Paige Bueckers Sends Personal Message After Being Named WNBA Rookie of the Year

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 4:30 PM ET

It wasn’t an ideal season for the Dallas Wings, who finished 10-34 and missed the WNBA playoffs.

Still, despite the team’s struggles, they found their franchise cornerstone in No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. The rookie guard averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game in an impressive first year.

On Tuesday, Bueckers was officially named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, and shortly after the announcement, she shared a personal message on Instagram reflecting on her first season with the Wings.

"Thank you God for an amazing rookie year," Bueckers wrote. "Process over results. Unconditional joy and gratitude, so much to be thankful for. Love my squad, they all deserve Teammates of the Year in my book, nothing is possible without them. Now let’s keep on keeping on. Go wings!"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paige (@paigebueckers)

Fans reacted to Bueckers message after winning the award:

"Proud of you! Just getting started," a fan said.

Someone else added, "It was an honor watching you play in person! Keep doing great things."

Another person wrote, " just keep getting prouder and prouder of you."

"PROUD. God did!!!" One more fan commented.

Paige Bueckers remained optimistic about what the Wings are building, and after the team’s season-ending victory, she shared her outlook moving forward.

“Just a whole bunch of potential. And it showed up in so many different stories this season,” Bueckers said. “I feel like there are so many different things that have captured what we’ve been through as a team and how much we’ve overcome.”

“People can look at the results and say, how can you be so happy with a 10-win season?” she added. “But I know I’ll look back at the end of my career and be really appreciative of this rookie season, just like everybody else.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: