Before the Washington Mystics drafted Lauren Betts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, the rookie center was a superstar on UCLA women's basketball's national championship team. In addition to winning an NCAA title with the Bruins, Betts became the first athlete to win both the Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award in the same season. She is also a two-time First-Team All-American. Back in April, Betts won the Honda Sport Award for basketball.
"This award, it's a legacy," Betts said of the award on Monday. "There's so many incredible athletes who have won this award, so to be amongst these incredible women, it's just super special to learn from all of them and to see how many amazing careers have gone through the award." Betts Wins Honda Cup Betts was one of the top three finalists for the 2026 Honda Cup, alongside Pittsburgh volleyball player Olivia Babock and Nebraska softball player Jordy Frahm. On Monday, Betts was named the 2026 Honda Cup winner at the Collegiate Women Sports Awards presented by Honda in New York City. She became the seventh Honda Cup winner in UCLA history and the first since softball star Rachel Garcia won in 2021.
The Honda Cup is another award on Betts' impressive collegiate basketball resume. She also recently won the Best College Athlete – Women's Sports Award at the 2026 ESPY Awards and was the 2026 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Now, Betts is in the middle of her rookie season with the Mystics. Washington is 14-12 this season and rank eighth overall in the WNBA, which just makes the cut for the eight-team WNBA playoffs.
