WNBA expansion draft selects three Australian players for new teams Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo
Consensus Summary
The WNBA’s expansion draft selected three Australian players—Nyadiew Puoch, Chloe Bibby, and Kristy Wallace—to join 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 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, the 11th pick, and Wallace, selected by Toronto Tempo, will join Puoch in the expanded league, which begins May 8 following a new collective bargaining agreement that nearly doubled the salary cap to $7 million and raised maximum salaries to $1.4 million. Both articles highlight Puoch’s career trajectory, from her 2024 draft by the Atlanta Dream to her decision to develop further in Australia before joining Portland. The draft also marked the return of a WNBA team to Portland after a 24-year absence, with Sandy Brondello, a two-time WNBA champion and Australian Opals coach, leading the Toronto Tempo. While both sources agree on core details, discrepancies include Wallace’s pick number (21st vs. 23rd) and additional selections like Bridget Carleton and Julie Allemand, which only one source mentions.
✓ 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: 23rd) in the expansion draft
- Sandy Brondello is coaching the Toronto Tempo and previously led the Australian Opals to Olympic bronze
- The WNBA expansion draft occurred to form the 14th (Portland Fire) and 15th (Toronto Tempo) teams
- The new WNBA season begins on May 8, 2024, after the league and players’ union agreed to a new CBA on March 24, 2024
- The salary cap increased from $1.5 million to $7 million, with maximum one-year salaries rising to $1.4 million
- Puoch averaged 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game for UC Capitals in the 2023 WNBL season
- Puoch scored a half-court buzzer-beater in January 2024 to win for UC Capitals against the Perth Lynx
- 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:
- Portland selected Bridget Carleton with the first pick in the expansion draft
- Toronto Tempo selected Julie Allemand (Los Angeles Sparks) with its first pick
- The WNBA’s salary cap increase is noted as $7 million ($A10m) and max salary as $1.4m ($A2.3m) in AUD
- The trio (Puoch, Bibby, Wallace) will join 'several other Australian stars' in the expanded league
- Kristy Wallace was selected as the 21st overall pick (Guardian says 23rd)
- The WNBA draft for remaining roster spots will occur on April 13, 2024
- Existing teams were allowed to protect a maximum of five players in the expansion draft
- Puoch’s 2024 draft selection by the Atlanta Dream is explicitly mentioned as a prior event
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Kristy Wallace was the 21st pick, while the Guardian says she was the 23rd pick
- The Guardian mentions Julie Allemand was selected by Toronto Tempo with the first pick, but ABC does not mention this detail
- The Guardian notes the salary cap increase as $7 million ($A10m) and max salary as $1.4m ($A2.3m) in AUD, while ABC only provides USD figures ($7m and $1.4m)
- The Guardian states Portland selected Bridget Carleton with the first pick, but ABC does not mention this 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....