Former UK star Amoore could miss WNBA rookie season after practice injury
Former University of Kentucky All-American Georgia Amoore could miss her first season as a professional basketball player in the WNBA after suffering a knee injury Tuesday.
Amoore, a rookie with the Washington Mystics, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during practice, the team announced Wednesday. The team did not specifically say she tore the ligament.
“Amoore and the team will examine treatment and rehabilitation options and provide an update as appropriate,” the Mystics statement said.
Amoore’s injury took place three days before she was to make her professional debut Friday in a preseason game in Indianapolis against WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
The WNBA regular season gets underway May 16 and runs through Sept. 11. Recovery from a torn ACL typically requires 8-12 months for professional athletes. If the injury is something less than a tear, a reduced recovery timeline is possible.
The 5-foot-6 Amoore was one of three first-round draft picks by a rebuilding Washington squad on April 14. She was drafted with the No. 6 pick in the first round.
In five collegiate seasons at Virginia Tech and Kentucky, Amoore rarely missed a game. She played in 25 as a freshman, 33 as a sophomore, 36 as a junior and 32 as a senior at Virginia Tech before appearing in all 31 of UK’s games as a graduate student in 2024-25.
Amoore helped lead the Wildcats to a 23-8 record and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2021-22, UK’s first season under new head coach Kenny Brooks, whom Amoore followed to Lexington from Virginia Tech.
Amoore averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists in 36.7 minutes per game and was named Southeastern Conference Newcomer of the Year and a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year award after steering the Wildcats to the NCAA round of 32.
The point guard from Australia became the fifth Wildcat to be selected in the first round of the WNBA draft, and eighth overall pick out of Kentucky.
Amoore was the Mystics’ third pick of the first round, joining Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron (third) and USC’s Kiki Iriafen (fourth) as teammates.
Washington finished ninth among 12 WNBA teams last season with a 14-26 record, falling one game short of making the eight-team playoffs. The team then replaced head coach Eric Thibault with Sydney Johnson.
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 12:17 PM.