Former UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers continued her dominant first WNBA season in August, earning her third consecutive Rookie of the Month honors.
Despite a 1-11 record for her Dallas Wings, Bueckers produced at an elite level averaging 20.3 points per game plus 3.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in August. Her points per game ranked fourth in the league and second among guards for the month, and she had the second-highest field goal percentage among the top five scorers, shooting 49.7%, behind only reigning MVP A’ja Wilson at 49.8%.
Bueckers’ month was headlined by a record-breaking 44-point performance in Dallas’s 81-80 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 20. The rookie superstar tied the all-time rookie scoring record set by Hall of Fame guard Cynthia Cooper in the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997, and she joined legendary forward Candace Parker as the only drafted players to score 40-plus in their rookie season. She became the first player in WNBA history to score 40-plus points while shooting 80% from the field, and she went a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Bueckers was also the first player to record a 40-point game this season, and she is the third rookie in league history to score 35-plus points multiple times in a season
The Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers works against the Los Angeles Sparks’ Julie Allemand during the first half at College Park Center on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images North America/TNS)
With three games left in her rookie campaign, Bueckers is averaging 18.9 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals shooting 46.7% from the field and 33% from 3-point range. She broke the Wings’ franchise record for assists by a rookie against the Sparks on Aug. 16, and she became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 500-plus points, and 150-plus assists in an Aug. 17 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
Bueckers also extended her run of consecutive double-digit scoring performances to 30 games before it ended with her nine points and nine assists against the Golden State Valkyries on Aug. 24. She has scored at least 16 points in every appearance since the streak ended.
Bueckers remains the runaway favorite to win the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, which will be announced after the conclusion of the regular season on Sept. 11. Bueckers would be the fourth straight No. 1 overall draft pick to win the award and the seventh Rookie of the Year out of UConn.
