As the 2025 WNBA Draft came to an end, 38 new players were welcomed to the league as draft picks. But, as with most years, a number of draft-eligible players did not get selected by any of the WNBA’s 13 teams.
One of the most notable names to not be called was TCU center Sedona Prince, whose combination of abuse allegations, age and injury history seemed to make general managers weigh her risk against her upside. Other notable NCAA stars — including Norfolk State’s Diamond Johnson and Oregon’s Deja Kelly — also went undrafted.
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In the case of Prince and the others, it raises some questions: What’s next for players who don’t get selected to the WNBA? While players have some options to eventually make it into the W, the road ahead will not be easy.
Who are the most notable NCAA players to go undrafted?
Prince, a 6-foot-7 center projected by some as a first- or second-rounder, is definitely the biggest snub. But there are plenty of other notable players who didn’t get their names called on Monday, with Johnson and Kelly being especially surprising snubs.
Johnson, a guard who transferred to Norfolk State in 2023 after stints at Rutgers and NC State, was a key driver in the Spartans’ NCAA tournament appearance, averaging 19.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals in the 2024-2025 regular season. Kelly, who averaged 11.6 points per game and led Oregon in points, drove the No. 10 seed Ducks to a first-round March Madness upset over No. 7 Vanderbilt before losing to Duke in the second round.
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Other notable omissions include Tennessee guards Samara Spencer and Jewel Spear, who averaged 10.5 and 13.1 points, respectively, this season under Kim Caldwell’s hockey-style substitution system. North Carolina guard/forward Alyssa Ustby, who led the Tar Heels in rebounds and assists while averaging 10.6 points per game, also went undrafted; however, she has already signed a free agency contract with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Can undrafted players go back to the NCAA?
No, they can’t. One unique aspect of the WNBA’s draft process is that when players declare, they renounce any remaining years of NCAA eligibility.
In the case of Prince, a return to college was already off the table: After seven years in college, Prince has exhausted all of her NCAA eligibility.
Are undrafted players likely to get a WNBA roster spot?
Undrafted players are now free agents, and can sign training camp contracts with teams. (Ustby has already done so with the Sparks.) From there, though, they have to prove themselves against the rest of the rookies and the existing players in order to secure a spot in the squad.
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One of the most unfortunate things about the WNBA is the shocking lack of roster spots. Each team only has room for 12 players on their roster; even with a new expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, adding more roster spots, there’s only room for 156 players across the league’s 13 teams.
Having limited spots makes it difficult for drafted and undrafted players alike to make a team. Getting drafted by a team or signing a training camp contract does not guarantee a spot in the roster, and competition will be stiff.
Players will report to camp soon, with training camps starting on April 27. The regular season begins on May 16, and teams will have to make and announce final cuts before then.
Have undrafted players ever succeeded in the WNBA?
There are plenty of examples of players who go undrafted and end up signing with teams for training camp. There are fewer, but still many, examples of players who go on to make regular season rosters after not being selected in the draft. Given the low number of roster spots, undrafted players who go on to have multi-year careers in the WNBA are rarer, but there are a handful to point to.
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One of the most recognizable undrafted players is current Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who was undrafted out of Colorado State in 1999. Hammon went on to have a 16-year WNBA career, spending the first half with the New York Liberty and the second with the San Antonio Stars (now the Aces). The point guard was a six-time All-Star and led the WNBA in assists in 2007.
Another notable undrafted player is current Phoenix Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb, who went undrafted out of Washington in 2010 but went on to become a two-time WNBA champion with the Seattle Storm. Additionally, Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton spent the past eight seasons in the WNBA — including a six-year stint with the Dallas Wings and a WNBA championship with the Liberty last year — after going undrafted in 2014.
Other undrafted success stories include current Storm guard Erica Wheeler, who went undrafted in 2013 but has since built up a 10-year WNBA career across multiple teams, and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, who was undrafted out of North Carolina in 2013 but went on to spend eight years with the Washington Mystics and the Sparks.
