In news that should shock absolutely no one who’s paid even a lick of attention to the WNBA this season, Paige Bueckers has officially been named the 2025 Rookie of the Year. Let’s all take a moment to act surprised. Okay, moment’s over. This was about as much of a foregone conclusion as the sun rising in the east. What did the star player do to deserve this award?
The No. 1 Overall Pick Lives Up To the Hype
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The Dallas Wings, a team that otherwise had a season they’d probably like to forget, found their diamond in the rough with the No. 1 overall pick. While the team sputtered to a dismal 10-34 record, Bueckers wasn’t just a bright spot; she was a blazing supernova of talent in an otherwise dark season. It’s like finding a winning lottery ticket in the pocket of jeans you were about to throw away.
The award itself was a near-unanimous decision, with Bueckers snatching 70 of the 72 available votes. Some brave soul gave two votes to Washington Mystics Guard Sonia Citron, which is a choice, I guess. It’s like voting for anyone but Michael Jordan for MVP in ’96. Bold, but ultimately, just plain wrong.
The announcement came with a little Hollywood flair. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, in a move straight out of a feel-good sports movie, surprised Bueckers with the trophy right before she was set to appear on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” It’s a sweet gesture, but let’s be real, the only surprise here is that they didn’t just mail her the award back in July.
A Season For the History Books
So, just how good was Bueckers? We’re talking historic levels of good. The former UConn standout didn’t just live up to the hype; she exceeded it, strapped it to a rocket, and launched it into another galaxy.
She dropped an eye-watering 19.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. Those aren’t just good numbers for a rookie; those are All-Star numbers, which she also achieved, by the way. Her scoring average puts her eighth all-time among rookies, and her assist numbers land her at seventh. She joins a list of names that reads like a who’s who of WNBA royalty.
And let’s not forget the absolute masterpiece she painted on August 20 against the Los Angeles Sparks. Bueckers went nuclear, dropping a rookie record 44 points. In classic tragic hero fashion, the Wings still managed to lose the game by a point. It was a perfect summary of their season: Bueckers doing something spectacular while the team collectively stepped on a rake.
The Lone Star In Dallas
For the Dallas Wings, Bueckers is more than just a player; she’s a franchise cornerstone and a beacon of hope. She’s the second player in Wings history to win the award, following Allisha Gray in 2017. While the team’s struggles were glaring—ending the season on a brutal 10-game losing streak before a meaningless final-day win—they now have a generational talent to build around.
The pressure was immense, the expectations were sky-high, and the team around her was, to put it kindly, a work in progress. Yet, day in and day out, Bueckers proved she was the real deal. The award is just the hardware to prove what we all already knew. The Paige Bueckers era has officially begun. The rest of the league, consider yourselves warned.
