Meet Kaitlyn Chen, who just got a standing ovation for her debut in the WNBA
Kaitlyn Chen made history this week as she debuted for the Golden State Valkyries in their inaugural pre-season game in San Francisco, as the first Taiwanese-American basketball player to be drafted by the WNBA. Fans cheered on her performance and many gave her a standing ovation, as she scored two points on 1-for-3 shooting and grabbed three rebounds in eight minutes.
Chen was waived by the Valkyries before the start of the season, but later re-signed to bolster the team as several players left to participate in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament.
The Taiwanese-American, 23, was once Paige Bueckers’ teammate in the UConn Huskies women’s team. Her former UConn coach Geno Auriemma lauded her for her competitiveness as well as her shooting abilities. “Kaitlyn Chen is the kind of player that every really, really good team has,” he said, per The UConn Daily YouTube account. “She’s going to make it in that league.”
In April, Chen and then-teammate Bueckers helped the Huskies end a nine-year championship drought, winning the 12th NCAA women’s basketball championship. Chen contributed two points, one rebound and four assists – the second highest on the team.
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3315766/meet-kaitlyn-chen-who-just-got-standing-ovation-her-debut-wnba-princeton-alum-first-taiwanese