SALT LAKE CITY — Alissa Pili is officially taking her talents to the WNBA and will be playing for the Minnesota Lynx.
Pili, who led the University of Utah women's basketball team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament this year, was picked by Minnesota as the 8th pick in the first round of the draft Monday evening.
WELCOME TO MINNESOTA, @alissa_pili! pic.twitter.com/8VavtWWNaa
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) April 16, 2024
She accepted the honor of being drafted while wearing a custom-made dress with a tribal pattern to pay homage to her Samoan and Alaska Native heritage.
The forward played for Utah in the last two years of her college hoops career after three years at the University of Southern California. In her final season with the Utes, Pili averaged 21.4 points per game, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
What @alissa_pili will miss most about college & playing for @UTAHWBB, her teammates.
— Andrea Urban (@AndreaUrbanTV) April 16, 2024
She added, "definitely the community in Salt Lake City, it's really grown on me the last 2 years I was there. Even though I came from another Pac-12 school, they still took me with open arms." pic.twitter.com/p7PCRpKYFS
The Lynx finished 6th out of 12 WNBA teams in the 2023 season, with a record of 19-21. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by #3 Connecticut Sun.
Pili is the 7th University of Utah player drafted to the WNBA, and the highest-drafted since Shona Thorburn, who was picked 7th in 2006.
