Gianna Kneepkens (L) of UCLA poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert (R) after being selected with the 15th pick in the first round by the Connecticut Sun during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City.
Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images
For the newest members of the Connecticut Sun, it doesn’t matter whether they’ll be playing in Mohegan Sun Arena or Houston or anywhere in between.
They’re focused on playing in the WNBA.
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“I’ve seen it in the news that they’re moving,” former UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens said Monday after being selected with the last pick of the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft, 15th overall, by the Sun. “And you know, I’m just going to go at it one day at a time, kind of focus on this year. But I think if they believe that is what’s right to grow the league, then that’s exciting and I’m just going to be part of any opportunity that there is.”
Forward Nell Angloma, a 20-year-old from France, was Connecticut’s first selection at No. 12 with Kneepkens following three picks later. The Sun then went for another former UCLA guard in Charlisse Leger-Walker with the third pick of the second round, No. 18 overall.
Former UConn forward Serah Williams was taken by Connecticut in the third round but was traded to the expansion Portland Fire for former TCU forward Taylor Bigby and a 2027 third-round choice.
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The Sun were sold to a group led by Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta last month and will become the Houston Comets in 2027 pending approval by the WNBA Board of Governors.
“I think it’s just such an amazing opportunity to go out to Connecticut and play with some really amazing players and just get to experience that organization and again, feel welcomed into that,” Leger-Walker said. “I honestly haven’t thought too much about the relocation. But obviously that’s a really exciting opportunity as well and just brings a lot of new things to the table, which, again, I think is only a positive thing.”
Training camp for the Sun opens Sunday. They begin the regular season May 10 when they host the Seattle Storm.
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Connecticut missed the playoffs a year ago for the first time since 2017 and finished 11-33, the third-worst record in the league behind the Dallas Wings and the Chicago Sky who won 10 games each. The Sun did play better in the second half of the season under first-year coach Rachid Meziane and it’s hopeful the addition of their three top picks could help get them back in postseason contention.
But it’s still a rebuilding process.
“They’re just excited to be drafted,” second-year Sun general manager Morgan Tuck said. “They’re not focused on where they’re going especially in the future. We’re excited to get to know them and for them to get to know us.”
Angloma comes to Connecticut after averaging 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Basket Lattes Metropolitans Association (BLMA) in the EuroCup Women’s League. She also took part in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and averaged 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
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It’s the second time in three years the Sun have had a French connection in the draft. In 2024, they took guard Leila Lacan with the 10th overall pick.
“She runs the floor and she’s someone who can dominate,” Meziane said. “But don’t forget that she’s young. She will be an important piece for us. We are very happy and we’re excited to see what she brings to the court.”
Angloma played a year of high school ball with Lacan. Tuck is high on the versatility that she’ll bring to the Sun.
Nell Angloma of France celebrates after being selected with the 12th pick in the first round by the Connecticut Sun during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City.
Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images
Having played in professional leagues in France, she should be prepared for the physical play she’ll see in the WNBA.
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“In France, it’s very physical,” Angloma said. “To play the professional league in French allows me to improve my IQ, my skills and to learn because I play with my teammates who are older than me.
“I would say I’m a competitor,” she added. “So, I play with a lot of energy and passion. I want to do my best to help my team to win.”
Kneepkens spent four seasons at Utah before transferring to UCLA to use her final year of eligibility.
In 38 games for the national champion Bruins (37-1) with 32 starts, she averaged 12.8 points on shooting of 49.3 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from 3-point land, and 93.3 percent from the foul line to go with 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.2 and 1.1 steals.
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“One thing that was really special about our UCLA team is they’re just incredible players all around,” Kneepkens said “I think it’s a skill to know how to play with great players. Obviously, you do that in the WNBA. So, I feel like I got great practice with that, and I’m just going to continue to do that.
“You have to know when you have to hit your teammates and you have to know when it’s kind of your time. So I think that’s something I really learned and will be useful for me.”
When Kneepkens was chosen, it made UCLA the first team to have five players selected in the first round. UConn’s 2002 national championship had four of the top six picks in the draft: Sue Bird (1), Swin Cash (2), Asjha Jones (4) and Tamika Williams (6).
Leger-Walker is the first native of New Zealand to be drafted. She spent her first three seasons at Washington State before transferring to UCLA in 2024. She sat out the 2024-25 season with a knee injury before coming back.
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She started all 38 games for the Bruins and averaged 8.4 points on 45.7 percent shooting from the floor, 35.5 percent from behind the arc and 64.1 percent from the foul line. She also averaged 4.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.5 and 1.6 steals.
“Just the resilience to come back from my first real injury and just really believing in myself,” Leger-Walker said of what she was most proud of in her return to action. “For a period there it was, ‘Am I going to be the type of player that I want to be? Am I going to come back from this the same way?’
“And I think it took a lot from my support system, and I had an amazing group of people around me to get me back to where I am. But also just that belief in myself that I could do that and pursue my goals at the level that I wanted to, and then just staying true to who I am.”
With the Sun losing Marina Mabrey to the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft, point guard is a key spot for Connecticut as it is for any team that wants to be successful.
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“The pace she plays at and the toughness she shows on both sides of the ball, when you look at point guard she fits a lot of things we want to do,” Tuck said.
Bigby averaged 8.2 points and 2.3 rebounds for TCU, which won the Big 12 regular-season championship and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight before falling to South Carolina.
CT Insider reporter Maggie Vanoni contributed to this story.
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