ARLINGTON, TX — The Dallas Wings are set to begin their 2025 WNBA regular season on Friday. Before practice on Thursday, the team released its Opening Day roster.

First-round pick Aziaha James was among the players who made the final roster for the 2025 campaign. The No. 12 overall selection in the 2025 WNBA Draft shared her thoughts on making the roster after practice.

“Just being that rookie that keeps the momentum up,” James said of her potential role with the Wings. “Keep the excitement up. Giving that clapping hand on the bench. Just being a good teammate.”

How confident was James that she was going to make the final roster?

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“You know, very confident,” James said. “I just put my work into it… Talk to my coaches, leaning on my vets, you know, just putting that work in.”

It may seem obvious that a first-round pick would make the final roster. However, that is not always the case in the WNBA because of limited rosters and there currently only being 13 teams. For example, Madison Scott, who was selected just two picks after James in the beginning of the second-round, was recently waived by the Wings.

Nevertheless, James has an opportunity to make a significant impact on this roster. It remains to be seen how many minutes she will receive early in the season, but James could earn more playing time as the '25 campaign moves forward.

Aziaha James displayed signs of stardom at NC State. There were questions as to who Dallas would select at No. 12 overall after selecting Paige Bueckers with the first overall pick in the 2025 draft. A number of players were mentioned before the team ultimately selected James. At a press conference before training camp, general manager Curt Miller expressed his excitement about James' potential with the team.

It always seemed likely that she would end up making the roster, but nothing was guaranteed until this week. Aziaha James will look to make the most of the opportunity.