Charlisse Leger-Walker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Leger-Walker with UCLA in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 – Connecticut Sun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 September 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Peter's Cambridge (Cambridge, New Zealand) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WNBA draft | 2026: 2nd round, 18th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Connecticut Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charlisse Trinity Leger-Walker (born 15 September 2001) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the youngest person to play on the New Zealand women's national basketball team when she debuted with the Tall Ferns at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[1] She played college basketball in the United States for the Washington State Cougars and UCLA Bruins. With the Bruins, she won the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game, the first Kiwi to do so.[2] She is the first New Zealander to be drafted into the WNBA.[3]
U.S. College career
During her college career, Ledger-Walker was on the roster for four years at Washington State and two years at UCLA. She was granted two years of extra eligibility. All NCAA athletes were given an extra year of eligibility in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic impact to the 2020 season.[4] For her medical redshirt season due to injury, she also was granted an extra year of eligibility.[5]
Washington State Cougars 2020-24
As a freshman at Washington State, Leger-Walker averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. She was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and made the all-conference team.[6] In her sophomore season, Leger-Walker repeated as an All-Pac-12 selection, averaging 16.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.[7] On 11 December 2022, she scored a career-high 40 points in an 82–66 loss to Washington.[8] Leger-Walker led No. 7 seed Washington State to the 2023 Pac-12 tournament title, the first in program history, and was named most outstanding player.[9] She finished her junior season averaging 17.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, and earned All-Pac-12 honors.[10]
In her fourth season, on 23 November 2023, Leger-Walker became the second Washington State player to record a triple-double, with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists in an 87–67 win over Maryland.[11] In a January 28, 2024 game at against the number 2 ranked UCLA Bruins in Los Angeles, Leger-Walker suffered a knee injury as the Cougars won 85-82 against the highest-ranked opponent in WSU basketball history.[12] Leger-Walker missed the last 11 games of the season with a torn ACL.[13][14] As a senior, she was named All-Pac-12 for a fourth time and averaged 13.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game.[15] Leger-Walker’s 1,743 career points ranked third in school history. She ranked second in 3-point baskets (199), third in minutes played (3,794) and fourth in scoring average (16.6), total baskets (607) and assists (389).[14]
UCLA Bruins 2024-26
Leger-Walker transferred to UCLA for her fifth season of eligibility, granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17] This was the first season that UCLA competed in the Big Ten conference. On December 6, 2024, UCLA announced that Leger-Walker would redshirt the 2024–25 season to fully rehabilitate her ACL injury.[18][19]
She was a starter on the 2025-26 team that went 37-1, and won the Big Ten conference and Big Ten tournament championships. In the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, the Bruins were the number 2 seed overall and number one in the Sacramento region.[20] Reaching the final four, the Bruins won the re-match with the Texas Longhorns, the one loss they experienced all season.[21] In a dominating performance, UCLA defeated South Carolina 79-51 in the national championship game.[22] Leger-Walker joined the other Bruin senior players that were selected in the 2026 WNBA draft, where she was selected at number 18, setting the record most players (six) from one class.[23]
WNBA
Leger-Walker was drafted 18th overall in the 2026 WNBA draft to the Connecticut Sun where her UCLA teammate and roommate, Gianna Kneepkens, also was drafted.[24]
New Zealand National team career
Leger-Walker made her debut for the New Zealand women's national basketball team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. At age 16, she became the youngest player to play for the senior national team. She averaged 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, helping New Zealand win the bronze medal.[1] Leger-Walker won a silver medal at the 2019 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup, the first medal by a New Zealand women's team at a FIBA world tournament, and was named to the all-tournament team.[25]
Personal life
Leger-Walker is of Māori (Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou), Samoan and Tongan descent.[26][27] Her mother Leanne Walker, played for the New Zealand women's national basketball team; she competed in the Summer Olympics in 2000 and 2004. Leger-Walker's older sister, Krystal, played basketball for Northern Colorado and was her teammate at Washington State before turning professional.[28]
