WNBA Commissioner Surprises Paige Bueckers with Rookie of the Year Trophy On Jennifer Hudson Show – Sandra Rose

Paige Bueckers, the Dallas Wings’ No. 1 draft pick and former UConn star, was named the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game while setting rookie records for points and assists.

Bueckers received 70 votes, while Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron got 2 votes.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert surprised Bueckers with the trophy before her appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” on Tuesday.

The show leaked footage of the surprise reveal online.

Bueckers also earned Associated Press Rookie of the Year, and was named to the All-WNBA Second Team, and All-Rookie Team.

WNBA officials were eager to make Bueckers the face of the league. But she never made the same impact as 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark (left), who only played 13 games this season.

Clark took the WNBA by storm when she was drafted No. 1 in 2024. She introduced millions of new fans to the league, and broke dozens of records.

Despite the Indiana Fever superstar missing the rest of the season with a groin injury, the Fever had the best attendance record in the entire league this season.

Caitlin deserves everything she gets, and Paige deserves more.

WNBA icon and UConn legend Sue Bird complained that Bueckers didn’t get the same media coverage as Clark.

“Caitlin deserves everything she gets, and Paige deserves more,” Bird said in an episode of her A Touch More podcast.

“And I think people forgot how popular and how engaging Paige is, and how people are drawn to her,” Bird continued. “She should be followed and covered in a way that is similar to what we saw with Caitlin, because that’s how popular she is. And that’s not to compare them, and that’s not to diminish Caitlin. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about talking about Paige.”