Drafted eighth in the 2025 WNBA draft, Saniya Rivers enjoyed a productive season with the Connecticut Sun. One of the top two-way players for the side, the youngster lived up to her first-round selection. Amidst the Connecticut Sun ownership change talks, Rivers was at the TD Garden for the Celtics game, showing her support for the team’s move to Boston.
And once again, the youngster took the court in the offseason, but not for any practice or even to watch a live game, but instead, she was on her high school home court for her jersey retirement program.
Ashley High School Retires Saniya Rivers’ Jersey
The Wilmington native played for NC State and won a national championship with South Carolina as a freshman in 2022. But before making history at the college level basketball, she was a megastar for the Ashley High School.
In mid-December 2025, the high school retired her jersey honoring her contribution to women’s basketball. The player got emotional at the ceremony as she said, “Going into the locker room, going into the coach’s office, being in the principal’s office, it’s hitting me a little bit. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach because I’m a little nervous. But, it’s good nerves, it just means I care and I’m just happy to be able to accept this honor in front of my family.”
Let's pack the Stands tonight!@Ihoop___22 🤩 Saniya Rivers , Ashley High School Jersey Retirement
— Karen Barefoot (@KBarefoot10) December 12, 2025
Wilmington phenom to Gatorade National Player of the Year, McDonald’s All-American and 2,500+ career points… pic.twitter.com/cL7AD7wOeE
The player reflected on the big day that she realized how important it is for her as she stepped in the high school corridors with fans taking pictures and autographs from the Sun superstar. She also mentioned her late mother in her speech who passed away seven months ago.
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Saniya Rivers was a dominant high school player at Eugene Ashley High and won the Gatorade National POY in 2021 with staggering stats like 36.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 5.3 SPG, and 5.1 APG. She was one of the destructive scorers and an elite defender with a knack for rebounding.
Saniya Rivers Remains Key Piece For Connecticut Sun
The WNBA 2026 season might be far away, but the teams are preparing for the expansion drafts, which might take place early in January, right after confirmation of the CBA. With that, The Sun team will also look to secure its top players from the new franchises, which includes Rivers.
The star averaged 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game and ranked in the top 10 in all categories amongst the rookies. Notably, the GM praised his former star Veronica Burton, who joined the Valkyries in the expansion draft last season, and they will look to avoid a similar ‘mishap’ in the upcoming season.