How Davidson’s Charlise Dunn made history by being drafted by WNBA’s Toronto Tempo
Monday night, Davidson College women’s basketball player Charlise Dunn made history when she was picked No. 36 in the WNBA draft by expansion team Toronto Tempo.
She’s the first women’s player to be drafted from the school and only the second male or female player ever to be selected in an American draft. The other? Stephen Curry in 2009.
“It was so surreal. I kind of blacked out a little bit,” Dunn, 22, said about watching her name called on the ESPN broadcast. “It was incredible. I have never experienced anything like that.”
Dunn, 22, watched the draft with friends in her apartment. She was hoping she might get picked. Some scouts from Toronto had been on campus to watch her put up 31 points against George Washington earlier this season.
“I really didn’t hear anything after that,” Dunn said, “so I didn’t know what to expect. It was until the day before the draft that I got a call from my agent, and it was kind of like, ‘Hey, this is actually happening. So make sure you’re watching.’”
Dunn had a video camera recording just in case — and her name popped up during a commercial break.
In her apartment, Dunn and a small group of friends started jumping up and down in celebration.
“It was awesome,” she said.
From Australia to Virginia Tech to Davidson
Four years ago, Dunn came to America from Victoria, Australia to pursue her basketball dreams. She was a top 10 international player in her graduating class, and she was about to join a Virginia Tech team that went 31-5 and made the Final Four when she was a freshman.
But what Dunn thought might be a straight line from Australia to a pro career was never easy.
She didn’t play much at Virginia Tech and transferred to Davidson after her freshman year. She had two knee surgeries about a year apart after her sophomore and junior seasons, the second one more of a minor “clean-up” procedure.
Dunn, however, kept working through all of that.
She finished her career as a three-year starter and three-time All-Atlantic 10 pick. Monday, she was the only mid-major player chosen in the 2026 WNBA draft.
“I honestly thought after getting injured and just coming back from all of that,” Dunn said, “that (the WNBA) was kind of out of reach. And it wasn’t until this season that I kind of realized that maybe this is actually possible, like maybe it’s really happening.”
Charlise Dunn’s Davidson career
A 6-foot-2 guard, Dunn led Davidson to back-to-back Atlantic 10 conference semifinals appearances and the first 20-win season for the Wildcats in 13 years. Her 504 points this season is the fourth-highest single season mark in school history.
“I’ve always thought she was one of the best players in the country,” Davidson coach Gayle Fulks said. “From the time we recruited her, we knew she was a special talent, and we felt that we had a pretty good plan to help her keep developing, and she just put the work in.”
Dunn will graduate in May with a degree in education studies. In September, she will play for a pro team in the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia. Toronto has Dunn’s draft rights and Dunn hopes to continue to develop and ultimately land a roster spot with the WNBA team.
At an impromptu ice cream party in downtown Davidson Tuesday, Dunn was surrounded by teammates and friends, and she couldn’t wipe this big smile off her face.
Her dreams, finally, are starting to come true.
“I always had high hopes for my senior season,” she said, “but it was even better than I expected. I would’ve loved to have played in a postseason tournament, but it was still an awesome season with a great group of girls and a great coaching staff. Like, I’m so grateful. And today they all surprised me (with the party). Seeing all my people in one place, wow, it’s really, really special.”
