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Magic Johnson Congratulates Paige Bueckers on 44-Point Night With Sweet Post

Classic Magic.

Brigid Kennedy

Although the game ended in a loss, Bueckers put up career-best scoring numbers.
Although the game ended in a loss, Bueckers put up career-best scoring numbers. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers entered rare air on Thursday afternoon following a career night vs. the Sparks.

No, we're not talking about her 44-point game, which tied the WNBA's long-running single-game scoring record for a rookie and shattered Bueckers's previous career best. We're talking about the subsequent congratulatory tweet from NBA legend Magic Johnson. Though the history-making part was pretty cool, too.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter) the day after the contest, Johnson dedicated one of his classic posts to Bueckers, noting that he had to give the rookie "some love" for her big game.

"I have to give Page [sic] Bueckers some love for hitting 44 points in last night's game, the most points by a rookie in WNBA history and the most points in a game by any player this season!" Magic wrote, accompanied by a fire emoji.

As a clarifying point, Bueckers's 44 points ties a record set 28 years ago by Houston Comets guard Cynthia Cooper. So although the Wings guard's mark is the most points from a rookie in a single game in WNBA history, she shares that honor with Cooper.

Regardless, we're sure Magic is still impressed. And now Bueckers can say she is a recipient of one of Johnson's famous tweets, a group that also includes LeBron James and Steph Curry, among others.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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