Congratulations to Paige Bueckers for winning Rookie of the Year. Cathy Englebert surprised the Wings' star guard with the trophy at an appearance on the Jennifer Hudson show. It was a beautiful moment that allowed Bueckers to be immediately celebrated in a unique way, as she was in the middle of her entrance. If you know anything about that show, they do entrances big.
Immediately after the announcement was made, the WNBA released a press statement celebrating Paige's historic inaugural season. That's where the voting breakdown was revealed. Most observers expected the former UConn superstar to win ROY unanimously, but, just like Caitlin Clark last year, that wasn't the case.
Paige Bueckers was robbed of a unanimous win
Two voters opted to stand out and choose Washington Mystics' three-point sniper Sonia Citron. One of two special rookie sensations in Washington, Citron had an awesome year, and any other year (besides this one and last year), she would be deserving. But giving her votes this year undermines the integrity of the voting process, even though they overwhelmingly got it right.
The same thing happened to Clark last season. Her rookie campaign was one for the record books, and it was obvious who the most outstanding first-year player was. Yet, there was one voter who decided Angel Reese was deserving of a vote. Now, the Bayou Barbie had a marvelous season, leading the league in rebounds and averaging a double-double. But, no.
There's no need to rehash everything that Caitlin did last season. We were all there. Her production as a scorer and playmaker helped lead the Fever to a playoff berth. She broke several records, producing one of the best rookie years we've ever seen. Bueckers followed that up with an undeniable first year of her own.
Paige is the only rookie in WNBA history to average 19 points or more while shooting 47% from the floor. Candace Parker is the only other player, not just rookie, to average that many points with such a high shooting percentage while also dishing out five assists a night. She was fifth in scoring, ninth in assists, and sixth in steals. No other player in the league accomplished that this year.
Let's not forget the 44 points she dropped on August 20 with unbelievable efficiency. Paige also won Rookie of the Month three times this season. I understand people liking what Citron did, but her season was filled with accomplishments in the Mystics franchise history, while Bueckers was crushing league-wide records. They are not the same.
Some of you may not think not winning unanimously is a big deal, but there must be integrity when it comes to these things. If you voted for Sonia over Paige, you're telling the world that the Mystics rookie had a better season than Bueckers, and that's just not honest. I don't know what the league can do to encourage voters to put the truth above their fandom, but they need to say something.