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ESPN Changes Paige Bueckers WNBA Rookie of the Year Stance

ESPN switched its stance on Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers' WNBA Rookie of the Year chances.
Grant Young|
May 27, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) on the court against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
May 27, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) on the court against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

In a May 16 article, five ESPN writers unanimously predicted that Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, who was the No. 1 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft after winning a national championship with the UConn Huskies, would win the 2025 Rookie of the Year award.

Fast forward 24 days, and Bueckers is currently averaging a very respectable 14.7 points and 6.7 assists per game with a 43.7% field goal percentage on a Wings team that is currently 1-9. However, Bueckers has also missed four of her team's 10 games this season due to being in concussion protocol, then dealing with an illness.

Bueckers isn't the only rookie who has shone to this point. And given her being sidelined, the former UConn star isn't ESPN's pick to win Rookie of the Year anymore, as they predicted Mystics standout Kiki Iriafen would win the award in a June 9 article.

"The No. 4 pick in April's draft has started fast as a pro, shooting a higher percentage (51%) than she did as a senior at USC (50%). Per GeniusIQ tracking, Iriafen leads the WNBA in shots made and attempted in the restricted area around the basket. Many of those have come off second chances. Iriafen is close to averaging a double-double (14.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg), something just three true rookies in league history have done," the article wrote.

After listing Bueckers and Iriafen's Mystics teammate Sonia Citron as Iriafen's top challengers for Rookie of the Year, the article added, "Iriafen's toughest competition has been her teammate. Citron, the No. 3 pick, is averaging 14.0 points while shooting 48.9% overall, 40.5% from 3-point range and 89.3% from the free throw line. No. 1 pick Bueckers might make a push for the award once she's back in the lineup".

It will be fascinating to see how this race intensifies once Bueckers returns to the court.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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