Nearing the end of this year’s WNBA season, it’s becoming abundantly clear who the 2025 Rookie of the Year award is going to.
Last year’s winner, Caitlin Clark, was a phenom during her 2024 rookie season, adding much-needed excitement to the world of women’s basketball. Averaging 19 points a game and leading the league in assists, it was no surprise the KIA mvp trophy would be hers by the end of the season.
Critics awaited her 2025 debut with high expectations, and the incoming class looked to top her historic rookie season.
But her battle with groin injuries allowed space for a new lady sheriff.
Last night, University of Connecticut alum and Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers scored 44 points in her bout with the Los Angeles Sparks. Despite the loss, she shot an elite 17/21, “making her the first player in WNBA history to shoot 80% from the field while scoring 40 or more points,” writes Michael Voepel of ESPN.
“It’s a lot of repetition in practice…how you can get to your spots, how you can attack, how you can use your teammates screening for you, attacking in transition, and when teams switch on screens, just reading the possession,” said Bueckers in her post-game interview.
Despite being fresh to the professional scene, Bueckers obviously has a knack for the game and how to manipulate the defense.
After going six for six from the stripe and four for four behind the arch, she also provided an amazing performance from mid-range.
Bueckers added, “I truly think basketball has gotten away from it—it’s mostly layups and threes. Teams don’t know how to guard it. So I think it’s an advantage when you can score in the mid range.”
Last night’s performance stamps Bueckers as an elite competitor. We may even live to see an Indiana Fever vs. Dallas Wings championship down the road.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.