UCLA guard Charisma Osborne will forgo the 2023 WNBA Draft and return to UCLA for another season with the Bruins after initially declaring for the draft, she announced on social media Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Osborne has averaged 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during her four-year career with UCLA. She had an additional year of eligibility remaining because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- She scored a career-high 36 points in UCLA’s win over Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this year to help boost the Bruins to the Sweet 16, where they fell to South Carolina.
- Osborne was the projected No. 6 pick in The Athletic’s WNBA mock draft prior to Wednesday.
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2023 WNBA Draft.
It’s always go bruins 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/tY2BfNpZOo
— Charisma 🦋 (@CharismaOsborne) April 5, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What does Osborne’s return mean for UCLA?
Osborne’s decision to return is especially interesting for a number of reasons. She had openly talked about playing her last games in Pauley Pavilion and participated in the team’s senior night earlier this winter. She has previously declared for the WNBA Draft prior to her decision to withdraw. On Wednesday, she didn’t offer any explanation as to why she is returning, but it’s hard to imagine that the prospect of an NIL deal didn’t play a factor.
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UCLA coach Cori Close had told The Athletic she expected her players to average between $50,000 and $70,000 apiece in NIL deals every season. And so it’s possible someone like Osborne stands to profit more by returning to school than by turning pro.
From an on-court perspective, her return might make the Bruins the Pac-12 favorites entering next season. Their highly-touted 2022 recruiting class, led by guard Kiki Rice, should only continue to improve and get more comfortable. Add back in their senior leader who might have been a first-round pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, and UCLA now has the potential to emerge as even more of a Pac-12 force than it already was. The Bruins hosted the first two rounds of this year’s tournament before falling to South Carolina in the Sweet 16. It’s early, sure, but they certainly have the talent to go past that next year. A Utah team that returns every starter and a Stanford team led by Cameron Brink will remain their stiffest competition. Still, Osborne’s return makes the Bruins as competitive as any team in the conference, and perhaps even nationally. — Pickman
What does Osborne’s return mean for the 2023 WNBA Draft?
It certainly makes an increasingly weak pool of players slightly worse. Osborne was a bit of a polarizing prospect. One WNBA general manager told The Athletic she was the “best point guard in the draft.” Another had more pause, saying, “I question her ability to play the point. If she’s a two, she’s a small two.” But she was also a player safe to pencil into the top-15 picks. Guards like South Carolina’s Zia Cooke, Indiana’s Grace Berger and LSU’s Alexis Morris all stand to benefit because of Osborne’s decision. Much like Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley’s decision to return, weakened this year’s post-class, the same is true of Osborne’s impact on the guard group. — Pickman
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(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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