When Sarah Strong dominated South Carolina’s frontcourt in UConn’s national championship win, swallowing rebounds, protecting the edge and scoring anywhere on the court, it’s easy to imagine she’s doing the same at the next level. WNBA executives must drool over drafting the idea of the next Eskimo star.
But they have to wait another three years. Under a collective bargaining agreement that expires at the end of the 2025 season, U.S.-born players are eligible to draft after completing four years of college. An exception is that if the player is 22 years old in the WNBA draft calendar year, he can announce it after his junior season. Since Strong has a February birthday, this will be an option.
As a women’s basketball boom, players have more options in shaping their careers, whether through transfer portals or colleges with new league majors. However, this is a decision that cannot be controlled.
“I definitely think we should have a choice,” USC star Juju Watkins said in the “Good Game with Sarah Spain” podcast. “In college basketball, that’s how growth is, why leave? Because you’re able to have that experience and build a brand in college. I’d say we should definitely have a choice, but I think college is a way to prepare for the merits. … It’s a moving subject, but I’m for that.”
Although it is unlikely that players will allow early announcements, enough lower graders are now attracting professional prospects and titled Strong. Watkins has the remaining two years of qualification, even if the ACL is torn apart, which will keep her underfunded in the upcoming WNBA season. Madison Booker of Texas has a WNBA body and pull-up game, and her SEC players Ashlyn Watkins (South Carolina) and Talaysia Cooper (Tennessee) may also be ready.
In a world, Juju Watkins decided to use her final years of qualification to compete in the upcoming season and enter the 2028 WNBA Draft with Sarah Strong.
If you were the general manager who always chose the first pick, who would you choose? pic.twitter.com/auixhkz3oc
– I’m talking about basketball 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) April 11, 2025
Historically, the idea of age limit also benefited most political parties, even if it reduced individual player agents. The WNBA is already the hardest league in the world to sign a second contract, and it is not the current player pool to add more competitors to the limited lineup.
Until recently, players’ experience during college was better than in the WNBA. It usually doesn’t make sense for athletes to sacrifice their ability to earn a college degree to preempt into an alliance that doesn’t give such a good job. However, some players still took advantage of the opportunity to get into professional players after three seasons, including first place Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young. Satou Sabally was the second pick in 2020, calling finance the reason she left Oregon early because she was in college before college athletes could make money.
Foreign-born athletes do not have to be the same age constraint as their American counterparts. If they don’t go to college in the NCAA system, it’s probably a way to inspire talent from around the world to play in the WNBA, players born outside the United States can be declared as draft picks over the age of 20. These concessions have never been made for American players who have grown into playing in the league.
Now the WNBA has better accommodation, more profitable salary and higher visibility, but College Sports also provides collective funding and the ability to profit from zero deals. Athletes no longer miss their income potential because they are denied early entry into the professional rankings.
The alliance also benefits from age restrictions. In addition to the rookie being very suitable for professional gaming, NCAA is also a great marketing tool for the WNBA. The player entered the league with four years of national exposure and name recognition Oodles. While casual NBA fans struggle to identify once and for all, most WNBA fans are very familiar with people like Paige Bueckers, Aneesah Morrow and Hailey van Lith, even before they even played their first professional game.
As a result, even if a new CBA is being negotiated, don’t expect age restrictions to be the point of debate.
“It has been mentioned; I don’t think it’s a priority,” Seattle’s storm guard Lexie Brown said last month on the “Linger WNBA Show.” “Among the 18-year-old, 19-year-old young women who can participate in a sport with a non-guaranteed contract without a degree is the secret to the disaster.”
If every player who goes to college this season qualifies for the draft, it is the first choice for the Bueckers. Strong’s overall game and her youth in the league that still runs throughout the position make her an attractive choice. Watkins’s enormous skill and star power also allowed her to participate in hypothetical conversations.
For now, this exercise is still theoretical. College basketball remains a more popular product, and the WNBA can afford exclusive results and close the door to young players with all the talent that already exists. There is a limited subset of players who can jump early in reality – too small to rewrite the entire rule.
(Madison Booker and Sarah Strong
