Paige Bueckers became the seventh UConn alum to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year on Tuesday.
League commissioner Cathy Engelbert presented Bueckers with the trophy as she prepared to appear on “The Jennifer Hudson Show."
Bueckers received 70 out of the 72 votes for Rookie of the Year, with Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron named on the other two ballots.
A Minnesota native, the 6-foot guard was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, selected by the Dallas Wings.
Bueckers, 23, joins a distinguished list of former UConn stars to win the award: Crystal Dangerfield (2020), Napheesa Collier (2019), Breanna Stewart (2016), Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010) and Diana Taurasi (2004).
Moore and another UConn great, Sue Bird, were enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this month.
And while it’s way too early to start thinking of Bueckers as a future Hall of Famer, her numbers in her rookie season were impressive.
In 36 games, she averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals. She shot 47.7% from the field, 33.1% from 3-point range and 88.8% from the free-throw line.
She was named a 2025 All-Star and also selected by Associated Press voters last week to the All-WNBA Second Team and AP All-Rookie Team.
Season highlights:
- Fifth in the WNBA in scoring
- Third-most points (692) and assists (194) by a rookie in WNBA history
- Most points ever by a rookie (44 on Aug. 20 vs. Los Angeles Sparks)
- Only WNBA player to score 40-plus points while shooting at least 80% in a game
- Second player (Candace Parker, 2015) in WNBA history to average at least 19 points, five assists and 47% shooting
- Set Wings franchise rookie records for points, points per game, assists, assists per game and points-assists double-doubles
In four seasons at UConn, Bueckers averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals over 123 games (119 starts). She was the national Player of the Year as a freshman in 2020-21 and a three-time All-American.
Bueckers capped her college career with an NCAA Tournament championship in April.