‘It’s really impressive:’ Paige Bueckers sets WNBA rookie scoring record

Photo Credit: The Dallas Morning News

“Unreal.” “It’s an honor to play with you.” “Rookie of the Year.”

Those were the reactions that flooded social media from Paige Bueckers’ teammates after her record-setting performance on Wednesday night.

The Dallas Wings’ rookie guard scored 44 points against the Los Angeles Sparks, setting a single-game rookie scoring record for the Women’s National Basketball Association. Bueckers broke Candace Parker’s rookie record of 40 points set in 2008. The 23-year-old’s 44 points are the third most scored in a single game by a Wing in franchise history and the 10th most by a player in league history.

"I mean, I'm as much a fan as anybody else," said Wings head coach Chris Koclanes. "She takes what the defense is giving her all over the floor. She just plays at her own pace. You can't speed her up. It's really impressive for a rookie in this league to be able to maintain her own speed and tempo. I think that helps her to be able to read the defense."

Bueckers was the first-overall pick in April’s 2025 WNBA Draft. Bueckers was a four-time BIG East Tournament Champion and 2025 NCAA National Champion with the University of Connecticut. The 2021 AP Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year was a three-time unanimous first-team All-American. She battled a variety of injuries at UConn and missed the 2022-23 college basketball season with a torn ACL.

The Edina, Minnesota native was the clear top choice in the WNBA Draft and has not disappointed.

In 29 games for the Wings, Bueckers is averaging 19.7 points and 5.7 assists per game. She is shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from beyond the arc. She is averaging the fourth-most minutes played (34.0) in the league, while ranking fourth in steals per game (1.7), fifth in points per game, and ninth in assists per game.

Bueckers is adjusting quickly to the professional ranks and is using her unique strengths to her advantage.

"It's a lot of repetition in practice," said Paige Bueckers. "And learning and growing, watching film of how you can get to your spots, how you can attack, how you can use your teammates screening for you, attacking in transition and when teams switch on screens. Just reading the possession.

"I truly think basketball has gotten away from it -- it's mostly layups and 3s. Teams don't know how to guard it. So I think it's an advantage when you can score in the midrange."

Wednesday night’s historic performance is a reminder of why Bueckers was a highly-touted high school and college recruit.

Playing just over 36 minutes against the Sparks, Bueckers shot 17-of-21 from the field and made all four of her three-point attempts and all six of her free throws. To go along with her 44 points, she added four rebounds and three assists. Bueckers became the first player in WNBA history to shoot at least 80 percent (81.0 percent) from the field while scoring 40 or more points.

However, despite her best efforts, Bueckers and the Wings lost 81-80 on a game-winning, two-point shot from Sparks guard Kelsey Plum as time expired. Forward Maddy Siegrist was the only other Wings player to score double-digit points.

While Bueckers’ rookie season has been nothing short of spectacular, and she is the odds-on favorite to win WNBA Rookie of the Year, it has been a different story for the Wings. The Wings sit in 11th place in the league, third from the bottom, with a 9-27 record. Having gone 2-8 in their last 10, the Wings have been eliminated from playoff contention.

From four NCAA Final Four appearances and a 2025 National Championship to not making the playoffs in her rookie year, Bueckers is only focused on growing with her team and finishing the season on a winning note.

"I've always prided myself in the team winning, so that's obviously the main goal," Bueckers said. "I'm most proud of this team and the way we fight. This team just means so much to me. Just the way we invest. We love each other. It could be easy for us to be [9-27] and be miserable and hate coming to work, but we show up for each other. We're learning and growing together. What we're building here, it just makes me so happy."