Sports
Pre-March Madness WNBA mock draft: Paige Bueckers remains on top, Azzi Fudd rises
As the college basketball world gears up for March Madness, this is the last chance for seniors to make an impression on WNBA talent evaluators ahead of the 2025 WNBA Draft, which will be held eight days after the national championship.
Unlike on the men’s side, tournament risers aren’t as prevalent, thanks to four years of tape on most prospects. However, a strong run of play to close the season can’t hurt. In recent memory, Maddy Siegrist (2023) and Emily Engstler (2022) vaulted themselves into the lottery with their performances in February and March.
With WNBA free agency and trade season essentially behind us but with the NCAA finishing kick yet to come, here is how the top prospects stack up in The Athletic’s latest mock draft.
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Not that there were any doubts about Paige Bueckers being the top choice in this draft, but if there were, those were summarily put to rest with Bueckers’ most outstanding player tour de force in her final Big East tournament, with Dallas general manager Curt Miller and head coach Chris Koclanes looking on from the stands. Bueckers showcased the full gamut of skills that make her such a tantalizing prospect: shot-making, shot creation, controlling the tempo and defensive playmaking. She also demonstrated the leadership and aggression any team looks for in a potential franchise player.
The primary knock on Bueckers in her college career has been that she is deferential to a fault. That shouldn’t be a concern with the WNBA’s talent level; regardless, her career average of 19.6 points per game would have been seventh in the league in 2024. Combine that with an extraordinary level of efficiency — for her career, Bueckers has made 58.5 percent of her 2-pointers, 42 percent of her 3s and 85 percent of her free throws — and it’s hard to imagine the Huskies star being unable to impact winning right away.
There is a high standard for Bueckers to live up to as a top pick from UConn, a group that includes Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. Bueckers’ collegiate production indicates that she is a worthy addition to this lineage.
Miles is a generational playmaker whose ability to read the floor in pick-and-rolls, in transition and against any kind of junk defense leaps off the screen. She has led the ACC in assists in each of her three full seasons. She’s also a value-add on defense with her size, rebounding and understanding of schemes. Considering how shallow the point guard pool is in the WNBA, she is a safe pick to eventually be one of the best players at her position.
The upside with Miles comes with her scoring. She has always been excellent at attacking the rim and is a strong finisher. This season, she added a jumper and has been elite at shooting from 3-point range. That will enable her to play on and off the ball as a pro, making her a natural fit next to former Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, but also the heir apparent at point guard when the 34-year-old veteran moves on. Miles’ overall defense and turnover rate lag behind that of Bueckers, which is why she isn’t in the conversation for the No. 1 pick, but the Storm should be thrilled to have Miles as a foundation for their future.
The Storm received this pick from the Los Angeles Sparks.
Bueckers will be the No. 1 pick in this draft, but there is a chance that Malonga ends up as the best player. At 19 years old (she won’t turn 20 until after the 2025 WNBA season), Malonga is a full four years younger than Bueckers, and at least three years younger than the other domestic draft prospects. Nevertheless, she competes against veterans in France’s top league and is already producing.
In a league dominated by post play — the teams with superstar power forwards and centers tend to win titles — Malonga is the future of this position. She is long and athletic and has the mobility to defend multiple positions. Her free-throw shooting has improved in every professional season, from 60 percent in 2021-22 to 71.4 percent this season, which bodes well for Malonga eventually stretching out her game. She’s already making 32.3 percent of her 3-pointers, albeit on limited volume (10 of 31).
It bears repeating that Malonga is succeeding against professionals as a teen. Her development curve is just getting started, and she was already good enough to make the silver-medal French Olympic team in 2024. The sky is the limit with Malonga, with the only major concern being her availability, as the French national team demands heavy commitment during the summers.
The Mystics received this pick from the Chicago Sky.
Citron was five spots lower in the last mock draft, as I prioritized players with more offensive potential. Citron has never been the No. 1 option at Notre Dame, and translating role players to the WNBA is a trickier exercise. But the Irish senior is such a spectacular secondary (or tertiary) option that it’s unlikely she will fall past Washington in the draft, whether that is at the fourth pick or the sixth pick.
Citron can defend multiple positions without much help with her size and IQ, though she could probably stand to add strength in the W. She has successfully taken on the Bueckers and JuJu Watkins assignments the last two seasons, leading Notre Dame to a 3-0 record against the Huskies and the Trojans. She is a consistent 3-point shooter, making 37 percent of her attempts in her college career. Citron also has enough of a handle that she can put the ball on the floor and attack a closeout, if not run the offense.
The Mystics have enough young frontcourt players with Shakira Austin, Aaliyah Edwards, and potentially Sika Koné and Emily Engstler. After drafting Malonga, it makes sense to try to build up the backcourt. With her versatility, Citron should be a fixture in the league for a long time.
Iriafen is an outstanding athlete at her position and has a nose for the glass, especially as an offensive rebounder. The most disappointing outcome of a USC possession has to be playing good defense, forcing a miss from Watkins, and then watching Iriafen come in for a putback. Her positioning is excellent, and her second jump makes her a tough cover. That’s a skill that will immediately translate to the WNBA.
This is also a good landing spot for Iriafen to get more reps at a high level. She has been playing heavy minutes for only the last two seasons, in two dramatically different systems, and could use some development time before the Valkyries are ready to compete with the best teams in the W. Golden State’s roster is stocked with players who can play power forward, but none has Iriafen’s scoring ability. She can shoulder a high offensive usage right away.
Washington is essentially only beginning its rebuild, so it isn’t necessary to use its three picks on a big, a wing and a point guard. The Mystics aren’t building an Unrivaled team, after all. However, the best player available at this spot is Saniya Rivers, which makes for a happy accident.
Rivers is a tremendous passer, especially in transition. Her outlets and hit-aheads are jaw-dropping. She is also a top-tier athlete — she’ll step into the WNBA as one of the most athletic players in the league already with her speed, her bounce and her lateral quickness. That is part of what makes her an elite defender both at the point of attack and on the wing.
The knock on Rivers is her shooting. Her jumper is broken and needs a complete overhaul. Consequently, defenders sag on her, which limits her willingness to get to the rim. Even when she does drive, her touch at the basket isn’t great. She’ll need to work on her scoring package, and Washington has the time to develop her. Even so, her passing, defense and physical attributes are too impressive to pass up.
Washington received this pick from the Atlanta Dream via the Dallas Wings.
Morrow doesn’t have the size of a prototypical power forward. Listed at 6-1, the LSU media guide may be exaggerating even that number. However, her production in the paint is undeniable. She is an efficient finisher and a voracious rebounder. Although she lacks the size to defend from behind in the post, she can front and has good hands, allowing her to deflect passes and cause turnovers. Were she a few inches taller, she’d be a lottery pick, but her size creates questions. Connecticut has succeeded with players who didn’t fit a particular archetype, and the Sun need talent, especially in the frontcourt.
The Sun received this pick from the Phoenix Mercury via the New York Liberty.
There wouldn’t be a point to hiring Rachid Meziane if the Sun weren’t going to step into international waters, and Jocytė is the most intriguing European prospect after Malonga. Her dream is to play in the WNBA, and she specifically confirmed her draft eligibility — although she grew up in Lithuania, she was born in the U.S., which could have subjected her to the collegiate age limit rule. Jocytė has been successful competing in FIBA, leading Lithuania to a U-18 gold medal in 2022. She currently plays with Malonga in Lyon. Although her 2-point shooting has dipped in 2024-25, she is a solid 3-point shooter and excellent from the foul line, which indicates that she could be a 3-and-D wing going forward. At 19 years old, even if she doesn’t come over right away (EuroBasket will take place this summer), Jocytė could still contribute in Connecticut for a long time.
Connecticut received this pick from the Indiana Fever.
Assuming she is healthy, Fudd has first-round talent. She is a big guard who can defend the two and three positions. Her jumper is pristine. You’d like a player with her size to make more plays on defense and get to the line more often, but that’s why Fudd isn’t a lottery pick. There’s also the hope that as she gains more confidence in her body, she’ll become more aggressive as a defender and driver. The Sparks could desperately use a shooter of Fudd’s caliber, even if she isn’t a three-level scorer. The 3-pointer and midrange is enough for now.
The Sparks received this pick from the Seattle Storm.
The Sky are in win-now mode, after trading the No. 3 pick in this draft, plus swapping rights in 2027, for Ariel Atkins. In that respect, drafting a fifth-year senior who has won a national title and immediately fits on Chicago’s roster is the move. Paopao can back up Courtney Vandersloot and Atkins at the one and two. She is an excellent shooter off the catch and off screens, and she knows how to play with ball-dominant bigs. Plus, she will have immediate chemistry with Kamilla Cardoso, her former Gamecocks teammate. Coach Tyler Marsh emphasized movement shooting as an area of need when Chicago hired him, and there is no one better than Paopao at that specific skill.
Chicago received this pick from the Connecticut Sun.
The Lynx could go international at this selection to find a wing — someone like Slovenia’s Ajša Sivka, who can slot next to Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride, seems like a good fit. However, Minnesota suffered from a lack of playmaking in the WNBA Finals, as Courtney Williams, McBride and Collier are all scorers first. Getting a true point guard, even if she comes off the bench, to help move the ball and organize the offense seems useful. Amoore is already adept at running pick-and-roll and the Lynx’s size at the other positions will help cover for her defensively. Amoore can help create easier shots for those stars to keep them fresher at the end of games.
Curt Miller’s best player development success stories as Connecticut’s general manager were with Maryland players: Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones. Why not go back to the Brenda Frese well? Sellers is a solid defender, an above-average 3-point shooter, and her point guard reps have expanded her shot-creation abilities. She has struggled with knee issues as a senior, but even taking a year off to recover wouldn’t be the worst outcome. Dallas already has a glut of guards with Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington, Ty Harris and likely Bueckers. They can let Sellers rebuild her body, and she can enter the league when the value of a rookie scale contract is much higher in 2026.
Dallas received this pick from the New York Liberty via the Phoenix Mercury.
(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos of Aneesah Morrow, Paige Bueckers and Olivia Miles: Jacob Kupferman, Justin Casterline, Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images
Sports
Law firm fighting for women’s sports in SCOTUS battle comments on ruling possibly impacting SJSU trans lawsuit
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A law firm leading the charge in the ongoing Supreme Court case over trans athletes in women’s sports has responded after a federal judge suggested the case’s ruling could impact a separate case involving a similar issue.
Colorado District Judge Kato Crews deferred ruling in motions to dismiss former San Jose State volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser’s lawsuit against the California State University (CSU) system until after a ruling in the B.P.J. v. West Virginia Supreme Court case, which is expected to come in June.
Slusser filed the lawsuit against representatives of her school and the Mountain West Conference in fall 2024 after she allegedly was made to share bedrooms and changing spaces with trans teammate Blaire Fleming for a whole season without being informed that Fleming is a biological male.
Meanwhile, the B.P.J. case went to the Supreme Court after a trans teen sued West Virginia to block the state’s law that prevents males from competing in girls’ high school sports.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is the primary law firm defending West Virginia in that case at the Supreme Court, and has now responded to news that Slusser’s lawsuit could be affected by the SCOTUS ruling.
“We hope the ruling from the Supreme Court will affirm that Title IX was designed to guarantee equal opportunity for women, not to let male athletes displace women and girl in competition. It is crucial that sports be separated by sex for not only the equal opportunity of women but for safety and privacy. Title IX should protect women’s right to compete in their own sports. Allowing men to compete in the female category reverses 50 years of advancement for women,” ADF Vice President of Litigation Strategies Jonathan Scruggs said.
Slusser’s attorney, Bill Bock of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, expects a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the legal defense representing West Virginia, thus helping his case.
(Left) Brooke Slusser (10) of the San Jose State Spartans serves the ball during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Oct. 19, 2024. (Right) Blaire Fleming #3 of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the third set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ( Andrew Wevers/Getty Images; Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
“We’re looking forward to the case going forward,” Bock told Fox News Digital.
“I believe that the court is going to find that Title IX operates on the basis of biological sex, without regard to an assumed or professed gender, and so just like the congress and the members of congress that passed Title IX in 1972, allowed this specifically provided for in the regulations that there had to be separate men’s and women’s teams based on biological sex, I think the court is going to see that is the original meaning of the statute and apply it in that way, and I think it’s going to be a big win in women’s sports.”
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared prepared to rule in favor of West Virginia after oral arguments on Jan. 13.
Slusser spoke on the steps of the Supreme Court on Jan. 13 while oral arguments took place inside, sharing her experience with a divided crowd of opposing protesters.
With Fleming on its roster, SJSU reached the 2024 conference final by virtue of a forfeit by Boise State in the semifinal round. SJSU lost in the final to Colorado State.
Slusser went on to develop an eating disorder due to the anxiety and trauma from the scandal and dropped out of her classes the following semester. The eating disorder became so severe, that Slusser said she lost her menstrual cycle for nine months. Her decision to drop her classes resulted in the loss of her scholarship, and her parents said they had to foot the bill out of pocket for an unfinished final semester of college.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Education determined in January that SJSU violated Title IX in its handling of the situation involving Fleming, and has given the university an ultimatum to agree to a series of resolutions or face a referral to the Department of Justice.
Among the department’s findings, it determined that a female athlete discovered that the trans student allegedly conspired to have a member of an opposing team spike her in the face during a match. ED claims that “SJSU did not investigate the conspiracy, but later subjected the female athlete to a Title IX complaint for ‘misgendering’ the male athlete in online videos and interviews.”
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SJSU trans player Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and had Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit over Fleming being transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)
SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya told Fox News Digital in a July interview that he was satisfied with how the university handled the situation involving Fleming.
“I think everybody acted in the best possible way they could, given the circumstances,” Konya said.
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Sports
Myles Garrett cited for speeding a ninth time, an elite pass rusher seemingly always in a rush
Myles Garrett is in a hurry to become the greatest pass rusher in NFL history. The Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end set the single-season sack record in 2025 and has cracked the top 20 career leaders after only nine seasons.
“I’m going to take that down, and I prefer I take it down in the next five years,” Garrett told Casino Guru News last month.
Off the field, however, his urgency to get from point A to B is a problem. He’s accumulating speeding tickets at an alarming rate.
On Feb. 21, Garrett was handed his ninth speeding ticket since his NFL career began in 2017. He was cited for driving 94 mph in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 71 between Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.
The citation from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says Garrett was driving his green 2024 Porsche at 1:35 a.m., returning home after attending a Miami of Ohio basketball game in Oxford.
Body cam footage shows the officer telling Garrett that she kept the charge under 100 mph so that a court appearance wouldn’t be mandatory. Garrett reportedly still holds a Texas driver’s license — he attended Texas A&M — and told the officer that he did not have an Ohio license.
Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett wears a jacket displaying his girlfriend Chloe Kim before the women’s snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy.
(Lindsey Wasson / AP)
The officer wrote that the famously affable Garrett was “kind and cooperative,” and that drugs and alcohol were not a factor.
Garrett’s need for speed flies in the face of his persona. He has written poetry since high school, peppers social media with inspirational sayings and donates time and money to several charities.
His girlfriend is two-time gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, for whom he wrote a poem he shared on social media: “You enrapture fools to kings, and exist without a peer, put on this Earth for many things, but our love is why you’re here.”
Verse hasn’t slowed his roll. On Aug. 9 he was cited for ticket No. 8, clocked at 100 mph in a 60-mph zone in a Cleveland suburb a day after the Browns returned home from a preseason game at Carolina.
Garrett’s seventh ticket followed a frightening crash in 2022. He flipped his gray 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S off State Road in Sharon Township and he and a female passenger were injured. He was cited for failing to control his vehicle due to unsafe speeds on what had been a slick roadway.
A witness told a responding police officer that Garrett’s vehicle went airborne, took out a fire hydrant and rolled three times. Garrett sustained shoulder and biceps sprains and was sidelined for the Browns’ game that week against the Atlanta Falcons. His companion was not seriously injured.
Cleveland television station WKYC reported that in September 2021 Garrett was stopped twice in a 24-hour period — for driving 120 and 105 mph. The infractions occurred on Interstate 71 in Medina County, where the speed limit is 70 mph, and he paid fines of $267 and $287.
A year earlier, Garrett was cited for driving 100 mph in a 65-mph zone of Interstate 77 — again while driving a Porsche — and paid a $308 fine. He accumulated his first batch of speeding tickets in 2017 and 2018, and the police reports recite similar circumstances: Garrett driving well over the speed limit, cited without incident, paid a nominal fine.
The piddly fines certainly aren’t a deterrent. Garrett, 30, and the Browns agreed to a four-year contract extension in March 2025 that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time. The deal pays the seven-time All-Pro more than $40 million a season and includes more than $123 million in guaranteed money.
He set the NFL single-season sack record with 23.0 last season, surpassing the 22.5 accumulated by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan. Garrett has 125.5 career sacks, averaging 14 a season, a pace that would enable him to break Bruce Smith’s career record of 200 in five years.
“That is definitely on my mind to go out there and get,” Garrett said. “That’s a goal I’ve had for years now since college.”
Garrett has declined to discuss his driving habits.
“I’d honestly prefer to talk about football and this team than anything I’m doing off the field other than the back-to-school event that I did the other day,” he told reporters after ticket No. 8 in August, referring to a charity appearance.
“I try to keep my personal life personal. And I’d rather focus on this team when I can.”
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Former ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann once again incited backlash on social media Wednesday after he called late legendary college football coach Lou Holtz a “legendary scumbag” in an X post on the day Holtz was announced dead.
“Legendary scumbag, yes,” Olbermann wrote in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for supporting abortion rights.
Olbermann received scathing criticism in response to his post on X.
“You’re a scumbag that needs mental help,” one X user wrote to Olbermann.
One user echoed that sentiment, writing to Olbermann, “You’re the real scumbag here. Lou Holtz had more class, integrity, and genuine decency in his pinky finger than you’ll ever show in your lifetime.”
Another user wrote, “You’re a grumpy, lonely, Godless man. All the things Lou Holtz was not.”
Keith Olbermann speaks onstage during the Olbermann panel at the ESPN portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel July 24, 2013, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Olbermann has made it a pattern of sharing politically charged far-left statements that are often combative and ridiculed on social media, typically resulting in immense backlash.
After the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win, Olbermann heavily criticized the team for accepting an invitation from President Trump to the State of the Union address. Olbermann wrote on X that any members of the men’s team who attended the event were “declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny,” while praising the women’s team for declining the invitation.
In January, Olbermann attacked former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler for celebrating a women’s rights rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments for two cases focused on the legality of biological male trans athletes in women’s sports.
Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec, 3, 2020. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It’s still about you trying to find an excuse for a lifetime wasted trying to succeed in sports without talent,” Olbermann wrote in response to Wheeler’s post.
In 2025, Olbermann faced significant backlash after posting (and later deleting) a message on X aimed at CNN contributor Scott Jennings, that said, “You’re next motherf—–,” shortly after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Holtz was a stern supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”
Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.
After Holtz’s death was announced Wednesday, several top GOP figures paid tribute to the coach on social media.
Those GOP lawmakers included senators Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; representatives Greg Murphy, R-N.C.; David Rouzer, R-N.C.; Erin Houchin, R-Ind.; and Steve Womack, R-Ark.; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Indiana Gov. Mike Braun; U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon; and Rudy Giuliani.
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Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach, addresses the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit at the Marriott Marquis July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
At the time of publication, prominent Democrat leaders have appeared silent on Holtz’s passing, including prominent Democrats with a football background.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as an assistant high school football coach; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who was a recruiting target for Holtz in 1986 as a college prospect; Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL; and Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., who played football for the University of Illinois, have not posted acknowledging Holtz’s death.
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