WNBA to Punish Rookie After Paige Bueckers Incident

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

WNBA to Punish Rookie After Paige Bueckers Incident

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Sep 24, 2026 7:16 AM ET

The Seattle Storm ended the season with a blowout loss to Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, 103-91. It was the team’s fifth straight loss and 36th defeat of the campaign, as it finished with the worst record in the WNBA.

Seattle had no answer for the Wings trio of Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale and Jessica Shepard, who all scored at least 20 points each. Bueckers led the way with 25 points, while Ogunbowale added 23. Shepard, for her part, had a monster triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

Dominique Malonga had 29 points and eight rebounds for the Storm, while rookie Awa Fam had 22 points and seven boards. Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough to overcome a Wings squad gearing up for the playoffs.

Making matters worse for Seattle, Fam was called for a flagrant foul early in the game, which sets her up to receive disciplinary action from the WNBA.

Seattle Storm center Awa Fam (11)Chris Jones-Imagn Images

With 4:35 remaining in the second quarter, Fam tried to block a Bueckers jumper. It didn’t bother the Wings guard, who made the shot with ease and drew a foul.

However, officials reviewed the play since the Storm rookie’s defensive move could be considered a reckless closeout. In the end, the referees upgraded it to a Flagrant 1, according to Rob Tiongson of The Podium Finish.

According to the WNBA rules, each flagrant point is punishable by a $500 fine. A Flagrant 1 foul accounts for one flagrant point, while a Flagrant 2 foul accounts for two flagrant points.

It was Fam’s only flagrant foul of the season. She also didn’t receive any technical fouls throughout her first year in the WNBA. Unfortunately for her, she ended the campaign with a punishment waiting for her.

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

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