UCLA Women's Basketball: Charisma Osborne Could Be The Steal Of The WNBA Draft

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 18, 2024

Apr 15, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Charisma Osborne poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Will former UCLA Bruins women's basketball great Charisma Osborne find a way to surprise fans at the WNBA level?

The 5'9" shooting guard out of Moreno Valley fell deep into the WNBA draft. Though some projections saw her getting selected near the bottom of the first round or the top of the second, she instead lingered until the third round, where she was drafted with the No. 25 pick by the Phoenix Mercury, a three-time league champ who made it all the way to the WNBA Finals just three seasons ago.

During the 2023-24 season, in which UCLA went 27-7 and made its second consecutive Sweet Sixteen berth, the four-time All-Pac-12 and two-time Pac-12 All-Defense honoree averaged 13.9 points on .410/.322/.892 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, four assists, 1.6 steals.

The hoops world at large weighed in after the pick, and generally registered significant enthusiasm.

Matt Powers of Swish Theory unpacked, in no uncertain terms, why he felt that Osborne was clearly a draft sleeper who deserved to be taken way earlier than she ultimately was:

Steal of the draft. Here’s why I had Charisma Osborne as an easy first rounder: https://t.co/ZyHpclUQaI pic.twitter.com/3E3Mqr8Cas

— Matt Powers (@DraftPow) April 16, 2024

A fan echoed these sentiments:

What a steal for the Mercury. https://t.co/CSCQ8MZReH

— Liza David (@LJDavid) April 16, 2024

Susan Rice, who served as the Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council under President Joe Biden from 2021-23, also loves the move:

So excited for you and proud. Congratulations @CharismaOsborne. Can’t wait to see you continue to shine. https://t.co/LLIBxGZYA1

— Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) April 16, 2024