As with Caitlin Clark, voters restricted Paige Bueckers from making WNBA history

Paige Bueckers was awarded the Rookie of the Year on Tuesday.

Aug 24, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts against the Golden State Valkyries during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers won the WNBA's Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, being handed the trophy by the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on the "Jennifer Hudson Show" as she was walking down the hype tunnel. It was no surprise that she received the award, but the voting breakdown was a little surprising.

The WNBA released the voting breakdown for the Rookie of the Year award, with Bueckers receiving 70 of a possible 72 votes, and Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron receiving the other two despite her numbers not even being comparable.

A national panel of 72 sportswriters and broadcasters selected the winner of the 2025 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year. The complete voting results⬇️ https://t.co/eQmRVlNUWE pic.twitter.com/Vm7MBZzylP

— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) September 16, 2025

This makes it the second year in a row that a player who should've been the unanimous winner had votes go to someone else. Last year, Caitlin Clark was the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year, and she received 66 votes for Rookie of the Year, while Angel Reese received one.

Clark averaged 19.2 PPG, 8.4 APG, 5.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG, and 0.7 BPG as a rookie while shooting 41.7% from the floor and 34.4% from three. Meanwhile, Reese averaged 13.6 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 0.5 BPG while shooting just 39.1% from the floor as a big and 18.8% from three. Clark's team was also much better, a lot of Reese's rebounds came from her own misses. That's an undeniable difference.

Sep 11, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on during the second half against the Phoenix Mercury at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

READ MORE: The unique way Paige Bueckers found out she won WNBA Rookie of the Year

Sonia Citron Had a Great Rookie Season, But She Wasn't Paige Bueckers

Sonia Citron was solid for the Washington Mystics, averaging 14.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.4 APG, but that pales in comparison to Paige Bueckers' 19.2 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 3.9 RPG. Some fans tried to argue that Citron's team was winning more, so that should matter in the debate, but the Mystics won just six more games than the lowly Wings. That's not enough of a difference to entirely swing a vote when one player was clearly better.

Bueckers became the quickest player to 500 points and 150 assists in a career, tied the rookie scoring record in a game, and was the only WNBA player to score more than 40 points in a game this season. For her to not become the first unanimous ROTY winner since Aliyah Boston is a travesty.

READ MORE: Paige Bueckers’ message after winning WNBA Rookie of the Year is perfect

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