Sonia Citron Offers Praise to Paige Bueckers Despite Losing WNBA's Rookie of the Year

Sonia Citron may have lost Rookie of the Year to Paige Bueckers, but that isn't stopping the two of them from being friends.

Jun 22, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles the ball as Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron (22) defends in the first half at Entertainment & Sports Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers should've been a unanimous winner of the WNBA's Rookie of the Year award, but two votes went to Sonia Citron of the Washington Mystics. Bueckers nearly wiped her away in the statistics; Citron was the better three-point shooter, and she averaged 0.1 rebounds per game more, but Bueckers was the better scorer, playmaker, and averaged more steals.

And yet, Citron got a couple of votes for Rookie of the Year because the Mystics won more games. They won 15 while the Wings won 10; neither team was good. Despite finishing second to Bueckers, that's not stopping the two young stars from becoming friends.

“Paige is an amazing person. I would definitely say that Unrivaled has just brought us closer," Citron said on Saturday. "We've been hanging out, just getting to know each other, and I think she's just the extrovert that brings me out of the house, I don't want to say 'Makes me do things,' but she's a very fun person to be around... We push each other, but at the same time, we're there for each other, too."

“Paige is an amazing person. I would definitely say that Unrivaled has just brought us closer.”

Sonia Citron opened up about her #Unrivaled experience and getting to become closer with other players like Paige Bueckers. pic.twitter.com/ftnI5x2jr0

— Wendell Epps (@epps_wendell) January 31, 2026

READ MORE: WNBA Legend Gives High Praise To Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers

The two stars also took part in a shooting competition in Dallas called "Wellball," which was a nice little way for the players to build some chemistry. They'll be playing for Team USA together, potentially in FIBA qualifiers, but more than likely the FIBA Tournament in September. They just went through training camp together in December, and could provide a nice boost of youth and energy that the team needs.

Citron is playing on Hive BC for Unrivaled, who are just 2-6 so far this season. She's played fine, averaging 14.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG, but it's not quite the season Bueckers has had.

Bueckers is thriving for Breeze BC, who are 4-4, averaging 23.8 PPG and 6.4 APG. She's third in the league in scoring and second in assists. If not for Chelsea Gray, she'd have an argument for MVP. Hive and Breeze will play against each other again on February 6th. Breeze won the first game on January 9th, with Bueckers and Citron each putting up 16 points.

READ MORE: Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers Gets Real About WNBA, Unrivaled WBB Impact

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