Three Australian WNBA players selected in WNBA expansion draft for new teams
Consensus Summary
Three Australian basketball players—Nyadiew Puoch, Chloe Bibby, and Kristy Wallace—were selected in the WNBA’s expansion draft for the league’s newest teams, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. Puoch, a rising star from the UC Capitals in the WNBL, was chosen 16th overall by Portland, while Bibby, who played for the Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries, was picked 11th. Wallace, a two-time WNBA champion and Olympic medalist, was selected by the Tempo, though the sources differ on her exact pick number (21st or 23rd). Puoch’s selection follows her standout 2024 WNBL season, where she averaged 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, including a clutch half-court buzzer-beater against the Perth Lynx. The expansion draft comes ahead of the 2025 WNBA season, which begins on May 8, and follows a new collective bargaining agreement that significantly raises salary caps and player earnings. The Portland Fire, returning to the league after 24 years, also selected veteran forward Bridget Carleton as its first pick, while the Toronto Tempo added guard Julie Allemand. The draft marks a major expansion for the WNBA, with both new teams led by Australian coaches and players, signaling growing global influence in the league.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Nyadiew Puoch was selected by the Portland Fire in the WNBA expansion draft as the 16th overall pick
- Chloe Bibby was selected by the Portland Fire as the 11th overall pick in the expansion draft
- Kristy Wallace was selected by the Toronto Tempo as the 21st overall pick (ABC) or 23rd overall pick (Guardian)
- The WNBA expansion draft occurred ahead of the 2025 season opener on May 8
- The WNBA draft to complete rosters will be held on April 13
- Sandy Brondello is coaching the Toronto Tempo expansion team
- Puoch averaged 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals for the UC Capitals in the 2024 WNBL season
- Puoch scored a half-court buzzer-beater in Canberra’s 77-74 win over the Perth Lynx in January 2025
- The WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement was finalized on March 24, increasing the salary cap to $7 million and max salaries to $1.4 million
- The Fire and Tempo are the 14th and 15th teams in the WNBA expansion
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Nyadiew Puoch was drafted by the Atlanta Dream in 2024 but delayed her rookie season to continue in the WNBL
- The Toronto Tempo selected Kristy Wallace as the 21st overall pick in the expansion draft
- The existing WNBA teams were allowed to protect a maximum of five players in the expansion draft
- Portland is welcoming a WNBA team back to the city after 24 years
- The salary cap increase is from $1.5 million to $7 million ($10 million AUD)
- The max one-year salary increase is from $1.5 million to $1.4 million ($2.3 million AUD)
- Kristy Wallace was selected by the Toronto Tempo as the 23rd overall pick in the expansion draft
- Bridget Carleton was selected by the Portland Fire as the first pick in the expansion draft
- Julie Allemand, who played for the Los Angeles Sparks, was selected by the Toronto Tempo with its first pick in the expansion draft
- The salary cap increase is from $1.5 million to $7 million ($10 million AUD)
- The max one-year salary increase is from $1.5 million to $1.4 million ($2.3 million AUD)
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC reports Kristy Wallace was selected as the 21st overall pick, while the Guardian reports she was selected as the 23rd overall pick
- ABC states the Toronto Tempo selected Kristy Wallace in the expansion draft, but the Guardian does not mention this selection explicitly (only mentions Allemand and Wallace’s pick number)
- ABC mentions the existing teams protected a maximum of five players in the expansion draft, while the Guardian does not mention this detail
Source Articles
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