Three Australian WNBA players selected in league expansion draft
Consensus Summary
Three Australian basketball players—Nyadiew Puoch, Chloe Bibby, and Kristy Wallace—were selected in the WNBA’s expansion draft for the 2025 season, joining the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo as the league’s 14th and 15th teams. Puoch, a rising star from the WNBL’s UC Capitals, was chosen 16th by Portland after a standout season averaging 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, including a clutch half-court buzzer-beater. Bibby, a former Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries player, was picked 11th by Portland, while Wallace, a two-time WNBA champion and Olympic bronze medalist, was selected by the Toronto Tempo, coached by Sandy Brondello. The expansion draft follows a new collective bargaining agreement that significantly increased the salary cap to $7 million and raised maximum one-year salaries to $1.4 million. Both sources agree on the key selections and the timing of the draft, though discrepancies exist in the exact pick numbers for Wallace and additional details about the Toronto Tempo’s first pick.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
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, 2025
- Sandy Brondello is coaching the Toronto Tempo expansion team
- The WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement was finalized on March 24, 2025
- The salary cap increased from $1.5 million to $7 million (or $10 million AUD) under the new CBA
- Puoch averaged 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game in the 2024 WNBL season
- Puoch scored a half-court buzzer-beater against the Perth Lynx in January 2025
- Puoch was previously drafted by the Atlanta Dream in 2024 but delayed her rookie season to play in Australia
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Kristy Wallace was selected by the Toronto Tempo as the 21st overall pick
- The Toronto Tempo’s first pick in the expansion draft was Bridget Carleton
- The WNBA salary cap increase is described as $7 million (US) or $10 million (AUD)
- The WNBA salary cap was previously $1.5 million (US) or $2.1 million (AUD)
- The maximum one-year salary increased to $1.4 million (US) or $2.3 million (AUD)
- The Portland Fire is welcoming a WNBA team back to the city after 24 years
- The Toronto Tempo selected Julie Allemand as its first pick in the expansion draft
- Kristy Wallace was selected by the Toronto Tempo as the 23rd overall pick
- The WNBA salary cap was previously $1.5 million (US) or $2.1 million (AUD)
- The maximum one-year salary increased to $1.4 million (US) or $2.3 million (AUD)
- The Toronto Tempo’s first pick in the expansion draft was Julie Allemand
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Kristy Wallace was picked 21st by the Toronto Tempo, but the Guardian says she was picked 23rd
- ABC mentions the Portland Fire’s first pick was Bridget Carleton, while the Guardian does not mention this detail
- ABC describes the salary cap increase as $7 million (US) or $10 million (AUD), but the Guardian only specifies $7 million (US) and $10 million (AUD) without the prior value in AUD
- The Guardian does not mention the Portland Fire’s return to the city after 24 years, which ABC highlights
- ABC states the Toronto Tempo selected Julie Allemand as its first pick, but the Guardian does not specify the order of picks beyond Wallace’s 23rd selection
Source Articles
‘Means a lot’: Nyadiew Puoch among three Australians picked in WNBA expansion draft
21-year-old rising star and Chloe Bibby selected to join Portland Fire Opals coach Sandy Brondello’s Toronto Tempo pick Kristy Wallace Australian rising star Nyadiew Puoch has been rewarded for her st...
Rising star among 3 Australians picked in WNBA expansion draft
WNBL rising star Nyadiew Puoch and Chloe Bibby are selected to join the Portland Fire in the WNBA, while fellow Australian Kristy Wallace is picked by Toronto Tempo....