Nebraska’s Jaz Shelley Selected by Phoenix Mercury in WNBA Draft

(Lincoln, NE) – The WNBA Draft featured multiple players in the local region of colleges that includes both Iowa and Nebraska, one of which is Jaz Shelley who was drafted in the third round of the WNBA Draft as the 29th pick.

Nebraska’s Shelley is the first Husker since 2014 to be drafted in the WNBA. That marks the first since Jordan Hooper who was the 13th pick of the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Shelley averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game to help carry the Huskers to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and helped push Nebraska to overtime against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship.

Over the three years that she was with the Huskers, Shelley finished 16th on Nebraska’s scoring list with a total of 1,364 points and finished fifth in career assists with 565. Shelley was the only college player to play for the Opals at the 2021 Asia Cup after being a long-time member of the Australian National Team program.

“I’m just excited for the opportunity,” Shelley said. “I couldn’t be happier about being picked by Phoenix. I feel like that’s a great fit for me. They have such a talented team and an amazing organization, too. Having my name called has always been a dream, but to share this with my second family here in Nebraska is really a special moment I will remember forever.”