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WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds: Paige Bueckers' Stock Soars After Returning From Injury

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers is the clear favorite to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year award this season.

Peter Dewey

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year.
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Dallas Wings rookie guard Paige Bueckers returned to the lineup on Wednesday night after missing time in concussion protocol and with an illness, and she did not disappoint.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft finished with a career-high 35 points (13-of-19 FG, 5-for-7 3P) in a loss against the Phoenix Mercury. She also added six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the game.

Bueckers was favored to win the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award before the start of the 2025 season, but her injury clouded the market a bit. 

Well, all of that worry about her candidacy appears to be gone, as FanDuel Sportsbook moved Bueckers to -850 to win the Rookie of the Year award this season. Based on those odds, Bueckers has an implied probability of 89.47 percent to win the award.

In fact, she’s the only player other than Washington Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen that has shorter than +2900 odds to win Rookie of the Year.

With Wednesday’s performance, Bueckers joined Caitlin Clark as the only rookies in league history to score 35 points and make five 3-point shots in a single game. 

Now that the Wings guard is healthy again, she’s aiming to build on a strong start to her pro career. Bueckers is averaging 17.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game this season while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from 3. 

An extremely efficient player, Bueckers is already looking like one of the top guards in the W. 

Here’s a look at the latest odds to win Rookie of the Year, with Bueckers head and shoulders above the rest of the league. 

2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

  • Paige Bueckers: -850
  • Kiki Iriafen: +750
  • Sonia Citron: +2900
  • Janelle Salaun: +4500
  • Hailey Van Lith: +5500
  • Dominique Malonga: +25000

Iriafen did win the Rookie of the Month award to open the season, but Bueckers has a much bigger role for Dallas than Iriafen does in Washington because of Shakira Austin and Aaliyah Edwards also needing minutes in the Washington frontcourt. 

Oddsmakers are telling us that this is Paige’s award to lose through the first few weeks of the campaign.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find Peter Dewey's WNBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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Peter Dewey
PETER DEWEY

Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.

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