Wed Sep 17 20:20:00 UTC 2025: **NEWS ARTICLE:**
**Paige Bueckers Soars to WNBA Rookie of the Year Title**
DALLAS, TX – Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers has been named the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced Tuesday. The former UConn standout overwhelmingly captured the honor, receiving 70 out of 72 first-place votes from a media panel. Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron received the remaining two votes.
Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft after leading the Huskies to their 12th national championship, made an immediate impact in Dallas. Starting in all 36 games, she averaged a stellar 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, showcasing efficiency with a 47.4% field goal percentage and an impressive 88.8% free throw percentage.
The dynamic guard led all WNBA rookies in total points (692), points per game, total assists (194), and assists per game. Her consistent performance made her the only player in the league this season to rank in the top 10 for points, assists, and steals per game.
Bueckers etched her name in the WNBA record books on August 20th against the Los Angeles Sparks, exploding for a rookie-record 44 points. Her remarkable 17-for-21 shooting performance (81%) made her the first player in league history to score 40 or more points while shooting at least 80% from the field.
Despite Bueckers’ exceptional performance, the Wings finished with a 10-30 record and missed the playoffs, but will get another shot at drafting top-level talent in the next season’s lottery.
Bueckers becomes the seventh former UConn player to receive the prestigious award, joining a distinguished list of Huskies alumni, including Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Crystal Dangerfield. The Rookie of the Year award, established in 1998, marks Bueckers as the 16th No. 1 overall pick to be named Rookie of the Year, solidifying her status as a rising star in the WNBA.
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