UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker will miss the entire season while rehabbing her ACL, the program announced on Friday. Leger-Walker will use a medical redshirt and return to the Bruins for the 2025-26 season.
"Although we would prefer her to be fully health and playing with us right now, we are really excited to announce that Charlisse will be coming back for another year," UCLA coach Cori Close said. "She will be redshirting this year, but we're very excited for our Bruin fans to see her for the entire 2025-26 season."
Leger-Walker, a native of New Zealand, spent the first four seasons of her career at Washington State, where she was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2021, Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2023 and an All-Pac-12 performer four times.
She tore her ACL in January of 2024, ironically against UCLA, and was forced to miss the remainder of last season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she had an extra year of eligibility and transferred to UCLA in April. While she planned to return this season, her knee isn't quite ready.
"I had hoped I would be competing with the Bruins this season, but I've decided I need more time to get back," said Leger-Walker. "I am looking forward to getting fully healthy, training at an elite level, and coming back to the court next year."
Leger-Walker is an extremely versatile guard with WNBA prospects. Last season she put up 13.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals for Washington State and recorded multiple triple-doubles. She would have provided a real boost for the Bruins' backcourt, and losing her for the entire season is a tough blow.
The Bruins haven't had her to this point, though, and are ranked No. 1 in the country with a perfect 8-0 record that includes a victory over the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks. They'll look to stay undefeated on Sunday against Washington.
