After March Madness, women's pro basketball options are slim
Associated Press
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FILE - Basketballs sit in a rack during practice for the WNBA All-Star basketball game in Chicago, Saturday, July 9, 2022. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers. There are only potentially 144 WNBA roster spots available and most of those are filled with returning players. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)UConn's Dorka Juhasz (14) warms up before a second-round college basketball game against Baylor in the NCAA Tournamen in Storrs, Conn., March 20, 2023. Juhasz is among players headed to the draft. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)South Carolina guard Zia Cooke warms up before a second-round college basketball game against South Florida in the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C March Madness may have been the last time for fans to see many of the talented college women players compete. Players' options for professional basketball careers are limited, whether in the U.S. or overseas the jobs just aren't there. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)UConn's Dorka Juhasz (14) reacts in the second half of a second-round college basketball game after she was fouled while making a basket against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament in Storrs, Conn., March 20, 2023. March Madness may have been the last time for fans to see many of the talented college women players compete.Players' options for professional basketball careers are limited, whether in the U.S. or overseas the jobs just aren't there. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)UConn's Dorka Juhasz (14) celebrates her team's win in a second-round college basketball game against Baylor in the NCAA Tournamen in Storrs, Conn., March 20, 2023. March Madness may have been the last time for fans to see many of the talented college women players compete. Players' options for professional basketball careers are limited, whether in the U.S. or overseas the jobs just aren't there. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley (33) high-fives fans after a second-round college basketball game in the women's NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Blacksburg, Va. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers. Kitley is thinking twice about leaving college, where they enjoy various amenities due to Title IX, including taking charter flights vs flying commercial. (AP Photo/Matt Gentry)South Carolina guard Zia Cooke follows through on a three-point basket in the first half of a second-round college basketball game against South Florida in the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. Cooke is among players headed to the draft. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)UConn's Dorka Juhasz (14) reaches for teammate Azzi Fudd's hand as she runs up court in the second half of a first-round college basketball game against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament in Storrs, Conn., March 20, 2023. Juhasz is among players headed to the draft. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers.(AP Photo/Jessica Hill)Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley (33) huddles with teammates during second-round college basketball game in the women's NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Blacksburg, Va. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers. Kitley is thinking twice about leaving college, where they enjoy various amenities due to Title IX, including taking charter flights vs flying commercial.(AP Photo/Matt Gentry)South Carolina's Aliyah Boston shoots during a practice session for an NCAA Women's Final Four semifinals basketball game Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Tennessee guard Jordan Walker, left, gets a hug from center Tamari Key during the second half a Sweet 16 college basketball game of the NCAA Tournament against Virginia Tech, Saturday, March 25, 2023, in Seattle. Virginia Tech won 73-64. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)FILE - Basketball player Brittney Griner looks through bars as she listens to the verdict standing in a cage in a courtroom in Khimki, outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. There are only 12 WNBA teams and potentially 144 roster spots available with most of those being filled by returning players. Griner's nine-month incarceration in Moscow along with the war with Ukraine has led to the elimination of dozens of potential jobs in Russia. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP, File)FILE - Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier competes in the skills challenge during the WNBA All-Star festivities Friday, July 26, 2019, in Las Vegas. March Madness may have been the last time for fans to see many of the talented college women players compete. Players' options for professional basketball careers are limited, whether in the U.S. or overseas the jobs just aren't there. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)UConn's Dorka Juhasz (14) warms up before a first-round college basketball game against Vermont in the NCAA Tournament in Storrs, Conn., March 18, 2023. Juhasz is among players headed to the draft. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
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FILE - Basketballs sit in a rack during practice for the WNBA All-Star basketball game in Chicago, Saturday, July 9, 2022. Even the handful of players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft will find it difficult to continue their pro careers. There are only potentially 144 WNBA roster spots available and most of those are filled with returning players. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
