Following Thursday’s performance against Los Angeles, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers joined Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark among rare air in WNBA history during the former Connecticut star’s spectacular rookie season.
Despite the Wings ultimately falling to Sparks 81-80 on a last-second bucket by Los Angeles guard Kelsey Plum, Bueckers’ jaw-dropping 44 points on 17-for-21 from the field, 4-for-4 from 3-point territory, and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line along with four rebounds, three assists, and one steal, allowed her to reach a plateau that only Clark has attained.
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According to the WNBA, Bueckers’ 2025 rookie stats accumulated so far make her the second rookie in the WNBA’s 29 years of existence to record at least 500 points, 150 assists, 100 rebounds, and 50 steals in a season.
After Dallas’ 95-60 throttling by the Seattle Storm on Friday, Bueckers has recorded 581 points, 153 assists, 121 rebounds, and 50 steals in her 30 games played so far.
Obviously, Clark was the first to accomplish this statistical anomaly in her 2024 Rookie of the Year Award-winning campaign, when the former Hawkeye recorded 769 points (WNBA all-time rookie scoring record), 337 assists, 229 rebounds, and 53 steals in 40 games played.
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Fortunately for Clark fans, Buecker’s scoring average of 19.37 points with only seven games remaining in a season in which the Wings have already been officially eliminated from qualifying for the WNBA playoffs makes the possibility of breaking the rookie scoring record incredibly slim.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) hug Sunday, July 13, 2025, ahead of the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Despite the different franchise situations in which Clark and Bueckers have had to play through in their rookie campaigns, the two iconic guards are at the forefront of the league’s skyrocketing growth in the national sports landscape and overall financial success.
While it is unfortunate that Clark’s injury-riddled 2025 season has only allowed the for one on-court matchup against Bueckers, the aura surrounding both guards will not disapate as both Dallas and Indiana build around their franchise stars.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Paige Bueckers joins Caitlin Clark in WNBA history
