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Kaitlyn Chen
American basketball player (born 2002) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kaitlyn Chen (Chinese: 陳紫柔; born February 22, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at UConn and Princeton.
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Early life and high school career
Chen was born and raised in San Marino, California to Taiwanese American immigrants. She attended K.L. Carver for elementary school and Huntington Middle School for middle school. Kaitlyn played four sports as a child.[2][3]
Chen played basketball for Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge, California, where she holds the school records in points, rebounds and assists.[4] She also played with Cal Storm Team Taurasi, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program competing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.[5][6] Chen was named All-Area Player of the Year as a sophomore, and earned Pasadena Star-News All-Area Player of the Year honors in her final two seasons.[7][8][9] Rated a four-star recruit and number 66 in her class by ESPN, she committed to play college basketball for Princeton over offers from California and North Carolina.[10]
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College career
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Princeton
Chen did not play in her freshman season at Princeton, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
In her sophomore season, Chen made her college debut coming off the bench to record nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 59–42 win over Villanova.[12] In the 2022 Ivy League tournament final, she scored a season-high 30 points in a 77–59 win over Columbia, and was named tournament most outstanding player (MOP).[4] The title qualified the Princeton team for the 2022 NCAA tournament, where she recorded 17 points in a 69–62 win over sixth-seeded Kentucky in the first round.[13] She later scored 10 points in a 55–56 loss against third-seeded Indiana in the second round.[14] As a sophomore, Chen averaged 10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, leading her team in assists.[5][15]
In her junior season, Chen started in 29 out of 30 games played.[16] She led Princeton to the 2023 Ivy League tournament title with 21 points and six rebounds in a 54–48 win against Harvard, repeating as MOP of the tournament. In the 2023 NCAA tournament, she posted 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 64–63 victory against NC State in the first round. She then recorded 19 points and six rebounds in 56–63 loss against Utah in the second round. She averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, leading her team in both points and assists.[6][16] She earned Ivy League Player of the Year and first-team All-Ivy League honors.[17]
As a senior, Chen served as the captain of the Princeton team.[11] She posted 17 points and six assists in a 75–58 victory against Columbia during the 2024 Ivy League tournament, earning the team its third straight title. She received the MOP award a third time. In the 2024 NCAA tournament, she scored 17 points in a 53–63 loss against West Virginia.[18] Chen was named first-team All-Ivy League and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America honorable mention.[19] Over the season, she averaged 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists, once again leading her team in points[20] and assists.[8][21] On December 11, 2023, she scored a career-high 31 points in a 61–58 win over Villanova.[22]
While at Princeton, Chen accumulated 1,276 points, 313 rebounds and 359 assists over three seasons and 90 games, ranking third in career assists and 12th in career points in Princeton women's basketball history.[23] She received the C. Otto von Kiebusch Sportswoman of the Year Award, an award given annually to a Princeton senior woman of "high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportswoman".[9] Kaitlyn graduated from Princeton in 2024 with a degree in medical anthropology.[24]
As the Ivy League does not allow for graduate participants in varsity sports, Chen entered the transfer portal during her senior year with one year of eligibility remaining.[13] She was ranked 9th among transfers in the nation by ESPN.[25]
UConn
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma first expressed interest in Chen during the 2022–23 season, when she posted 18 points and seven assists in a 64–69 loss against his team on December 8, 2022. He contacted Princeton head coach Carla Berube, who had formerly played at UConn and been coached by Auriemma, to discuss her.[26] Chen later cited UConn and UCLA as the finalists for her graduate season.[15]
For her graduate season, Chen ultimately elected to transfer to UConn, replacing the graduating Nika Mühl in the backcourt.[27] She was named a Preseason All-Big East Team honorable mention.[28]
Chen was part of the UConn team that won the NCAA Tournament Final on April 6, 2025.[29] She holds the distinction of being the first person of Taiwanese descent to win a women’s college basketball championship.[30]
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Professional career
On April 15, 2025, the Golden State Valkyries selected Chen during the third round of the WNBA draft.[31] She became the first person of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team.[32] On May 6, she became the first person of Taiwanese descent to play in a preseason WNBA game.[33][34] Chen was waived by the Valkyries on May 14.[35][36]
After being waived by the Valkyries, Chen signed a professional contract with the 3x3 Basketball Association (3XBA).[37] On June 15, Chen re-signed with the Valkyries.[38][39] Chen made her WNBA regular season debut on June 22, 2025, in an 87-63 win against the Connecticut Sun where she recorded five points in 21 minutes.[40]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| * | Denotes seasons in which Chen won an NCAA Championship |
College
Source:[41]
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References
External links
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