Paige Bueckers Crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers has been awarded the WNBA Rookie of the Year for 2025, as announced by the league this Tuesday.
Bueckers, known for her impressive performance, received a total of 70 first-place votes from a media panel, surpassing Sonia Citron of the Washington Mystics, who obtained the remaining two votes.
Selected as number one in the April draft, Bueckers arrived in the WNBA after leading the Huskies to their 12th national championship that same month.
In his 36 appearances with the Wings, Bueckers proved his worth as a starter, averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. His shooting efficiency was 47.4% from the field and an impressive 88.8% from the free-throw line.
The young star led all WNBA rookies in total points (692), points per game, total assists (194), and assists per game. In addition, she was the only player in the league to finish the season in the top ten in points, assists, and steals per game.
On August 20, Bueckers set a new WNBA rookie record by scoring 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks. In that historic game, she made 17 of 21 field goals, with an amazing 81% effectiveness, becoming the first player in WNBA history to surpass 40 points with 80% field goal accuracy.
Despite the difficult season for the Wings, who finished with a 10-30 record and were out of the playoffs, Bueckers is solidifying himself as a promise for the future.
Bueckers joins a select group of UConn players who have won this prestigious award.
- Diana Taurasi (2004)
- Tina Charles (2010)
- Maya Moore (2011)
- Breanna Stewart (2016)
- Napheesa Collier (2019)
- Crystal Dangerfield (2020)
Since the award was established in 1998, in the second year of the WNBA, Bueckers becomes the sixteenth player selected at number 1 in the draft to be named Rookie of the Year.
