Dallas Wings standout Paige Bueckers easily clinched the WNBA Rookie of the Year title following an exceptional inaugural season that left a mark in the league’s history books.
Bueckers secured 70 out of 72 votes from sports journalists and broadcasters in the recent balloting revealed by the WNBA. The remaining two votes were cast in favor of Washington Mystics’ guard Sonia Citron.
During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Bueckers was surprised with the Rookie of the Year award by Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in the show’s Spirit Tunnel. The Commissioner presented her with the 2025 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, catching Bueckers off guard but leaving her beaming with joy.
As she made her way through the studio, the crew cheered “Rookie of the Year!” in celebration of Bueckers’ achievement. Graciously, she acknowledged their support.
Despite the Dallas Wings finishing with a joint league-worst record of 10-34 alongside the Chicago Sky, Bueckers stood out as the top overall pick in the 2025 draft.
The 23-year-old American averaged an impressive 19.2 points on a 47.7% shooting percentage, coupled with 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals. Notably, her 692 points and 194 assists ranked as the third-highest among WNBA rookies.
A standout moment was Bueckers’ 44-point performance in a narrow 80-81 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 20, setting a record for the highest individual point total in the WNBA that season and an all-time rookie record. She also made history by becoming the first player to score 40 points or more while shooting 80% in a single game.
This remarkable feat capped off a 30-game streak of scoring in double digits, making Bueckers the third player in WNBA history to achieve such a feat at the start of her career, following A’ja Wilson and Candace Parker.