The annual event was held Monday night, with the new season set to begin in early May. Now the question is, where will Laila Phelia play?
Former Syracuse women's basketball player Laila Phelia was surprisingly not selected in Monday night's WNBA Draft. She will now look for a free agent deal in the coming days. Some mock drafts had her projected as high as the late second round.
After spending her first three seasons as a member of both the Texas Longhorns and Michigan Wolverines, Phelia joined the Orange for her senior season.
Phelia finished the 2025-26 campaign as an All-ACC selection. The 6'0 guard from Cincinnati, Ohio started all 32 games, averaging 13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. The Orange made the NCAA Tournament, beating Iowa State in the Round of 64 before losing to Connecticut in the Round of 32.
After the loss to UConn, Phelia spoke to the media about what playing at Syracuse meant to her, especially after some prior adversity.
Syracuse will miss Phelia's ability and leadership, especially when you couple it with all the players leaving the program now via the transfer portal. Just on Sunday, guard Sophie Burrows committed to rival North Carolina.
Syracuse has five players in the transfer portal as of now, but they have received one commitment: Sarah Rambus, who previously played at Oregon.
The positive for Phelia
If there is a positive to not being drafted, it's that Phelia will now get a chance to sign with any team in the league. Should she have multiple suitors, she'll have an opportunity to pick the best situation for her.
History of Syracuse women's basketball and the WNBA Draft
Phelia joins a growing list of former Syracuse players who have been selected in the WNBA draft.
Beth Record - 2001, 4th Round, 64th Overall, Los Angeles Sparks
Kayla Alexander - 2013, 1st Round, 8th Overall, San Antonio Stars
Brianna Butler - 2016, 2nd Round, 23rd Overall, Los Angeles Sparks
Brittney Sykes – 2017, 1st Round, 7th Overall, Atlanta Dream
Alexis Peterson – 2017, 2nd Round, 15th Overall, Seattle Storm
Dyaisha Fair – 2024, 2nd Round, 16th Overall, Las Vegas Aces
Syracuse Orange guard Laila Phelia (5) dribbles the ball against UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) during the second half of the second round game of the women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Gregory Fisher-Imagn ImagesOther news from the WNBA Draft
Monday's Draft started with former UConn star Azzi Fudd being taken No. 1 by the Dallas Wings. Fudd becomes the seventh UConn player to be drafted No. 1 overall. She will pair up with former teammate Paige Bueckers in Dallas. Bueckers was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
Elsewhere on campus for SU
--The men's basketball team also continues to attack the transfer portal, receiving another commitment on Monday. Read up on Aiden Tobiason, formerly of Temple, here.
--Former Syracuse big man William Kyle III received a pre-NBA Draft workout from the New York Knicks on Monday. We took a look at his NBA candidacy in this piece here. He also spent just one year at Syracuse, starting every game this past season.
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