MANHATTAN, New York (KTRK) — The Connecticut Sun made their final official draft picks Monday night before the franchise relocates south under the Fertitta family’s ownership to revive the Houston Comets for the 2027 WNBA season.
In total, 45 women were called by Commissioner Cathy Englebert to find out where they would be playing within the next few weeks.
The first round was star-studded, with projected No. 1 pick from UConn, Azzi Fudd, joining the Dallas Wings to reunite with her former Huskies teammate, Paige Bueckers, who was also Dallas’ No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The Sun had two draft picks in the first round through various trades. The first selection was 19-year-old forward and French professional player Nell Angloma at No. 12 in a trade with the Phoenix Mercury. Angloma joins the team from the Basket Lattes Montpellier Association.
She represented France at the 2024 FIBA-U18 Women’s EuroBasket, where she averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds, ultimately leading her team to the championship, earning MVP honors and being named to the All-Tournament Team, according to her draft stats.
The franchise then took it west, selecting national champion UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens at No. 15 through a trade with the Minnesota Lynx, and her teammate, New Zealand professional basketball player Charlisse Leger-Walker, in the second round.
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Kneepkens started her career at Utah, where she averaged 19.3 points a game before officially transferring to UCLA in her final year of eligibility. She was placed on the preseason watchlist for the 2026 Naismith Trophy College Women’s Player of the Year.
Walker made her debut for the New Zealand women’s national team at 16 years old. During her collegiate tenure, she played at Washington State, where she earned 4 All-Pac-12 Team (2021-2024), Pac-12 Freshman of the Year (2021), and Pac-12 All-Freshman Team (2021). She was granted an additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19 and transferred to UCLA, where she rehabbed her ACL injury after redshirting during the 2024-25 season.
The Kneepkens/Walkers selections put UCLA over the record for the most first-round draft picks from a single university, with 6 players drafted overall. The record had been held by UConn since 2002.
In the third round, the team stayed home and selected UConn forward Serah Williams. Williams made a dent in her collegiate career at Wisconsin, making the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times. She ultimately hit the transfer portal to play under Geno Auriemma at UConn.
The draft wasn’t the only place where the team made off-season moves. It was reported that Houston native and 10x WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner would be moving on from the Atlanta Dream to the Sun in a seven-figure, one-year deal. Griner will be joining veterans Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey, along with a promising young core led by rookie point guard Leïla Lacan, who joined the team at midseason and is under contract for three more years.
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The Sun finished the 2025 season with an 11-33 record and 11th overall in the Eastern Conference.
The franchise will move to Houston and will be fully operational for the next WNBA season.
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