The Alabama women\u2019s basketball team had a school record three players drafted in the 2025 WNBA draft: Sarah Ashlee Barker, Aaliyah Nye and Zaay Green. Here\u2019s the impact that each of them has had in Year 1.<\/p>\n
Barker was drafted No. 9 in the first round by the Los Angeles Sparks. She played five seasons at Alabama and scored a school March Madness tournament record<\/a> of 45 points in the final game of her career. The Sparks have been building for the future and added to that by drafting Barker.\u00a0<\/p>\n Barker appeared in 34 games in the 2025 season while averaging 14 minutes per game. In 14 of those games, though, she played less than 10 minutes, but she did have two games where she logged over 30 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe has a competitive spirit that I absolutely love coaching,\u201d Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said.<\/a> \u201cShe plays her tail off, and she\u2019s one of our best catch-and-shoot three-point shooters, so I anticipate her to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n In the two games where she logged 30 or more minutes, she averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. One of these games was against the 2025 WNBA Champions, the Las Vegas Aces, where she had 15 points, a season high. While Barker only averaged 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and .9 assists per game over the whole season, she showed that if given enough minutes, she can make an impact.<\/p>\n Nye was drafted No. 13 in the second round of the 2025 WNBA draft to the Las Vegas Aces. She played in 44 games this season, averaging 15 minutes per game. Her stats for the season were similar to Barker\u2019s, averaging 3.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and .5 assists per game. Her season high for points in a game was 16 in a game where she logged 20 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nye did not get a lot of playing time but did win the championship with the Aces this season, even logging a few minutes in each finals game.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe just has this confidence about her game, to be in the moment, you never really see her get too rushed or intimidated,\u201d Nye\u2019s teammate Jewell Loyd said.<\/a> \u201cI don\u2019t know what makes her rattle, but you can tell that she\u2019s very mature about her direction, on the court and off the court.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aces have been a top team for years, and making the roster, especially the playoff roster, as a rookie is impressive. As long as she is on the Aces, her minutes could stay low, but she should develop well.\u00a0<\/p>\n