Kiwi basketball star Charlisse Leger-Walker’s dream of playing in the WNBA has come a step closer to reality after being selected by the Connecticut Sun in the 2026 WNBA draft.
Leger-Walker was selected with the 18th overall pick in the second round at The Shed at Hudson Yards.
While she was not formally invited to the event, the 24-year-old was in attendance, and she is now on track to becoming the second-ever New Zealander to play in the WNBA, following in the footsteps of Megan Compain, who played for the defunct Utah Starzz in 1997.
“I‘m the first from New Zealand to ever be drafted, so it’s a big moment,” Leger-Walker told ESPN.
“It means a lot and I’m just really humbled that I can be that role model and I just hope that everybody watching from New Zealand just knows that they belong here and if they set their sights high, they can be limitless.
“I’m going in with an open mind, taking in a lot from the vets and just learning a lot and then just being the best teammate I can and whatever role that is that I need to partake in then I’m going to do that.”
It has been a big fortnight for Leger-Walker, who last week became the first Kiwi to win the women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship, as the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) won the women’s Division One championship with a 79-51 victory over South Carolina.
The road to the national championship was a long one for the Hamilton-born star, who transferred to UCLA from Washington State University ahead of the 2024-25 season, but did not play as she was rehabilitating an ACL injury.
That ACL injury saw Leger-Walker withdraw from consideration for the 2024 WNBA draft.
In her final college season, she averaged 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 45.7% from the field.
Sun general manager Morgan Tuck said they were thrilled to add Leger-Walker to the team.
“Her ability to push the pace while also running the offence and leading her teammates is something we truly value,” Tuck said.
“She comes from a winning programme, and her skillset, poise and basketball IQ position her game to translate seamlessly to the professional level.”
Overall, it was a historic night for Leger-Walker’s school UCLA, with teammates Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, Angela Dugalić and Gianna Kneepkens also getting selected, breaking the record for the most players from one school drafted in the same year, and all of whom were selected in the first round.
Leger-Walker will link up with Kneepkens at the Sun, who was taken with the 15th pick, while Betts (fourth) and Dugalić (ninth) were picked by the Washington Mystics, Jaquez, the sister of Miami Heat star Jaime Jaquez jnr, taken fifth by the Chicago Sky and Rice (sixth) to the Toronto Tempo.
Azzi Fudd was selected by the Dallas Wings with the No 1 pick.
Her sister and fellow Tall Fern Krystal Leger-Walker took to Instagram prior to the draft to say how proud she was of her sister.
“I can’t wait to see which coach is smart enough to pick you up ... because that franchise is going to be so lucky,“ the post read.
“I love you so, so, so much. I’m already crying tears of joy. So proud of you – your courage, your fearlessness, everything you are."
As part of the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, second-round picks who sign with their teams are guaranteed $460,000.
The Sun finished last season with a 11-33 record and the upcoming campaign will be their last in Connecticut, as they are set to relocate to play under a new moniker, pending WNBA approval.
Last month, the franchise was sold to the Fertitta family, who own the NBA’s Houston Rockets, for $511 million, with the intention of moving the team to Texas.
ESPN reports they will be renamed the Houston Comets, after the city’s previous WNBA franchise.
Leger-Walker has also been a regular player for the Tall Ferns since her debut in 2018.
She is the daughter of former Tall Fern Olympian Leanne Walker.
The WNBA will have 15 teams for the upcoming season, an increase of two following the inclusion of the Portland Fire and the Tempo, while three more have been slated to be added by 2030.
Training camps begin next Monday, with Sun starting their season on May 9 against the New York Liberty.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.