SU guard Laila Phelia invited to training camp with WNBA’s Atlanta Dream
Syracuse guard Laila Phelia signed a training camp contract with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA, SU Athletics announced Thursday. Avery Magee | Photo Editor
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Syracuse guard Laila Phelia has signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, SU Athletics announced Thursday. After going undrafted in the 2026 WNBA Draft Monday, Phelia gets her shot to be just SU’s second rookie in the league since 2017.
In her lone season at Syracuse, Phelia started 32 games and averaged 13.7 points per contest, leading to an All-Atlantic Coast Conference Second Team selection. Her efforts helped the Orange to a turnaround 24-9 campaign where they reached the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
Before transferring to Syracuse, Phelia spent her first four years of college hoops at Michigan and Texas. A four-star recruit out of Mount Notre Dame High School (Ohio), Phelia stayed close to home by pledging to the Wolverines. She instantly made an impact as a freshman, starting for Michigan on its run to the Elite 8 in 2022.
Across her next two years with the Wolverines, Phelia evolved into a First Team All-Big Ten talent, averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting over 42% from the field. When she entered the transfer portal after her junior season, she was one of the hottest commodities for any school that needed a combo guard.
Ultimately, Phelia chose a preseason top-five squad in Texas, where she was slated to be the Longhorns’ starting shooting guard. That was, until she suffered a detached retina in her left eye, sidelining her for the entire 2024-25 season, while Texas went to the Final Four.
Phelia applied for a medical hardship waiver and regained her final year of eligibility. She used it to transfer to Syracuse, where she rediscovered her game and formed a close bond with head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. After UConn eliminated the Orange in March, Phelia said Legette-Jack was the one coach who could truly get her back to the player she was at Michigan and become a potential WNBA talent.
Legette-Jack echoed the sentiment all season.
“Somebody in the (WNBA) is going to call (Phelia’s) name, because she’s a special player,” Legette-Jack said after the loss to UConn. “Her best is yet to come.”
While Phelia wasn’t selected Monday, she’ll now have the chance to prove her coach right at the professional level.
