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Paige Bueckers looks tiny beside 7-foot-1 NBA champion after 44-point gem

The Dallas Wings sensation had one of the best WNBA performances of all time. After the game, Bueckers celebrated with a very tall NBA champion.
Matthew Graham|
Aug 15, 2025; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers reacts during the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at College Park Center.
Aug 15, 2025; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers reacts during the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at College Park Center. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Dallas Wings

Paige Bueckers had a night to remember.

Not only did the Dallas Wings sensation have arguably the best regular season game ever for a rookie, the reigning UConn Huskies national champion had one of the most dominate performances in WNBA history.

RELATED: Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd awkwardly fight in tense Instagram moment

Paige Bueckers
Aug 20, 2025; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers celebrates in the second half as LA Sparks guard Rae Burrell watches at Crypto.com Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Her 44 points, including four for four from three-point range, and an astonishing 17 for 21 from the field, was the most points by a rookie in WNBA history, and she was the first player in the W to score 40-plus points shooting over 80%. As the official WNBA twitter handle said, it was truly a game "for the ages."

RELATED: Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers crush duo locker room dance at WNBA All-Star Game

Too bad Los Angeles Sparks All-Star guard and two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum had to ruin it with a buzzer beater and her hilarious NSFW remark post-game in a dramatic 81-80 victory.

Bueckers, 23, was still in good spirits after the game, meeting up with her peers from the NBA side of the house, including 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren, who is also a reigning champion for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Paige Buckets is listed at 6-feet, but next to the giant of man that is the former Gonzaga All-American, she doesn't even make it up to his shoulder.

The exponential height discrepancy is only outdone by the staggering difference in pay. Holmgren just signed a five-year, $240 milion contract extension with the Thunder. As the WNBA No. 1 overall pick, Bueckers makes $348,198 over four years.

So whether it's height or in salary, it's not even close.

On the court, however, Buckets had the last laugh, since she already surpassed Holmgren's best-ever NBA performance, which was 36 points against the Golden State Warriors in November 2023.

Paige would probably rather have the $240 million though.

Paige Bueckers
Aug 20, 2025; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers dribbles the ball against LA Sparks forward Cameron Brink in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Matthew Graham
MATTHEW GRAHAM

Matthew Graham has over 20 years of media experience and oversees The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. He has had previous leadership roles at NBC Sports, Yahoo, and USA TODAY, where he co-founded For The Win (named Best Mobile Site by Digiday). He has also written for ESPN, Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, People, E! Online, and FHM, covering major sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and winning the Yahoo Superstar Award for coverage of the Olympics.

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