Wings Broadcast Stat Pads Paige Bueckers Rookie Record

The Dallas Wings' broadcast team botched Paige Bueckers' record-breaking rookie assist total in hilarious fashion.
Aug 15, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA;  Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Aug 15, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers has put together an extremely impressive rookie season in the WNBA. While expectations were high for her after she won an NCAA national championship with the UConn Huskies earlier this year and then was selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Wings just a few weeks later, Bueckers has proven that all the hype around her was warranted.

Bueckers' three-level scoring ability was always very likely to translate from college to the pro game, given that she has great size for a guard and always seems to find a way to separate herself from defenders to get a shot up.

However, what might be the most surprising aspect of Bueckers' rookie success is how great her passing and playmaking for teammates have been. And even though the Wings have 10 more games after their August 15 showdown against the Los Angeles Sparks, Bueckers has already made franchise history through her passing on Friday.

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) in action on August 1, 2025
Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) and Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) in action during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Wings Broadcast Runs With Paige Bueckers Rookie Record Mistake

Bueckers reached 143 total assists in her rookie season at one point during Friday's game. This marks the Wings' rookie record for a single season. However, when the Wings' TV broadcast put a graphic on screen to commemorate this achievement, the graphic said Bueckers has amassed 481 assists this season so far.

Not only did the game's broadcast team not notice the mistake, but they ran with it when praising Bueckers' accomplishment.

"Paige Bueckers was chasing Odyssey Sims for most assists by a rookie in a season. Well, she's got it. 481," play-by-play man Ron Thulin said, per an X post from @nosyone4. "She's just rewriting the entire rookie record book."

"Completely. New standards. I mean, she's doing it before the end of the season," commentator Fran Harris added. "Some of the records that she has, she had them at All-Star [weekend]. She had them midway through the season."

Granted, this broadcasting duo was not expecting a mistake to be displayed on screen, and they're surely used to whatever graphics are displayed during games being accurate. But it's still funny to see how wildly off this graphic was (about 3.5 times more than Bueckers' actual assist total).

Ultimately, Bueckers still deserves her flowers for breaking this Wings rookie record, which she is going to blow out of the water by the end of this 2025 season, so long as she can stay healthy.

Recommended Reading:


Published
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.

Share on XFollow GrvntYoung