Kaitlyn Chen's AU Debut Showcases What the W Hasn't Yet Seen
In her Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball debut, Kaitlyn Chen has quickly become a hot commodity. The Golden State Valkyries guard saw limited playing time in her WNBA rookie season, but still took the court with a command and playmaking knack that allowed her to shoot up the AU leaderboard.
She earned her place as a team captain during Week Two of competition and was claimed with the first overall draft pick for the fourth and final week. Despite the easy, yet focused confidence that Chen assumes each time she steps on the court, the league’s collective recognition of her value has come as a shock.
“It’s definitely pretty cool,” she said of her position in the weekly drafts. “It’s not something I ever would have thought would happen, but yeah, it’s very cool.”
In her rookie season with the Valkyries, the Princeton and UConn product averaged 10.3 minutes and two points per regular-season game. In AU, those numbers have increased to 30.6 minutes and 16 points per game as she plays with and against an ever-shuffling mix of her peers from the W.
It’s an increase in opportunity and responsibility that’s done wonders for her confidence.
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Chen is a balance of cheerful reserve and humility off the court and blooming confidence and authority on the hardwood–though she inwardly sees that confidence as being yet in very early bloom.
“It’s all sort of new,” she said of her on-court leadership. “I feel like I’ve had to find my confidence again after obviously going from not playing in the W really. And I feel like being here has been great for me re-finding my confidence. And I’m glad you can’t really tell.”
AU Pro Basketball coach and Los Angeles Sparks assistant coach Zak Buncik spent the 2025 W season watching Chen develop from afar. After collaborating with her as a team captain in Week Two of AU, he’s excited about how the early stages of her pro career are panning out.
“She’s unbelievable on the court, talking and directing,” Buncik said. “And she’s a little bit more reserved and quiet off the court. So I think putting her in that captain role made her take what she does really well on the court and bring it off court to her teammates, which I thought she did an unbelievable job with.”
Along with Aneesah Morrow, Te-Hina Paopao, Sarah Ashlee Barker, Aaliyah Nye, and Bree Hall, Chen is one of six members of the 2025 WNBA Draft Class. The addition of more rising WNBA stars in this year’s AU Pro Basketball season was the league’s Player Executive Committee had a key role in.
It’s a decision that has enriched and diversified the competition as young stars like Chen blend with veterans like Tina Charles, Alysha Clark, and Ariel Atkins.
“Kaitlyn was a no-brainer,” PEC member Dorie Harrison explained. “She has incredible court IQ, she’s talented, reads the defense well, but also she’s just a great person to be around. And it’s nice in this environment, because AU is a community of uplifters. You have the top competitors in the world, but anytime Kaitlyn hits a huge shot or game-winner, everybody is cheering for her. We’re just honored to bring that love and support to her career.”
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Some of the most effective aspects of Chen’s game include not only her scoring pop but also her ability to create opportunities for her teammates.
She ranks in the top five in several of the league’s major stat categories: second in assists per game and three-point percentage, fourth in field goal percentage, and fifth overall in points scored. That efficiency has, in turn, translated to success on the leaderboard, placing her fourth in the standings for leaderboard stat points per game.
Through the first three weeks of competition, her AU debut has been highlighted by eight double-figure scoring performances and a season-high 32-point outing.
“Her style of game fits Athletes Unlimited really well,” Buncik said. “I think she has all the natural kind of traits of a leader…She’s really good in ball screen action and a great passer. I think her offensive game of scoring at the rim and improving her jump shot has become better and better.”
Now, Chen is sitting in fifth place on the AU leaderboard entering the final week. She’s within striking distance of the 2026 league crown, and regardless of official points totals for Week Four, she’s on track to add a high leaderboard finish to her growing professional resume.
“Playing in the W and then playing here is very different. But I feel like in both places, I’ve learned so much this past year,” Chen explained. “I’m hoping to just take what I’ve been doing here in AU, and that confidence in the way I play into the W season, and keep that up.”
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
