Lynx Select Kiki Jefferson in Third Round of 2024 WNBA Draft

She is the first former Cardinal to be selected in this year's draft.

Louisville guard Kiki Jefferson (12) / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville guard Kiki Jefferson has been selected by the Minnesota Lynx with the No. 31 overall pick in the third round of the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Jefferson becomes the 17th former Cardinal to be drafted into the WNBA, and the first since Emily Engstler and Kianna Smith went in the 2022 iteration of the WNBA Draft. Six of the last seven WNBA Drafts have featured a Louisville player get selected, with 2023 snapping a five-year streak in which a Cardinal was picked.

Coming over from James Madison as a graduate transfer, the 6-foot-1 guard put together an impactful 2023-24 campaign with Louisville, and was one of the top players in the ACC.

Playing all 34 games with 32 starts, Jefferson was the Cardinals' leading scorer on the season at 12.3 points per game, shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 34.9 percent on three-point attempts and a team-best 88.4 percent from the free throw line. She also tallied 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game, all of which ranked third on the team. This resulted in her being named an All-ACC Second Team selection after the season.

The Lancaster, Penn. native was one of the top players in mid-major college basketball during the 2022-23 season. She led James Madison in scoring and rebounding at 18.3 points and 7.9 boards per game, while also shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 34.1 percent on three-point attempts. She was tabbed as both the 2023 Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as the 2023 Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player, helping guide the Dukes to a Sun Belt Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance

The Lancaster, Penn. native departed the Dukes as one of their most accomplished players in program history. She ranks sixth all-time in points at 1,838, ninth in rebounds at 815, fifth in scoring average at 15.8 per game, second in career free throws made at 550, tied for ninth in made field goals at 518 and tied for 10th in three-point percentage at 33.9 percent.

Louisville had an up-and-down 2023-24 season, finishing the year with a 24-10 record to clinch back-to-back double-digit loss seasons for the first time in over a decade. The Cardinals also suffered their very first opening round NCAA Tournament loss under head coach Jeff Walz, losing 71-69 to Middle Tennessee.

(Photo of Kiki Jefferson: Jeff Faughender - Courier Journal / USA)

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