Aubrey Griffin becomes third UConn player taken in 2025 WNBA draft at No. 37 by Lynx

Emily Adams, Hartford Courant on Apr 14, 2025

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NEW YORK — UConn women’s basketball forward Aubrey Griffin became the 50th WNBA draftee in program history on Monday night when she was selected by the Minnesota Lynx with the No. 37 overall pick in the third round.

Griffin was the third former Husky selected in the 2025 WNBA draft, following superstar Paige Bueckers at No. 1 and point guard Kaitlyn Chen at No. 30. Neither Griffin or Chen were formally invited to the draft, but both were in attendance to support Bueckers and were selected minutes apart out of the audience.

“It’s honestly just surreal,” Griffin said. “I’m super proud of Kaitlyn and super excited to be here, and I’m just blessed. I honestly didn’t think I would get picked, so I’m just super grateful that I can be able to continue playing the game that I love.”

Griffin’s selection marks the first time since 2022 that UConn has had three players taken in the same draft class. She joins a roster in Minnesota that already includes two Huskies alumni, including former teammate Dorka Juhasz and reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier. Another former UConn teammate, Christyn Williams, signed with the Lynx on a training camp contract.

The Lynx took a chance on Griffin largely based on potential after she played just 16 games averaging 11.3 minutes in 2024-25. The sixth-year senior spent the first half of the season recovering from an ACL tear she suffered in Jan. 2024, and she was never fully healthy after returning. She sat out of the Big East Tournament with “knee soreness” and didn’t play more than 10 minutes in any of UConn’s NCAA Tournament games. Coach Geno Auriemma said Sunday that Griffin was still not 100% heading into the draft.

Injuries impacted Griffin’s UConn career well before this season: The 6-foot-1 forward was sidelined for all of 2021-22 after first struggling with lower leg and ankle issues, then undergoing season-ending back surgery to repair a disk issue. She also suffered an ACL tear in high school.

“I’ve been through a lot, a lot of injuries, and I just worked my way back every time to come back stronger and get better mentally and physically,” Griffin said. “I’m just super grateful I now get the opportunity to continue playing somewhere, and I’m just going to soak it all in tonight.”

At her healthiest, Griffin has all the traits of a WNBA player. She started 30 games for the Huskies in 2022-23 and averaged 11.3 points plus 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game shooting 53.5% from the field. She was playing some of her best basketball before the ACL tear in 2023-24, averaging 9.5 points and six rebounds in just 22 minutes per game mostly off the bench. She also has a professional basketball pedigree: Her father Adrian played for a decade in the NBA and is now a coach, while older brother AJ played for the Atlanta Hawks from 2022-24.

The Lynx were the 2024 WNBA runners-up, dropping a spectacular 3-2 series to the New York Liberty in the Finals. The team returned most of its key pieces for the 2025 season including the entire starting five from last year’s run.

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