After a record-setting regular season, Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers was named the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year on Tuesday.
Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA Draft, received 70 of the 72 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron received the other two votes.
Following her stellar career at UConn, which concluded with a national championship last April, Bueckers achieved immediate success upon entering the WNBA. She became the fastest rookie in league history to reach 500 points and 100 assists. Bueckers was voted a starter in the July All-Star Game, becoming just the 10th rookie in league history to start in the exhibition.
Over 36 games, she averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting .477 from the field.
“I am very grateful for everyone who voted and saw me fit for Rookie of the Year,” Bueckers told the Associated Press earlier this week. “I have always felt like individual awards are a way to acknowledge the team around you and that is exactly what this award means to me. My teammates, coaches, support staff and everyone from top to bottom in the entire Dallas Wings organization played a huge part in this.”
🗣️ “Rookie of the Year!” “Rookie of the Year!”
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert presented Paige Bueckers with her ROY trophy on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
🎥 @JHudShow pic.twitter.com/iSa16SpZhW
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 16, 2025
Bueckers’ efficiency became a hallmark of her offensive repertoire as she became the only rookie in league history to average at least 19 points per game while shooting at least 47 percent from the field. She also became the second player in league history — Candace Parker being the other — to average at least 19 points, five assists and 47 percent shooting. Bueckers was the league’s only player who ranked in the top 10 in points, assists and steals per game.
While the Wings struggled, finishing 10-34 and missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, Bueckers had several standout performances. None was better than her 44-point outing on Aug. 20 against the Los Angeles Sparks, when she scored 44 points — the most of any player this season — on 17 of 21 shooting. In doing so, she became the first player in WNBA history to shoot at least 80 percent from the field while scoring 40 or more points.
While Tuesday’s reward is for Bueckers’ on-court accomplishments, she was also an economic driver for the Wings. Dallas had its best revenue year ever, selling merchandise in 25 different countries.
Citron, the Mystics rookie, had a stellar rookie season as well, averaging 14.9 points, 4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field. She shot a league-best 44.5 percent from 3-point range.
Both guards are expected to be named to the WNBA’s All-Rookie team later this month.
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
