Paige Bueckers Makes WNBA History Against Golden State Valkyries originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft, is starting to look more and more like the league’s next superstar.
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The Wings may be struggling to get off the ground, but she has been raising her game lately. On Friday, they lost to the expansion Golden State Valkyries, but she shot 7-of-15 from the field and scored 17 points to go along with six assists and four steals.
In doing so, Bueckers set a new WNBA rookie record by becoming the fastest player to reach at least 350 points and 100 assists for her career.
She also now has the second-highest number of 15-point, five-assist games (9) by a rookie in league history. The only player ahead of her is Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, who made 31 such games during her rookie year.
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Just a few months ago, Bueckers led UConn to the women’s NCAA championship, and she won a slew of individual awards, including the John R. Wooden Award and the Nancy Lieberman Award, during her time there. In all, she averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists a game while shooting 53.1% from the field and 42.3% from 3-point range during her time with the Huskies.
Her game has been compared by some to that of Clark, but her mid-range game is more refined, which has led some to declare that her overall game is more akin to that of WNBA greats Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
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Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) passes against Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8).© Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
The Wings, who went 9-31 last year, are just 7-18 and have the league’s second-worst record right now. But in Bueckers, they have someone who appears to be a legitimate franchise player to build around, and she could end up rescuing them from the doldrums they have been stuck in since the late 2000s.
Related: Indiana Fever Share Kelsey Mitchell Post in Caitlin Clark’s Absence
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
