Former UConn Star Gets Disappointing WNBA Career News
Just days after making history, Kaitlyn Chen’s WNBA dream was put on hold. The former UConn star guard, who helped lead the Huskies to their 12th national championship this past season, was waived by the Golden State Valkyries, less than 24 hours after becoming the first player of Taiwanese descent to take the court in a WNBA game.
The Golden State Valkyries have waived Kaitlyn Chen, the team announced.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 14, 2025
Chen was the 30th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/nMpZmTz0EX
Drafted 30th overall by the Valkyries, Chen checked into the team’s inaugural preseason game at Chase Center to a standing ovation from the crowd of 17,428. In her eight minutes, she scored two points and pulled down three rebounds, making an instant, if brief, impact. But like many WNBA hopefuls, Chen’s opportunity was short-lived.
The Valkyries, one of the league’s most anticipated expansion teams, opted to cut Chen as part of a wave of final roster decisions that also included four other players. None of their three 2025 draft picks made the opening-day roster.
Chen's journey to this point had already been remarkable. A star at Princeton and Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023, she transferred to UConn for her final season and proved herself against elite competition, starting all 40 games. Though taken late in the draft, head coach Geno Auriemma had high hopes about Chen's prospects.
“She’s going to make it in that league,” Auriemma said at the Big East Tournament. “I think if she were a backup point guard her first year, you would be hard-pressed to find somebody better.”
The WNBA is unforgiving. With just 12 roster spots per team and only 156 in the entire league, even history-makers aren’t guaranteed a place. But Kaitlyn Chen’s story isn’t over. From Ivy League standout to national champion to barrier-breaker, she’s already proven she belongs. Hopefully she can land with another WNBA team soon.
Evan Dammarell is a credentialed, award-winning sports journalist who has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA for nearly a decade right off the shores of Lake Erie. His work has appeared on Forbes, ClutchPoints, SBNation, FanSided, Heavy, The Locked On Podcast Network, and Right Down Euclid, among others. Evan is committed to his vision to go beyond the scores and so much more so that every fan can always keep up with what’s going on with their favorite teams on and off the court.