Just days after winning the NCAA championship, UCLA made history on WNBA Draft night. Six Bruins were drafted, and four were picked in the top 10, with Lauren Betts (No. 4), Gabriela Jaquez (No. 5), and Kiki Rice (No. 6) going back-to-back-to-back.
Now, less than two weeks into the season, all six rookies have made their mark.
Let’s take a look at how they’ve impacted their respective teams in the early days.
Lauren Betts: No. 4 overall, Washington Mystics
2026 stats so far: 5.5 points, 3 rebounds, 45% shooting, 14.8 minutes per game
Betts was one of the best players in the nation and was the Final Four MVP. The 6’7 center is currently coming off the bench behind Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen, but has begun to make her mark in limited minutes. On Monday, she put together her best overall performance, tallying 15 points on 5-7 shooting along with 3 rebounds in 15 minutes.
Gabriela Jaquez: No. 5 overall, Chicago Sky
2026 stats so far: 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 48.8% shooting, 37.5% from three, 29.4 minutes per game
Some speculated that Jaquez was drafted too high after Jeff Pagliocca picked her fifth overall on the heels of a fantastic NCAA championship game. But Jaquez’s game has quickly translated to the pros. She’s started all five games for the 3-2 Sky, playing just under 30 minutes a night and tallying double-digit points in four of five outings so far. Jaquez’s best game came in a win against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday; she tallied 20 points, 8 rebounds, a steal, and an assist.
Kiki Rice: No. 6 overall, Toronto Tempo
2026 stats so far: 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 55.9% shooting, 50% from three, 25.6 minutes per game
The Tempo’s first-ever draft pick is thriving. After going scoreless in the season opener, Rice is getting better and better; she’s tallied at least 11 points in each of her last four outings, and was a major contributor in each of the Tempo’s last two games, both wins. Rice finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds against the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, and followed that up with a 15-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist, 2-steal performance against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday.
Angela Dugalić: No. 9 overall, Washington Mystics
2026 stats so far: 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 40% shooting, 20% from three, 10.5 minutes per game
Dugalić hasn’t gotten the same on-court opportunity as some of the other UCLA draftees, but she’s been in the rotation and shown flashes of promise for the Mystics. She played a season-high 13 minutes in a loss to the Dallas Wings on Monday and has played double-digit minutes in three of the team’s four games so far.
Gianna Kneepkens: No. 15 overall, Connecticut Sun
2026 stats so far: 3.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 34.8% shooting, 22.2% from three, 10.5 minutes per game
Like Dugalić, Kneepkens has seen more limited minutes, especially as of late. The Sun’s rotation and lineups have changed quite a bit in the early days of the season, but Kneepkens did get the chance to start two of six games already, and has played at least 13 minutes three times. The shooting hasn’t meaningfully translated yet, but she hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity yet. In the season opener, Kneepkens tallied 7 points and 5 rebounds, both season-highs.
Charlisse Leger-Walker: No. 18 overall, Connecticut Sun
2026 stats so far: 8 points, 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 38.6% shooting, 33.3% from three, 21.2 minutes per game
Leger-Walker, who was drafted last among the six Bruins, has been super impactful in the early days of the season. She’s scored double-digit points in the Sun’s last three games, including a team-best 16-point outing in Connecticut’s 80-78 win over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday night, which was the first victory of the season. Leger-Walker played 28 minutes in that one and has seen the floor for at least 16 minutes in every one of Connecticut’s six contests.
