WNBA All-Star Names Her Teammate Over Paige Bueckers
Dallas Wings All-Star rookie Paige Bueckers has been the talk of the WNBA in 2025.
Fresh off a NCAA Championship run with the UConn Huskies in her final college season, Bueckers has taken the transition to the WNBA in stride.
Bueckers is averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting close to 45% from the field in her rookie season, earning her an All-Star selection. The rest of the league has taken notice of Bueckers as well, with many fellow WNBA stars eager to have Buckers on their team.
That was the revelation in a video posted by BRW Sports on Instagram over All-Star Weekend, where players like were asked what rookie in the WNBA they would build a franchise around. Bueckers was the standout answer, with eight of the 13 players interviewed answering that they would go with the Dallas guard and players like Kelsey Plum and Aliyah Boston singing the rookie's praises.
Bueckers wasn't the only answer. Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen and Seattle Storm center Dominque Malonga also got mentions. When Golden State Valkyries All-Star forward Kayla Thornton had her turn on the mic, she had a unique answer.
"I would say my teammate, Carla [Leite]", Thornton said (via brwsports).
Thornton has good reason to have such confidence in her teammate. In 16 games with the Valkyries in 2025, the 20-year-old French guard is averaging 6.6 points and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 37.1% from the field.
Leite has shown to be able to rise to the occasion in big moments as well, wining the 2025 EuroCup championship with Villeneuve--d'Ascq and earning herself MVP of the tournament after a 16 point performance in the championship game.
With close to half the season left and still room for improvement for the rookie, Leite, her All-Star teammate Thornton and the rest of the Valkyries have enjoyed outstanding success for a first-year expansion franchise and are looking for even more.
Bio: Jack Haslett is a writer and photographer covering Golden State Valkyries basketball for Sports Illustrated. Jack has previously published work with the Sporting Tribune, the Long Beach Current and DIG Magazine, covering sports, community events and news. A graduate from Long Beach State University, Jack has a passion for writing, photography and all things sports.