When Chloe Kitts revealed her stance on age rules for WNBA Draft: "I'm not really against"
South Carolina women's basketball star Chloe Kitts joined the conversations about the WNBA's age limit rule and whether it is time for a change. The rule states that a player must have reached the age of 21 before being eligible to be drafted.
It's a total contrast to the NBA age limit, which rules that players must be up to 19 years old to be drafted. The age disparity has caused much debate among basketball players, experts and fans. In an interview with BaconNetwork last year, Kitts said she was not against the rule for the WNBA as it allowed players to make more money through NIL deals in college basketball.
"Like, 'Oh, why are guys allowed to go, and we're not?' And like me now, I feel like I am not really against, like, that rule," Kitts said. "I feel like, especially, now with NIL, where we can make money, we are making money, and, you know, in the WNBA, like you make money there, too. But, like, it's not a crazy salary right now.
"You know, it's growing up, but at the end of the day, we're still, they're still underpaid. So, I feel like being able to stay, and, like, if you have the option to stay, then you should stay, especially if you're making money and, like, you know, playing well and happy and stuff like that and get a degree."
Kitts acknowledged that younger players like 19-year-old USC star JuJu Watkins have the talent to go pro. She said that female college basketball players should be given the freedom to join the WNBA.
Chloe Kitts reveals how she handles pre-game anxiety
Chloe Kitts had her best season yet as a junior, with important recognitions including SEC Tournament MVP, Birmingham Regional MVP and honorable mention All-American.
Despite her stellar performances, the Gamecocks star dealt with some high-pressure moments, especially before games.
As a result, Kitts had to devise a way to settle her nerves in the locker room before stepping into the arena. While many athletes will just listen to music or engage in visualizations, Kitts uses coloring as one of the strategies to calm her pregame anxiety. The Gamecocks forward credited her therapist for the idea.
“I’m just so worried about the game, before the game. I want to play good, I want to win,” Kitts said on "The Coop" podcast. But if you consume yourself with just basketball, it gets depressing.”
A native of Oviedo, Florida, Kitts joined South Carolina as a five-star recruit in the fall of 2022. But she did not make the starting lineup until her sophomore year, when she averaged 9.1 points per game.
During the 2024-25 season, Kitts averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game to help South Carolina defend the SEC Tournament title and finish as the runner-up at the women's 2025 NCAA Tournament.