With the 2025 WNBA Draft less than a month away, the consensus across women’s basketball was that projected No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers would declare for the WNBA Draft instead of returning to UConn for her final season of eligibility.
One day before the No. 2 seed Huskies head into the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo put any lingering doubts to rest about Bueckers’ future.
“Paige Bueckers confirmed to us today that she will enter the 2025 WNBA Draft,” Lobo posted on X amid preparations to broadcast UConn’s game against No. 3 Oklahoma on Saturday.
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“Some had suggested she would not declare, play in Unrivaled, and then declare in 2026,” Lobo added, referencing reporting from Howard Megdal.
UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (left) and Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (right).David Butler II, Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
It was great news for the Dallas Wings, who hold the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft after a 9-31 season in 2024.
One of the lone bright spots for Dallas last year was Arike Ogunbowale, who made the third all-WNBA team of her career and a fourth straight WNBA All-Star Game. The unstoppable guard put up 22.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
When Ogunbowale saw the news about Bueckers on Friday, she wasted no time firing off a post on social media about her potential new backcourt teammate in Dallas.
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“i thought the plan was to travel the world & make tik toks?!” Ogunbowale said.
Like Lobo, she was making light of Megdal’s reporting, which had suggested that Bueckers might opt to skip the 2025 draft and pursue other opportunities until the WNBA reached a new collective bargaining agreement.
“She can do virtually anything she wants,” Megdal wrote on March 19 after the inaugural Unrivaled season came to a close. “She can sign overseas, get a seven-figure deal in the Turkish league. She can join Unrivaled … She can sign a deal for a video podcast to follow her around the world attending sporting events. She can monetize TikToks she makes with Azzi Fudd. The world belongs to Paige Bueckers.”
Based on Ogunbowale’s reaction, the idea of Bueckers doing anything besides declaring for the draft was farcical.
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After the news, the two elite guards appear to be destined to share the court together in “The W” this season, but fans will find out for sure after UConn’s March Madness run reaches its conclusion. The 2025 WNBA Draft is April 14 in New York City.
Related: NCAA Facing Backlash for Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins Decision
Related: WNBA Teams Are Saying Same Thing About Paige Bueckers
