Paige Bueckers matched Caitlin Clark on multiple stats in her rookie season. Both were strong contenders for the Rookie of the Year accolade and eventually grabbed the top rookie award. On Tuesday, September 16, the WNBA declared Paige Bueckers as Rookie of the Year winner, but then there was a significant announcement discrepancy.
A video of CC and PB’s rookie of the year announcement surfaced on social media, highlighting the different treatment both stars received.
WNBA’s Different Treatment For Caitlin Clark And Paige Bueckers
Ever since the Dallas Wings selected the reigning NCAA champion as their top pick for the 2025 WNBA draft, she was compared to the Indiana Fever superstar playmaker, who had a massively successful rookie season. They both won the ROY award by a considerable margin. Arike Ogunbowale even dropped an honest one-word reaction to Bueckers’ rookie of the year award.
When the Wings’ guard won the award, there was an event and cheering, with the WNBA commissioner personally handing over the award. The 2024 ROY winner just received a phone call where her training camp members and Fever staff celebrated in the training facility.
The different treatment for the two ROY winners was talk of the town, even though they nearly had equivalent records in the league. The rookie of the year voting was even similar, with both guards delivering memorable first seasons for their respective teams.
Even though both ROY winners were dominating and favorites from the start of the season, they didn’t win the accolade unanimously. Candace Parker remains the only player to get all the votes for the ROY award.
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The WNBA gave Caitlin Clark a phone call for ROTY.
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) September 16, 2025
Paige Bueckers got a whole surprise party 🤔 pic.twitter.com/plvcatyc9g
While in 2024, there were 67 possible votes, CC got 66 votes, with Angel Reese getting the only remaining vote for the accolade. Similarly, the UConn star was also a unanimous winner, missing out on just two votes. She got 70 out of 72 votes while Sonia Citron received the remaining two votes.
Reality of Rookie Of The Year Announcement For Caitlin Clark And Paige Bueckers
While there is a striking difference between the announcement of the winners, it is important to note that both players were on different platforms when the league announced the winners’ names. The 2025 rookie took the runway for “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” which is known for hyping guests moments before they go on air, while CC was in the training facility, sweating out for the 2025 season.
The ESPN staff sung “Paige Bueckers at J Hud, shooting buckets, she’s the one.” As she was walking to the studio and the WNBA Commissioner surprised her with the Rookie of the Year hardware.
As for the Indiana Fever star, the player was preparing for the 2025 season after an early exit from the postseason late in September. The star was working out in the training facility when she received the call from Cathy Englebert.