With the No. 15 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Minnesota Lynx selected 19-year-old Anastasiia Olairi Kosu.
“Olairi is a young talent who has been playing the game at a high level in Europe from a young age,” Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve said. “She plays with pace, is a very good cutter and she defends and rebounds at a high level.”
The 6-1 forward from Kurk, Russia brings a wealth of professional experience, currently playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Premier League. In 34 games this season, Kosu is averaging 9.5 points while shooting 54.3% from the field and 79.0% from the free throw line, also posting 5.1 rebounds, 1.76 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game through 18.3 minutes per contest. Kosu was named MVP of the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship while leading Russia to the gold medal with a 17.0-point and 14.1-rebound double-double performance in seven starts. She followed up by averaging 15.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.67 steals and 1.83 blocks in six outings at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary, helping Russia to an 8th-place finish.
With the No. 24 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Minnesota Lynx selected Dalayah Daniels.
“Dalayah is a skilled big with good footwork who finishes around the rim,” said Reeve. “She has ball skills away from the basket and is a good defender who possesses strong pursuit of the ball in rebounding situations.”
Daniels, a 6-4 forward, spent two seasons at the University of California Berkeley before spending three seasons at the University of Washington. The Seattle, Wash. native is a 2025 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, 2024 All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, and has collected various Pac-12 defensive and preseason awards. This season, the graduate student averaged 12.8 points (on 57.5% shooting), 7.2 rebounds, 1.55 blocks and 1.55 steals in 33 games (29.3 minutes per start) while helping the Huskies to a 19-14 record and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. Daniels tallied a season-high 22 points against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament (Mar. 6) and collected 20 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds at Northwestern on Dec. 28. She finished her career at Washington ranking second in school history in blocked shots with 160.
With the No. 37 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Minnesota Lynx selected Aubrey Griffin.
“Aubrey is a versatile athlete who defends, rebounds, runs the floor, is a willing cutter and efficient scorer,” Reeve said. “As a member of four Final Four teams, Aubrey understands what it takes to win.”
Griffin, a 6-1 guard/forward, is a 2025 NCAA National Champion with the University of Connecticut. The Ossining, N.Y. native totaled 986 points and 680 rebounds in her five seasons at UConn and was a 2023 All-Big East Honorable Mention selection. Griffin averaged 7.8 points on 53.3% shooting from the field during her career in Storrs, adding 5.4 rebounds and 1.28 steals over 20.4 minutes per game in 126 contests played. Griffin is the 50th UConn Husky to be selected in the WNBA Draft.
(info courtesy of Lynx)
