Following a phenomenal year of scoring baskets, stealing balls from opponents and winning loads of games and awards, Paige Bueckers has finally had her long year of playing basketball conclude. Even though her rookie season with the Dallas Wings was anything but perfect(with missed games, roster inconsistencies and only 10 games won by her team), Bueckers has captivated a massive audience of women’s basketball viewers as she made her transition from playing collegiately for the University of Connecticut to professionally in the WNBA and also soon in the alternative Unrivaled league that occurs in the first three months of the new year. But she achieved one last accolade on her list of accomplishments, which include a national title, Big East Conference Player of the Year Award and All-Star Game selection. Bueckers won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award for the 2025 season, something that was not surprising at all for those who have watched her play on hardwood floors dating back five years or more.

Bueckers actually was presented the Rookie of the Year award by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert right before she went onto the set of The Jennifer Hudson Show for an exclusive interview. A hallway of clapping staffers welcomed Paige in her casual clothing of jeans and a fancy sweater and serenaded her with cheers before she was presented the Rookie of the Year trophy by Engelbert. That definitely sounds like a fun, ceremonial and social-media centric way to be presented with an award.

Being the seventh UConn women’s basketball alum to win the award(joining legendary names such as Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart), Bueckers won the award almost unanimously in receiving 70 of 72 first-place votes from a media panel who voted on the award. In the 36 games she played in, Bueckers averaged over 19 points per game, five and a half assists, nearly four rebounds per contest, and 1.6 steals as well. She also shot over 47% from the floor and made 88% of her free throw attempts. Having almost 700 total points in the games she played in, Bueckers is off to a good scoring start in her professional career, which promises to be long and fruitful.

Being chosen with the number one overall pick comes with a burden, but Bueckers handled it well enough to be awarded with this honor. Especially on a team in rebuild mode in the Wings, who will be eligible to potentially gain the top pick again in next year’s draft as they will participate in the WNBA draft lottery once again. There are plenty of college prospects that the Wings could aim towards, but one of them that is a high possibility for satisfying their superstar guard is Azzi Fudd, who will play one more season at UConn before going pro. Paige and Azzi have a special bond and they could potentially be on the same team again if Dallas is lucky enough to be in a position to draft her. It would also be a wise move from a personnel standpoint, as Fudd is one of the best three-point shooters in the country. Not just in the women’s game, but in all of basketball. The Wings definitely need to improve their three-point shooting stats in order to take the next step and be competitive in a WNBA that will feature two new expansion franchises next year.

So, there will definitely be more elite play and magical moments ahead for Paige Bueckers, who will next appear in basketball games that count when the 2026 Unrivaled season kicks off in January. Until then, Paige is expected to make a load of courtside appearances at games featuring her alma mater and her old teammates still playing at UConn. The future is bright for her and hopefully the teams that she will be playing on in Unrivaled and the WNBA.