From Waived Rookie To Champion: Kaitlyn Chen Reunites With Paige Bueckers On Unrivaled’s Breeze

Kaitlyn Chen's year keeps getting better. Just days after helping the Golden State Valkyries win the WNBA title, the guard has landed on the Breeze roster for Unrivaled's 2027 season. There she will team up again with former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers.

Kaitlyn Chen And Paige Bueckers Reunite On Unrivaled Breeze Roster

Unrivaled revealed the rosters for its eight clubs on Wednesday night. The Breeze listed six names: Bueckers, Kahleah Copper, Dominique Malonga, Chen, DiJonai Carrington and Monique Billings. Fans quickly spotted the UConn reunion.

The pair played together for only one season, when the Huskies won the 2025 national title. Chen arrived from Princeton for her final year of eligibility and took over at point guard, while Bueckers was the face of the team.

Bueckers once described Chen as having “one of the best layup packages I've ever seen” after Chen scored 15 points against her. Chen has also named Bueckers her favourite UConn alum. She is the only new face to the league on the Breeze roster.

Kaitlyn Chen's Rise: From Waived Rookie To WNBA Champion

Golden State picked Chen 30th in the 2025 draft, waived her before the season, then re-signed her that summer. She went on to become the first Taiwanese-American player to score a regular-season WNBA point.

In 2026, she averaged career highs of 7.2 points and 1.9 assists, lifting her shooting from 38.0% to 52.7%. Unrivaled announced on Oct. 28 that it had signed her to a one-year deal, after Aliyah Boston withdrew with an injury and Kate Martin agreed to a contract termination.

Season 3 starts on Jan. 8, 2027, with games in Boston and Inglewood, California. The Breeze went 6-8 last season, so the reunion comes with some work to do.

For now, Bueckers gets a familiar face and a champion's confidence on her side. Whether those layups can fix the Breeze's record is the question for January.