All-Star Bouncer: “You on the list?” Paige Bueckers: “I am the list.”
PAIGE BUECKERS JUST CRACKED A ROOKIE ALL-STAR CLUB RESERVED FOR GENERATIONAL HOOPERS
Dallas Wings rookie guard Paige Bueckers snagged a starting spot in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game today. Rookie starters don’t just happen — you have to bulldoze the door down. Paige didn’t knock. She wrecked it.
Only 10 rookies ever started a WNBA All-Star Game. Paige is now one of them. The other nine? Straight-up basketball royalty. We’re talking about a level of Mount Rushmore names. Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Shoni Schimmel, Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw. Funny enough unless your name is Caitlin, Catchings, or Chamique, this kind of rookie success? Didn’t see it coming.
Now add Paige. And don’t whisper it — scream it from the rooftops.
This isn’t a cute rookie story or a vibe pick. This is a generational hooper throwing up numbers like she’s playing 2K on Rookie Mode—and still not impressed with herself.
Bueckers earned her spot by votes from fans (50%), players (25%), and media (25%). The internet loved her, her coworkers respected her, and the basketball nerds couldn’t deny her. Triple crown. She didn’t sneak in. She strolled in like she owns the gym.
Everyone, from the stans to locker-room vets, they all agree that Paige belongs.
WHO’s Sitting AT the TABLE?
This list doesn’t just sparkle. It shines. Every name mentioned from Clark to Catchings, either became a WNBA icon, a cultural moment, or both.
Clark and Boston are the league’s new faces. Griner and Delle Donne are MVPs. Bird and Catchings are living legends. Moore changed the game. Chamique made the league cool. Schimmel? Led 2014 All-Star jersey sales and dropped 29 points in the game. It’s not about longevity — it’s about impact.
Paige doesn’t just fit the pattern. She is the pattern.
Most rookies on this list didn’t flame out — they blasted off. Bird, Catchings, Moore, Griner, Delle Donne — all MVP-caliber stars. Clark and Boston already have signature shoes and national ad campaigns. Even Schimmel, despite a short WNBA run, made cultural history.
Start the All-Star Game as a rookie, and the bar shifts. This isn’t just Rookie of the Year talk. It’s legacy math. Future MVP? 10-time All-Star? Statue on the way?
Paige looks like the player who won’t just collect awards — she’ll define eras.
THE NUMBERS ARE SCREAMING; THE STATS? DOWNRIGHT DISRESPECTFUL.
This ain’t a popularity contest. This is a breakout.
Bueckers leads all rookies in scoring (18.4), assists (5.8), and steals (1.85). She’s top five in rebounds and blocks, too. Her 35-point heater in Phoenix ranks as the second-highest scoring game in the league this season. She’s the only rookie with a points-assists double-double.
And in June? She averaged 21.6 points per game — third overall in the entire WNBA.
Try not to cry if you’ve ever picked up a basketball:
18.4 PPG (rookie leader)
5.8 APG (rookie leader)
1.85 SPG (rookie leader)
4.4 RPG (4th among rookies)
0.92 BPG (4th among rookies)
35-point game in Phoenix (2nd-highest this season)
Only rookie with a points-assists double-double
21.6 PPG in June (3rd in the league, not just rookies)
Paige’s been popping since high school—gracing covers, cashing NIL checks, trending every time she touched a court. This All-Star nod? Not just a crown — it’s a mic drop.
Injuries? Hype hangover? The league waiting for her to choke? Nah. Paige is out here snatching games, stealing eyeballs, and running the WNBA show. She’s doing it on a Wings team that’s basically the basketball version of a dumpster fire. No superstars, no cheat codes. Just buckets, slick dimes, steals, and a calm-ass swagger that makes defenders do double takes and fans smash refresh on their ballots.
She didn’t sneak in. She came out the womb crossing fools up. Headlining Sports Illustrated as a teenager, cashing NIL deals at UConn, blowing up TikTok when TikTok was still just dance moves. Now? She’s torching every “wait and see” doubter like a flamethrower. The Wings are getting wrecked like crypto bros in 2022, but Paige? She’s cold-blooded—dropping pull-ups, dishing dimes, and playing defense so sharp it should be illegal.
SHE’S ALREADY THAT GIRL. WHAT’S NEXT? STATUES, PROBABLY.
Look at the rest of the rookie All-Star club. Most didn’t just hang around — they became MVPs, champions, cultural cornerstones.
Bird? Statue.
Catchings? Statue.
Griner? Legend.
Moore? Icon.
Clark and Boston? Already pushing merch like Beyoncé’s Ivy Park.
This is legacy math. You don’t just make the All-Star Game as a rookie. You signal your entire career is gonna slap.
Paige is next. Book it. Print the tee.
