What to know about the WNBA draft: UConn at top again, going global, former Penn star to Aces, and more

The WNBA will tip off its 30th season on May 8, but it was the WNBA draft on Monday night that marked the unofficial start of the historic season.

Here is what you should know about the WNBA draft.

Azzi Fudd was selected first overall by the Dallas Wings, becoming the seventh UConn player to be selected with the top pick.

Last season, UConn’s Paige Bueckers was selected No. 1 overall by Dallas. Now, they will be reunited at the next level.

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“I am excited to play again with Paige, incredible player, incredible person,” Fudd told ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

Fudd averaged 17.3 points this season, shooting 48.1% from the field and 44.7% from three-point range.

In a news conference before the draft, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert spoke about the new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month.

The agreement introduced the first revenue sharing model for the league and raised teams’ salary caps, which included contracts of more than $1 million.

Engelbert also shared that housing was a big concern players expressed during negotiations and that was also resolved.

But her biggest point of focus was expanding the game, even internationally.

“The past 30 years have been about building foundation,” Engelbert said. “The next 30 will be about scaling the game.”

Engelbert wants international regular-season games within the coming years, while also playing up to 52 games a season in 2029.

This season will be the first time an international team will be part of the league with the Toronto Tempo joining the WNBA.

National champion UCLA had five players drafted in the first round, and six drafted overall, which is the most out of any program in one draft.

Lauren Betts (No. 4 to Washington), Gabriela Jaquez (No. 5 to Chicago) and Kiki Rice (No. 6 to Toronto) were selected in three straight picks. Angela Dugalic was picked ninth by Washington, joining Betts. Gianna Kneepkens went 15th to Connecticut, and the Sun later selected Charlisse Leger-Walker in the second round.

UConn held the previous record with four first-round picks in 2002.

Engelbert’s desire to grow the game is already in motion with two expansion teams joining the league in 2026: Toronto and the Portland Fire. Philadelphia will get a team in 2030.

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Rice became the first draft pick for the expansion Tempo. The Fire had the seventh pick, taking Iyana Martín Carrión from Spain . Portland also took Fried Bühner from Germany in the second round, and Taylor Bigby from TCU in the third round.

Toronto used a second-round pick on Kentucky’s Teonni Key and Australia’s Saffron Shiels. Charlise Dunn of Davidson was taken by Toronto in the third round.

With the second-to-last pick in the draft, the Las Vegas Aces selected Kentucky’s Jordan Obi. She played her first three years at Penn before transferring for her senior year.

She averaged 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in her career with the Quakers, starting in all but one game.

At Kentucky, she started in 25 of the 36 games she played, averaging 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Now, it’s time to see what she’ll do in Vegas.