The expansion Toronto Tempo made franchise history Monday night, selecting Kiki Rice with their first-ever pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Rice was taken sixth overall, marking a notable run for UCLA Bruins women’s basketball players early in the draft.
Rice’s selection made it three UCLA players chosen within the first six picks and the third consecutive selection from the program, as reported by Alexa Philippou of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
In her final season at UCLA, Rice recorded an average of 14.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists, per ESPN Stats. Across her entire college career, she averaged 13.1 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 steals.
The draft opened Monday with the Dallas Wings selecting Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall, followed by Olivia Miles to the Minnesota Lynx at No. 2 and Awa Fam Thiam to the Seattle Storm at No. 3. Meanwhile, Rice’s former UCLA teammate Lauren Betts was selected No. 4 overall by the Washington Mystics, followed by UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez at No. 5 to the Chicago Sky. In the second round, Charlisse Leger-Walker was drafted by the Connecticut Sun.
Rice, Betts and Jaquez all contributed to the Bruins’ NCAA title run, earning UCLA’s first championship in the NCAA era.
During the second round, the Tempo selected Teonni Key and Saffron Shiels. Key, a forward from Kentucky, averaged 7.3 points per game during her college career, which was split between Kentucky and the University of North Carolina. Shiels is a player from Australia with experience in the country’s Women’s National Basketball League.
The Tempo have one draft pick remaining in the third round.
The expansion Toronto Tempo made franchise history Monday night, selecting Kiki Rice with their first-ever pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Rice was taken sixth overall, marking a notable run for UCLA Bruins women’s basketball players early in the draft.