Dallas Wings' guard Paige Bueckers named 2025 Rookie of the Year after surprise announcement

Paige Bueckers wasted little time proving she belonged at the professional level. Taken first overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft, the guard lit up her rookie campaign with 19.2 points per game and an All-Star selection to her name.

On Tuesday, her standout season was officially recognized as she was crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year for 2024, a result many saw coming. But the way she discovered the news came with a twist.

Just before her scheduled appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Bueckers was surprised on set by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who delivered the announcement in person. The league later confirmed her honor with an official release. The WNBA confirmed Bueckers' win in a social media release Tuesday.

Paige Bueckers didn't just win Rookie of the Year, she ran away with it. The Dallas Wings guard claimed 70 of 72 first-place votes, with Washington Mystics' Sonia Citron picking up the other two. With the honor, Bueckers becomes the Wings' first Rookie of the Year since Allisha Gray earned the award back in 2017.

Her rookie campaign was nothing short of spectacular. The 23-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, pacing all first-years in both total points and assists. Her 692 points and 192 assists weren’t just impressive—they rank third all-time for a WNBA rookie season.

Of course, dominance is nothing new for Bueckers. Long before the pros, she was a highly decorated standout at Hopkins High School in Minnesota, hailed as the nation’s top recruit in 2020. She went on to shine at UConn, where she became a three-time unanimous First-Team All-American, won the Naismith College Player of the Year in 2021, and capped her college career with a long-awaited national championship as a senior.

The Wings didn't hesitate when they landed the top pick in the 2025 Draft, and Bueckers lived up to every ounce of hype. Still, her brilliance couldn’t prevent Dallas from a rough year, as they stumbled to a 10-34 record, tied for the league’s worst. That tough finish, however, gives them a prime chance to land the No. 1 pick again in the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery—the date of which has yet to be announced.