Paige Bueckers clinched the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year award in convincing fashion, but not without controversy. Though Bueckers already got AP’s coveted season award along with A’ja Wilson, she fell just two votes shy of a unanimous selection.
The Dallas Wings guard received 70 out of 72 possible first-place votes from a panel of national sportswriters and broadcasters. In contrast, the only other votes went to Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron.
Paige Bueckers Missed Unanimous ROTY Award To Sonia Citron
Paige Bueckers’ rookie season left few doubters. Over 36 games, she averaged 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, leading all rookies in scoring and assists.
Additionally, her shooting percentage from the field hovered near 47 percent, a strong showing particularly for a first-year guard. One standout performance added weight to her case when she dropped a 44-point game vs. the Los Angeles Sparks on August 20. It was also the highest-scoring game of any rookie this season.
Rookie of the Year voting results:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) September 16, 2025
Paige Bueckers – 70 votes
Sonia Citron – 2 votes
Despite her individual brilliance, her team didn’t find success in the win column. The Wings finished with one of the worst records in the league (10-34), tied with the Chicago Sky. Also, not too soon ago, the Wings’ head coach honestly acknowledged the first season’s challenges. Still, many voters seemed willing to separate team performance from individual excellence in their ballots.
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Meanwhile, Sonia Citron, the runner-up, didn’t come out of nowhere. Just like PB, she had an impressive showing while averaging 14.9 points per game, shot very well (notably from three-point range at ~44.5%), and impressed in her rookie season for the Mystics. But those two votes she secured, though small in number, were enough to deny Bueckers a unanimous selection.
WNBA Fans Unpleased After Paige Bueckers Fell Two Votes Short Of Unanimous ROTY
Fans across social media erupted with mixed emotions. While some celebrated Bueckers’ dominant rookie year, others expressed frustration that a near-perfect performance didn’t translate into a perfect vote.
Many argue that dropping two votes, despite her statistical dominance, undermines what should have been a clean sweep. Some are calling for transparency, others for revoking the credentials of questionable voters.
“release the names because i wanna hear the logic,” a fan commented.
release the names because i wanna hear the logic 😂
— HumbleForever (@DaRealSkeet) September 16, 2025
“Sonia deserved more than that,” another fan wrote.
Sonia deserved more than that.
— CCFC- (@sohali2012) September 16, 2025
“The Paigesexuals would’ve been unberable if it were unanimous,” a third one added.
The Paigesexuals would've been unberable if it were unanimous
— mrmajika (@mrmajika1) September 16, 2025
“should been unanimous but we take it,” a fourth fan wrote.
should been unanimous but we take it
— wst (@wirtzlfcv) September 16, 2025
“Disgusting,” another one added.
Disgusting.
— Garrett Chollett (@chollettgarrett) September 16, 2025
However, fans wasted little time raising questions about the two votes that went against Bueckers. Many are demanding to know who voted for Citron as their first-place pick, and why. Some have called for the credentials of those voters to be reviewed or revoked.