The UCLA Bruins were a dominant force in the NCAA tournament en route to their first-ever championship. Despite a heavy loss in the finals, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley credited Cori Close and her team, lauding their overall play and impact on the floor.
While the program was already set to become one of the decorated programs in the WNBA Draft, with the highest number of draftees, they set another unique record on draft night.
UCLA Set Record On 2026 WNBA Draft Night
While the celebration mood was still on in California, the team members brought their party to New York, shining brighter than the stars in the Big Apple. They traveled as a group throughout the city and received praise from basketball fans. On draft night, though, they had to move to different franchises, as teams made their picks.
Tournament MOP Lauren Betts was the top pick from the bunch, joining the Washington Mystics, while the Connecticut Sun chose Gianna Kneepkens as the final pick of the first round. Between them, there were four other UCLA players joining the league and making history as the first program to send six players in the WNBA Draft’s first round.
UCLA's 5 first round picks in this year's draft is the most by a single school in WNBA history pic.twitter.com/Ivf1M8cKsQ
— Underdog (@Underdog) April 14, 2026
Cori Close called this the best team she ever coached, and the selections proved her right. She, who doesn’t care about records, was in attendance watching her player moving to the pro league and said, “Well, I mean, I sort of do care about this one, actually because No. 1, it helps us in recruiting. I think we’ve really taken a developmental approach to this and to see it come to fruition the way it has is obviously really gratifying,”
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Other players moving to the WNBA were Gabriela Jaquez as the fifth overall pick for the Chicago Sky, then Kiki Rice as the sixth overall pick to the Toronto Tempo, while Angela Dugalic joined the Mystics as the ninth overall pick.
Top Pick Lauren Betts To Play With Her UCLA Coach in WNBA
With the 2026 WNBA Draft, Betts was the No. 4 overall pick and will be joining the Washington Mystics to play alongside former UCLA assistant coach/player Michaela Onyenwere, who signed with the Mystics days before the draft.
During the WNBA off-season, Onyenwere returned to her alma mater, taking an assistant coach role for the 2025-26 season. This unique reunion sees Betts, a dominant 6-foot-7 center and 2026 NCAA Tournament MOP, team up with Onyenwere, the 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Michaela Onyenwere of the Chicago Sky wins her first National Championship as an assistant coach 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vQc2NoarCn
— WNBA (@WNBA) April 5, 2026
Apart from the forward duo, Angela Dugalic will also look to stay with the young Mystics side after her selection as the ninth overall pick. A trio of UCLA players would look to improve the team’s performance in the upcoming season.