Paige Bueckers rocks ‘Jennifer Hudson’ runway dance winning WNBA Rookie of the Year

In a WNBA season from hell, the former UConn star and Dallas Wings rookie was one of the bright spots.
Sep 11, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates after the game against the Phoenix Mercury at College Park Center.
Sep 11, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates after the game against the Phoenix Mercury at College Park Center. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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While superstars like Caitlin Clark were injured most of the year, and Angel Reese had a major falling out with the Chicago Sky, Paige Bueckers was one of the major bright spots of the WNBA season.

The former UConn Huskies star and Dallas Wings rookie lived up to the hype, having an outstanding first season, culminating with her winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year in a most unusual way.

RELATED: Azzi Fudd rocks new UConn uniform in TikTok dance with non-Paige Bueckers roomie

Paige Bueckers
Sep 11, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) smiles after the game against the Phoenix Mercury at College Park Center. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"The Jennifer Hudson Show" is known for its backstage tunnel runway dance-off like vibes from "Zoolander," with the staff cheering on the guest grooving down the line.

In this case, it was Paige Buckets doing her signature TikTok dance moves as the WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is awkwardly standing with the ROY hardware at the end of the line.

RELATED: WNBA star Paige Bueckers melts hearts in TikTok dance with little school girl

"@paigebueckers did not expect THIS at the end of her tunnel!", the "Hudson" official handle wrote, to which the WNBA handle responded, "ROY! ROY! ROY!"

While The Athlete Lifestyle On SI will leave it to our basketball experts to break down the rookie years of Bueckers vs. the Indiana Fever's Clark, the reigning national champion stole most of the pop culture headlines from the season when she officially hard launched her relationship with former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd.

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

Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers/Instagram

In the end, it was the perfect way for Bueckers to receive the Rookie of the Year award.

Now let's hope the WNBA's season from hell will recover for the playoffs and next season with the young superstars playing to their full potential, not to mention an ugly labor dispute nowhere close to getting resolved.

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd
Azzi Fudd/Instagram

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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.