Draft may be one of the most important events of recent WNBA history. Last season, more people consumed the product than ever—even if they were only watching games, praying someone fouled Caitlin Clark so they could clip it and post it with a misleading caption to go viral online for literally no reason other than an obsession with notifications—people were still paying attention.
So now we have a brand new expansion team—shout out to the Golden State Valkyries. And the entrance of a potential generational superstar in Paige Bueckers.
The 2025 WNBA Draft was a momentous occasion. Let’s give out some awards.
The “One of Y’all Better Be Good” Award: Washington Mystics
With picks number 3, 4 and 6 in the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Washington Mystics selected SG Sonia Cintron from Notre Dame, PF Kiki Iriafen from USC and PG Georgia Amoore from Kentucky.
Georgia Amoore is probably the player most ready to make an impact on both sides of the floor day one.
Sonia Cintron is a nasty defender who could help lock down guards—leading to some much-needed easy buckets in transition for Washington.
But I think Kiki Iriafen has the highest upside of them all.
KIKI IRIAFEN TONIGHT 🔥
• 36 POINTS
• 9 REBOUNDS
• 2 BLOCKS
• 16/22 FG— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) March 25, 2025
That being said, I’m still not sure any of these women are stars and if you’re Washington, you reallyyyy need one of these women to blossom into game-changers. 3 of the first 6 picks can’t all be good role players. The Washington Mystics want to be the Washington Wizards so bad.
*whispers* Don’t sleep on no. 23 pick, Lucy Olsen.
Lucy Olsen tonight 🔥
• 25 points
• 5 assists
• 2 stealsIOWA BEATS IOWA STATE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/c2A3eMaU43
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) December 12, 2024
Iowa is creating caucasian bucket-getters in some laboratory out in the middle of a cornfield somewhere and no one’s investigating it yet.
The “Time To Work On That Resume, You Creep” Award: Sedona Prince
Sedona Prince’s weird ass spent SEVEN years in college. She played on the same Oregon team as Sabrina Ionescu. Sabrina is going into her SIXTH WNBA season.
Prince also has several accusers claiming she abused them either physically or sexually or both. Shocked WNBA teams weren’t rushing to draft a known womanizer who stayed on college campuses for almost a fucking decade just preying on young, teenage co-eds.
Life was probably hard for Sedona Prince growing up as an abnormally tall lesbian in the heart of the Bible Belt but a villain having an interesting origin story doesn’t mean they’re not a villain.
The Cameron Brink Stimmy Package Award: Sarah Ashlee Barker
After drafting Cameron Brink last year and acquiring Kelsey Plum in the offseason, I know what the Los Angeles Sparks are. Their draft activity simply confirmed my suspicions.
Most teams in this league are attempting to, ya know, win basketball games. Not the Sparks, though. The LA Sparks are here for brand sponsorships, going viral walking into arenas and cornering the market on the male gaze.
I like Sarah Ashlee Barker, sort of. She had a huge 45-point game in the tourney.
45 point performance from Sarah Ashlee Barker
what a fucking game.pic.twitter.com/nc4NMgUDca
— Bala 💫 (@BalaPattySZN) March 25, 2025
But the Sparks needed a point guard to run their offense, not another white girl they can put fake eyelashes on and turn into an influencer.
Barker is also one of the oldest girls coming out of the draft. The draft isn’t really where teams are supposed to acquire veterans but go off, LA.
The “Get Ready To Learn Every Language, Buddy” Award: Shyanne Sellers
Shyanne Sellers was one of 16 players invited to attend the 2025 WNBA Draft, with the expectation she would go in the first round. Sellers fell to no. 17 with the Golden State Valkyries. Let’s quickly list off some of her teammates in Golden State:
Juste Jocytė – Lithuania
Temi Fagbenle – Nigeria
Cecilia Zandalasini – Italy
Carla Leite – France
Kyara Linskens – Belgum
Janelle Salaün – France
Julie Vanloo – Belgum
In the middle of the summer, most of the Valkyries will be competing in the Eurocup so for a couple weeks, Shyanne Sellers will be the only player on the team.
I wonder who Golden State will draft no. 1 next season.
Biggest Winner: Dallas Wings
Paige Bueckers is a player you consider building a statue outside of your arena in like, 27 years. You could make the argument Dallas won the 2025 WNBA Draft back in November when they found out they had the no. 1 overall pick.
Dallas won 9 games last season. Paige Bueckers is gonna get the ball off that opening tip and everyone in the arena will immediately realize the Wings are a threat to win thanks to a woman I think will finish her career with several MVP trophies with her name on them.
Biggest Loser: Chicago Sky
In 2023, Hailey Van Lith transferred to LSU for just one season before moving on to finish her college career at TCU.
You can say Van Lith had to move to TCU in order to improve her draft stock after a disappointing year with LSU and that’s probably true, but that leaves out the context of what went wrong in LSU.
I have my issues with Kim Mulkey but there’s no denying she allows her players to be themselves. Unlike Dawn Staley in South Carolina, an incredible professional setting dedicated to basketball excellence, Kim Mulkey lets these girls be college girls.
I get the feeling Hailey Van Lith left LSU because she enjoyed her time there too much. Waking up with cottonmouth, stepping on crushed red solo cups on the zombie walk to the bathroom in the AM. Van Lith had to go find god at Texas Christian University.
And after being drafted by the Chicago Sky, Van Lith reunites with Angel Reese—a woman who is still very much outside. I’ve seen homegirl make more appearances at events than I’ve seen her make two consecutive layups.
The Chicago Sky will have some fun road trips but Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese together has not been great for Van Lith’s on-court production. Van Lith better have that bible around because Reese is coming through to her hotel room ready to pop bottles and post thirst traps for C-level celebrities.
Godspeed to the Sky.
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