“At a time when the passion and excitement surrounding the WNBA has never been higher, we continue to focus on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said earlier this year.
And, needless to say, the 29th season of annual women’s basketball drafts did not disappoint. Hosted at The Shed in New York, the 2025 orange carpet saw some of the finest college players putting their best foot forward.
In fact, this was one of the first instances where promising players with a considerable fan base were selected as third-round picks. And the pro teams like the Indiana Fever are quite spoilt for choice, and how!
However, the landscape changed drastically as some of these very third-round picks were brutally waived off. WNBA teams have parted with promising rookies like Madison Conner, Abbey Hsu, Aaronette Vonleh, and Sammie Puisis. And in a shocking turn of events, Shyanne Sellers is the latest name to join the list. Talking about the harsh reality of the draft, where the roster moves change every year, and waiving players becomes necessary.
This week on the Good Follow podcast on Youtube, Ros and Logan were joined by National reporter Lucy Rhoden, who said, “What do you mean we’re waiving a player? we haven’t even seen them in game time action!” Rhoden’s reaction to the player waive off situation was just incredulous. When asked about whether the roster moves are to be liked, loved, or hated, Rhoden went on to say that the question was a “no-brainer”. Hate was the pretty obvious choice among the speakers. First of all, Shyanne Sellers got drafted a lot later, much to everyone’s surprise, not to mention, getting waived off without a debut. Like, what?!
Having said that, even the Indiana Fever is not far behind. The team has waived off some of their most promising rookies, including guard Bree Hall, forward Jillian Alleyne, and Yvonne Ejim. The Indiana Fever’s rookies had brought their unique skill sets and fan bases to the team. But the cuts are one of the primary reasons why several student-athletes choose to stay with their respective colleges instead of progressing to the pros. Since each player comes with a unique fanbase, thanks to various NIL deals and on-court performances, they need to cater to their fans instead of disappointing them with their decisions.
Exposing this issue, Lucy said, “This is why sometimes it can be tough for people to transition from the college, you know, fandom to the W, where you’re like- that’s my favourite player. She was amazing. I don’t even get to see her in a preseason game. Like, it’s devastating. It s-cks! It’s the worst part of the sport!” With brutal roster cuts already made, even the Indiana Fever has lost out on some of the potential fans. And it all makes sense now.
So, when Flau’jae Johnson decided to stay under LSU head coach Kim Mulkey instead of entering the pros, she played it safe. Not just in terms of roster cuts, safeguarding monetary aspects, or being under-confident in their own game, but for the fans. Largely for the fans. And ensuring she does not suffer the same fate as her counterparts in the W. But for players like Shyanne Sellers, only time will tell what lies ahead for the incredibly talented athlete.
Indiana Fever-like roster cuts: wobbly future for the Golden State Valkyries
Shyanne Sellers is one of the most deserving college athletes whose professional career was halted before she could prove herself. Referring to the Sellers’ situation, Lucy shared, “I know the Sellers’ situation is weird because she got drafted a lot later than I thought. Maybe there’s something going on there, but I’ll never understand how it is so easy to cut someone. I get it, it’s the nature of a sport, but you have no sample size to know you’re making the right decision, especially for the Valkyries, who are going very international heavy. “
And boy, is she right! The 17th overall pick could not secure a spot in the pros. Even HC Natalie Nakase could not justify reasons for letting go of Sellers and emphasized on how, despite being the best player, Nakase only had to choose 12 players for the season’s roster.
And though there are no set guidelines by the W on the kind of players that can be selected in the roster, the teams have no prior sample size to compare with. Especially with new teams like Valkyries, who are about to head into their first ever season, how do they ascertain whether their waive-offs are appropriate or not?
Expanding on the Valkyries’ aspirational roster, she said, “Which is great, you want an international presence in the W, but you’re a new team. And you’re not going to have people, like fans, who can attach themselves because you have no background, no connection from college. I just think it’s kind of setting the Valkyries up to fail a little bit and maybe not winning.
It is a sad plight, especially for a new pro team like Golden State Valkyries, which will fail to generate fans. Though stacking up international players indicates better chances at converting on-court opportunities, the team will miss out on fan favourites. After all, with Sellers gone, the team’s future looks bleak as there are hardly any nationwide fans in their support.
