Former Virginia Tech and Kentucky point guard Georgia Amoore was chosen by the Washington Mystics in the first round of the WNBA Draft on Monday night in New York.
Amoore was taken with the sixth overall pick. She became the first ex-Hokie to be taken in the first round of the WNBA Draft.
She became the fourth member of Virginia Tech鈥檚 2023 Final Four team to be drafted. Kayana Traylor and Taylor Soule were chosen in the 2023 WNBA Draft, while Elizabeth Kitley was chosen in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
The Mystics, who have a new coach and general manager, had three of the first six picks Monday. Washington took Notre Dame鈥檚 Sonia Citron with the third overall pick and Southern Cal鈥檚 Kiki Iriafen with the fourth overall pick.
鈥淚鈥檝e always said I want to play with Sonia, and I love Kiki,鈥 Amoore said on the ESPN telecast after being drafted. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to be with them. I鈥檓 excited to be with the Mystics.鈥
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The 5-foot-6 Amoore was a four-year starter for Tech, helping the Hokies make four NCAA appearances. She helped Tech win the 2023 ACC Tournament and the 2024 ACC regular-season title. She was named the most outstanding player of both the 2023 ACC Tournament and Tech鈥檚 NCAA regional that year.
鈥淎s long as people have called me too short, I鈥檝e been working on how to counteract that,鈥 Amoore said on the ESPN telecast. 鈥淚 know that I have to work in different ways, use my brain a little bit more. But with my competitive background, I think I have a little bit of that dog in me that鈥檚 going to keep me fighting.鈥
The Australian import earned third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a Tech senior in 2024. The two-time All-ACC first-team pick owns the Tech career marks for assists (656), minutes per game (34.3 mpg) and assist-turnover ratio (1.82). She ranks third in Tech history in both scoring (1,853 points) and starts (124) and second in 3-pointers (330).
Amoore followed former Tech coach Kenny Brooks to Kentucky, joining the Wildcats as a graduate transfer. Brooks was with Amoore at the draft Monday, as were Amoore鈥檚 parents.
Also on hand was NBA star Russell Westbrook, who has a clothing brand called Honor The Gift. Amoore said Westbrook designed the outfit she wore Monday and was amazing to work with since they first got together on a Zoom session last November.
Amoore helped Kentucky win 23 games and reach the NCAAs. She made the AP All-America second team this year, when she averaged 19.6 points, dished out a school-record 213 assists and sank 78 3-pointers.
Paige Bueckers went to Dallas as the first pick Monday night.
The versatile UConn star is the latest Huskies standout to go No. 1, joining former UConn greats Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart.
鈥淒allas I鈥檓 so excited, a new city, a new start,鈥 Bueckers said. 鈥淎 fresh start, so let鈥檚 get it.鈥
Bueckers helped UConn win its 12th national championship on April 6.
Her UConn teammates and coach Geno Auriemma were in attendance at the draft. Bueckers choked up when talking about her former Huskies teammates.
鈥淭hey mean everything to me. They helped me get through highs and lows,鈥 Bueckers said.
Seattle took 19-year-old French star Dominique Malonga with the No. 2 pick.
Expansion team Golden State drafted Juste Jocyte of Lithuania with the fifth pick.
The Connecticut Sun took LSU鈥橲 Aneesah Morrow with the seventh pick and North Carolina State鈥檚 Saniya Rivers with the eighth pick.
Los Angeles took Alabama鈥檚 Sarah Ashlee Barker with the ninth pick.
Chicago took TCU鈥檚 Hailey Van Lith with the 11th pick, while Dallas took N.C. State鈥檚 Aziaha James with the 12th and final pick of the first round.
Also Monday, the Minnesota Lynx acquired forward Karlie Samuelson in a trade with Washington for their 2026 first-round draft pick.
