UCLA Women's Basketball: Charisma Osborne Projected To Join WNBA Powerhouse Via Draft

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 8, 2024

Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Charisma Osborne (20) dribbles the ball. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Fifth-year UCLA guard Charisma Osborne is headed to the pros! The Bruins' top player will hope to hear her name called early in next week's WNBA draft. So how high will she go?

Jack Malone of CBS Sports predicts that Charisma Osborne will be selected just outside the top 10, with the No. 11 pick, and will land with the star-studded New York Liberty, who finished the 2023 season as the runners-up to a dynastic Las Vegas Aces squad in the WNBA Finals.

"Osborne's season and collegiate career came to an end in the Sweet 16 with UCLA's loss to LSU," Malone writes. "Though Osborne was not at her best in the Bruins' final two games of the tournament, she is still likely a first-round pick thanks to her all-around game and defensive aptitude. The Liberty's most obvious area of weakness last season was perimeter defense, and Osborne can help in that department."

The 5'9" Moreno Valley native, a four-time All-Pac-12 and two-time Pac-12 All-Defense honoree enjoyed yet another terrific season in Westwood. Across her 34 contests (ending with a second straight Sweet Sixteen defeat this year), Osborne averaged 13.9 points on .410/.322/.892 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds and four assists.

The Liberty finished with a stunning 32-8 record last year. They are led by reigning MVP forward Breanna Stewart, 2021 MVP forward Jonquel Jones, two-time All-Star shooting guard Sabrina Ionescu, and five-time All-Star point guard Courtney Vandersloot.