Bueckers headlines WNBA draft, but several players decide college pays more

The WNBA is just about five weeks away from the start of their regular season

and Monday is a big step for many teams and new players. The league draft will be dominated by one big name

and also for those choosing to stay in college. UConn star Paige Beckers, fresh off a national championship win

and a dominating performance in the NCAA tournament, is the odds-on favorite to go number one overall to the Dallas Wings

She's going to be counted on to lead the revival in Big D, not only with her shooting and playmaking, but also her attitude

Leading by example and how hard I work on and off the court

and how much I invest myself into the game and how much it's my whole life and my whole being

and just giving everything I have to it. Here's the order for the first six draft picks

The Seattle Storm at number two after trading star Jewel Lloyd in the offseason

and the Mystics in full rebuild mode have three of the first six picks

The expansion Golden State Valkyries will also choose early. French star Dominique Malanga is widely expected to be the number two pick by the storm

She's 6'6", she can dunk a basketball. Other players expected to go in the top five are USC star Kiki Irifin

Notre Dame's Sonia Citroen, and LSU's Anissa Morrow. The Connecticut Sun have back-to-back picks in the bottom half of the first round

Then it's Los Angeles, Minnesota, Chicago, and the Wings again with their second first round selection

And though there are a lot of top players who will celebrate Monday

this draft may be better known as the first one where many college stars decide to stay in school another year Flo Jay Johnson is an NIL star cashing in on endorsement deals with the likes of Experian Puma Samsung and Amazon According to Sports

Illustrated, those deals are worth more than $4.5 million. As a rookie in the WNBA, she'd make a

maximum of $76,000. On her YouTube show recently, Johnson said it was an easy choice to return to

LSU. I talked to coach Mokey and we just, we had a real conversation and I told her some real stuff

of how I've been feeling. And I think that conversation really helped us and see what we

both, you know what I'm saying? What we both see and how I can make this year my best year

Same could be said for Notre Dame's Olivia Miles, who would likely have been a top five pick

She's transferring to TCU to follow in the footsteps of star Haley Van Lith

who earned millions in endorsements before her eligibility ran out. Miles told TNT Sports she's taking advantage of the COVID year added to her eligibility

It's a blessing that women have all of these options. You know, it's just it allows us to be more controlling over our lives and what we're able to do

Very fortunate I had this extra year. Other stars who are staying in school to grow their brands, get paid, and chase an NCAA championship

include UCLA's Lauren Betts and Janiah Barker and South Carolina's Tania Lotson

College athletics, a new world nowadays worth more than the professional ranks

The WNBA draft can be seen on ESPN at 7.30 Eastern Monday

Training camps open just two weeks later around the league. For Straight Aero News, I'm Chris Francis