You won't believe where Paige Bueckers landed on the list of top young athletes! After a stellar year, you'd expect her to be near the top, right? Let's dive in and see what the experts at Bleacher Report had to say.
In the rearview mirror of 2025, we're reflecting on the year's biggest sports moments, and one name shines brightly: Paige Bueckers. The Dallas Wings' star had a season for the ages, culminating in a national championship with UConn in her senior year, earning her First-Team All-American honors. The WNBA Draft followed, where she was selected first overall by the Dallas Wings. Her rookie year was nothing short of spectacular: an All-Star Game starter, Rookie of the Year, and a spot on the All-WNBA Second Team.
It's hard to argue with that level of success, even if the Wings struggled as a team.
But here's where it gets controversial...
Bleacher Report compiled a list of the top 25 athletes under 25 across all sports. Surprisingly, Paige Bueckers ranked 23rd. Out of the entire WNBA, only two players made the cut: Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, who snagged the 6th spot. Outside the WNBA, only one other female athlete made the list: tennis star Iga Swiatek, at 16th.
As Jason Dunbar pointed out, the highlight of Bueckers' rookie year was a dominant performance in Los Angeles, where she scored 44 points on 80% shooting, setting a new single-game rookie scoring record.
Her season stats were impressive, boasting a top-10 Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 22.1 and ranking among the top 20 all-time for true rookies.
Bueckers averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 2025, with a field goal percentage of 47.7%. These numbers earned her All-Star and All-WNBA second-team selections, along with the Rookie of the Year award.
At 24, Bueckers won't be eligible for next year's list, as a torn ACL sidelined her in 2022-23. Remember, she was the No. 1 recruit in the 2020 freshman class, which included talents like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Cam Brink, and Kamila Cardoso.
Bueckers displayed remarkable poise as a rookie, and her exceptional game processing, playmaking, and scoring abilities should make her a strong contender for the WNBA MVP in the coming year.
So, why wasn't she higher on the list? Even with the Wings' struggles, Bueckers' individual achievements were undeniable. The team's challenge now is to build a better roster around her, which they'll have a great opportunity to do this offseason with ample cap space.
What do you think? Did the rankings accurately reflect Bueckers' impact, or should she have been higher? Share your thoughts in the comments!
